Final Post: Misconceptions, Questions Answered, Difficult Situations, Best Moments, Final Thoughts - Melanie's viewpoint - crafthaus2024-03-28T14:10:51Zhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/forum/topics/final-post-misconceptions-questions-answers?groupUrl=crafthaus-goes-to-acc-baltimore-2016&commentId=2104389%3AComment%3A545525&groupId=2104389%3AGroup%3A536299&feed=yes&xn_auth=noPerhaps if Crafthaus, AJF, SN…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-07-01:2104389:Comment:5511542016-07-01T11:47:06.028ZRoxy Lentzhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/RoxyLentz
<p>Perhaps if Crafthaus, AJF, SNAG and other craft organizations had a Go Fund Me pool for advertising. A vote on where to put that advertising, say USA Today, to get buzz, so then it is talked about, and reporters start to look for stories. A catch phrase "Artists do it for you". </p>
<p>Advertising is needed to assure the public it is OK to buy art. The only way I can think of to get the money is to pool it with something like Go Fund Me. I belong to more than one craft group, and I am sure…</p>
<p>Perhaps if Crafthaus, AJF, SNAG and other craft organizations had a Go Fund Me pool for advertising. A vote on where to put that advertising, say USA Today, to get buzz, so then it is talked about, and reporters start to look for stories. A catch phrase "Artists do it for you". </p>
<p>Advertising is needed to assure the public it is OK to buy art. The only way I can think of to get the money is to pool it with something like Go Fund Me. I belong to more than one craft group, and I am sure most of us do, so they need to band together to make our voice heard. </p> thank you brigitte for all th…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-07-01:2104389:Comment:5510822016-07-01T02:26:04.508Zanne havelhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/annehavel
<p>thank you brigitte for all the work you did to put this series together. took me awhile to get thru it, but i'm there!</p>
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<p>thank you brigitte for all the work you did to put this series together. took me awhile to get thru it, but i'm there!</p>
<p></p> As Dickens so aptly wrote, "i…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-20:2104389:Comment:5456792016-05-20T06:09:58.661Z2Roseshttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/2Roses
<p>As Dickens so aptly wrote, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..."</p>
<p>We do ourselves a disservice oversimplifying our condition as a result of "the economy". Obviously, there is a segment of our society that is doing very well, thank you. More to the point, how are YOU doing?</p>
<p>The answer to that question is connected to specific aspects of economic trends and policy - International, National, State and Local -that impact your ability to earn a living as a maker…</p>
<p>As Dickens so aptly wrote, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..."</p>
<p>We do ourselves a disservice oversimplifying our condition as a result of "the economy". Obviously, there is a segment of our society that is doing very well, thank you. More to the point, how are YOU doing?</p>
<p>The answer to that question is connected to specific aspects of economic trends and policy - International, National, State and Local -that impact your ability to earn a living as a maker or artisan of any kind. The answer is not going to be simple because the problem is not simple. Moreover, once the problem sets have been identified, we as a group have to muster the will to take action to attempt a solution. If you are waiting for your Congressman, Mayor or Supervisor to do this for you, plan to be waiting a very very long time. </p>
<p>So, what ARE some of the problems that contribute to our inability to sell enough goods to support ourselves?</p>
<p>1. Not many people want what we sell. Yeah, you are passionate, and its HANDMADE! No one cares. People in the US spend more money on imported jewelry items in a month than our entire craft market generates in a year. You cannot compete on price. You cannot compete on volume. You cannot compete on distribution. You cannot compete on marketing. Happily, a few of us do manage to find market success. They are the exception, not the rule. </p>
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<p>2. This points to a severely flawed business model for most practitioners in our field. What!? You say you don't <em>have</em> a business model? Well, that would be a place to start. Unfortunately, many in our field are crippled by foolish ideas that business and the arts are incompatible. Dispelling that notion and minding your business would be a place to start. </p>
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<p>3. Now that we're talkin' business, let's take a closer look at that bastion of the "handmade", Etsy. It is a sales channel for many of us, albeit an increasingly ineffective one. Etsy spent $66.8 million dollars in advertising last year to drive buyers to its site. Authentic handmade products accounted for about 4% of sales. 96% of sales were generated by resellers offering mass produced items. That should inform you as to why Etsy has turned its back on handmade. </p>
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<p>4. What it doesn't answer is why buyers have largely turned their backs on handmade. Argue all you want that, people "need" craft, they don't. We, as makers have an intrinsic need to <em>make</em> craft. It's not the same thing. Yes, people still do buy our wares. But in alarmingly decreasing numbers over the last 20 years. The decline has accelerated within the last 5 years. Not coincidentally a graph of the decline in sales of craft (and arts in general) mirrors the decline in real income growth for the majority of Americans over the same period. There are simply less people with the discretionary income to spend on our wares. So we are all left to compete for the shrinking pool of buyers that remain. </p>
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<p>So, what do you think we should all do about this?</p> I think 'poor economy' was re…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-19:2104389:Comment:5453702016-05-19T21:27:11.710ZJessica Toddhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/JessTodd
<p>I think 'poor economy' was reason enough to explain falling sales a decade ago (back when I was a young gal breaking my first saw blade), but I don't think that can explain it anymore. We are definitely in an economic upturn. I'm not an economist by any means and don't make a living off of my work, so feel free to contradict me (just offering my perspective), but it seems like a product of shifting shopping trends. "Nobody" (as the kids would say) goes to department stores anymore - they…</p>
<p>I think 'poor economy' was reason enough to explain falling sales a decade ago (back when I was a young gal breaking my first saw blade), but I don't think that can explain it anymore. We are definitely in an economic upturn. I'm not an economist by any means and don't make a living off of my work, so feel free to contradict me (just offering my perspective), but it seems like a product of shifting shopping trends. "Nobody" (as the kids would say) goes to department stores anymore - they shop online. And while people may still shop at department stores online, online presence has been edged out by companies that were "born online" and feed on social media and the advantages of online sales. They aren't trying to bring brick and mortar to the already antiquated interwebs, they are starting fresh with an eye on Facebook and Instagram and BuzzTweetSnapWhatever. Stores like Zulily, HauteLook, Fab.com, Joss & Main, etc. have stormed the marketplace with the concept of "flash sales" and can reach people on the screen they spend the most time with. Hell, cable television is considered ancient these days because of Netflix and Hulu. So while I, personally, would much prefer to spend a weekend cruising an ACC show (aka Heaven on Earth), perhaps there's an online revolution that needs to take place to reach that other audience and help artists support themselves (in addition to traditional shows, or perhaps in conjunction with). That *was* Etsy - revolutionizing the buying and selling of handmade objects - but their poor choice to open the floodgates on manufacturing has destroyed the integrity of the site, for buyers and sellers. So, dunno. Wish they hadn't done that because they really do have the name recognition that's hard to achieve.</p> I don't really think the econ…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-17:2104389:Comment:5454532016-05-17T16:22:52.184ZRoxy Lentzhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/RoxyLentz
<p>I don't really think the economy is a factor, though it is the excuse always used. I still see people lined up out the door on almost any given evening at a sit down chain restaurant. Craft beer is everywhere, and it must sell, or the restaurants would not invest in the expensive equipment or training. What someone spends on eating out, they could spend on a piece of art that will last them a lifetime. Naturally I am talking about the average price point of most artists at a fair, at least…</p>
<p>I don't really think the economy is a factor, though it is the excuse always used. I still see people lined up out the door on almost any given evening at a sit down chain restaurant. Craft beer is everywhere, and it must sell, or the restaurants would not invest in the expensive equipment or training. What someone spends on eating out, they could spend on a piece of art that will last them a lifetime. Naturally I am talking about the average price point of most artists at a fair, at least the ones I am familiar with. </p>
<p>Somewhere along the line, people became afraid to buy art, or anything they hadn't been told over and over again was OK. Before craft pizza, craft beer or craft coffee became something an entrepreneur wasn't afraid to invest in, the public had to be assured it was OK, and not a waste of time, even though the product was quite common someplace else.</p>
<p>Even though there was plenty of advertising in the 70's and 80's, I don't think it was as pervasive as it is now, and considered the only way to get information of what to buy. </p> The stagnation, and now attri…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-17:2104389:Comment:5453532016-05-17T15:05:03.314Z2Roseshttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/2Roses
<p>The stagnation, and now attrition of the craft market has been progressing for many years now. It is merely a symptom of larger economic issues, albeit the one that hits us the most deeply and personally. We are part of a larger economic ecosystem that is playing our around us. The notion that we can design our way out of the financial situation we all find ourselves in with better booth design is a distraction. Before this, the idea was that if only we could "educate" the buyers about how…</p>
<p>The stagnation, and now attrition of the craft market has been progressing for many years now. It is merely a symptom of larger economic issues, albeit the one that hits us the most deeply and personally. We are part of a larger economic ecosystem that is playing our around us. The notion that we can design our way out of the financial situation we all find ourselves in with better booth design is a distraction. Before this, the idea was that if only we could "educate" the buyers about how passionate we all are, surely they would spend the extra money to buy our wares. </p>
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<p>Of course, this approach has been exemplary of the adage that "when all you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail". The contraction in the larger commercial retail sector, who employ the best professional display designers in the world, has not been averted. </p>
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<p>The problem is complex and has many facets: we all sell luxury goods priced for the most part at a middle-class audience. Our livelihoods are dependent on discretionary spending. While the desire to buy our wares is still there, the purchasing power to do so has evaporated. Our typical buyers have to make more careful choices in what they buy. In many cases, they don't have a choice at all. </p>
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<p>Because the desire is still there, buyers will seek alternative products and outlets that better align with their financial circumstances. This is the intersection where things like international trade agreements start to impact you, the maker, directly. </p>
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<p>Another key point working against makers is a business environment which includes insurance, tax and zoning regulations that heavily penalize artisans. </p>
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<p>The point here is that more craft shows, better booth design, or educating the public will not affect anything because none of it addresses the cause. I know many of you are thinking "we're just artists, what can WE do?". For starters - organize. There's a reason "united we stand" is printed on our money. Makers have already taken this important first step to organizing. Every field, including metals, ceramics, glass, fabric, even "craft" in general, has an existing organization. But not a single one of those organizations has the mandate to do anything other than providing you with a few shows and a conference that focuses on aesthetics. </p>
<p>For our part, as makers, we need to change the mandate of the organizations that serve our field. Shows were good when times were good. Times have changed. We need to change with them. </p> Thank's Harriett, I am not su…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-13:2104389:Comment:5454272016-05-13T10:06:05.173ZRoxy Lentzhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/RoxyLentz
<p>Thank's Harriett, I am not sure of the answer, and I could write pages on my opinions about why it is this way, I am not sure anyone who makes their craft by hand ever did really well financially on the endeavor. I think if people are told over and over that orange dodo deep fried on a stick is delicious, they will come to think so too, and demand it.</p>
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<p>How to create that demand without money is a problem, and whether the public knows it or not, artists touch every part of their…</p>
<p>Thank's Harriett, I am not sure of the answer, and I could write pages on my opinions about why it is this way, I am not sure anyone who makes their craft by hand ever did really well financially on the endeavor. I think if people are told over and over that orange dodo deep fried on a stick is delicious, they will come to think so too, and demand it.</p>
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<p>How to create that demand without money is a problem, and whether the public knows it or not, artists touch every part of their lives to make it a bit more pleasant. </p> This was a fabulous article.…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-13:2104389:Comment:5456192016-05-13T05:39:09.651ZHarriete E Bermanhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/HarrieteEstelBerman
<p>This was a fabulous article.</p>
<p>I'd like to point out that though the "craft" shows are not doing well, general retailing is not doing well either. Macy's to Nordstrom's as two examples are all talking about fewer sales in clothing, and hand bags...two of their merchandise categories. NBR (Nightly Business Report) just had an segment on this topic, retail is down. …</p>
<p>This was a fabulous article.</p>
<p>I'd like to point out that though the "craft" shows are not doing well, general retailing is not doing well either. Macy's to Nordstrom's as two examples are all talking about fewer sales in clothing, and hand bags...two of their merchandise categories. NBR (Nightly Business Report) just had an segment on this topic, retail is down. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://nbr.com/2016/05/10/transcript-nightly-business-report-may-11-2016/" target="_blank">http://nbr.com/2016/05/10/transcript-nightly-business-report-may-11...</a><br/><br/></p>
<p>Excerpts below: The point of mentioning is that we have to up our game in some super smart way.</p>
<p>Shares of Gap posted disappointing earnings...The company issued a<br/>profit warning as well. Gap (NYSE:GPS) has been hurt by weak demand at its<br/>Banana Republic and Old Navy stores. </p>
<p>"...department stores have seen better days. Traffic is down,<br/>so is revenue, and growth.... "</p>
<p>" It`s not as if the last several quarters have been great for previous standouts like Macy`s</p>
<p>(NYSE:M) and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN). But many retail watchers suspect<br/>something further has been happening recently. It doesn`t bode well for<br/>department stores` results this week.</p>
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<p>"...department stores have spent more than $4.5<br/>billion in the last several years investing in their own online shopping<br/>initiatives but the return on that investment is uncertain, if not<br/>unfavorable so far."</p>
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<p>" Knowing the parent of stronghold Victoria`s Secret and Bath & Body Works is<br/>faltering adds to mounting concern ahead of Macy`s ... "</p>
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<p>"This in response to a report last week suggesting the retailer was<br/>instituting wide cost cuts which caused shares to tumble. Macy`s (NYSE:M),<br/>once a favorite retail pick for investors, is the first of the department<br/>to report and it`s not expected to be good."</p>
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<p>I'd add that about two weeks ago Nordstrom's was cutting jobs. <br/><br/></p>
<p>If major retailer's can't understand how to sell to the consumer....with all their professional experience...the craft's retailing need to think outside the bell curve of average, and way to much merchandise at the craft shows is "average." And most of the retailing display doesn't even compare to the sophisticated display at most retailing malls.</p>
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<p>We can't stand on "handmade" any longer because that prop was stolen by other brands (like cars, and craft beer) that do it so much better than the folks that really are making it by hand.<br/><br/>Sorry to be so frank. I am a big advocate for "Craft", but look for fear that we are becoming an experience economy because that is the only thing that sells.</p>
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<p></p> Love that you picked up and a…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-13:2104389:Comment:5455252016-05-13T05:23:22.767ZHarriete E Bermanhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/HarrieteEstelBerman
<p><br></br><strong><span class="font-size-3">Love that you picked up and asked this question. "When it comes to better booth display, what is your opinion of having a Tim Gunn-style critique at your booth, would that be helpful? When would be the best timing for such an event, and how should this service be offered?"<br></br><br></br>I have se</span><span class="font-size-3">en </span></strong><span class="font-size-3"><strong>plenty of booths</strong> that could do with a little on the spot…</span></p>
<p><br/><strong><span class="font-size-3">Love that you picked up and asked this question. "When it comes to better booth display, what is your opinion of having a Tim Gunn-style critique at your booth, would that be helpful? When would be the best timing for such an event, and how should this service be offered?"<br/><br/>I have se</span><span class="font-size-3">en </span></strong><span class="font-size-3"><strong>plenty of booths</strong> that could do with a little on the spot editing...moving items around...turn down your music.. get rid of that clutter...ideas that could be implemented on the spot. Then the Tim Gunn person could give some ideas for next time. Tim Gunn always says "make it work," but why let the person go through 3-4 more days with a bad booth.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> </span></p> This series has been interest…tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2016-05-12:2104389:Comment:5455162016-05-12T18:56:10.946ZRoxy Lentzhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/RoxyLentz
<p>This series has been interesting to read. Thanks Brigitte for putting this together.</p>
<p>This series has been interesting to read. Thanks Brigitte for putting this together.</p>