sales at craft shows?

I have been doing juried craft shows for a few years now and have been
fairly successful. My work has changed over these years, I've switched from
white earthenware with my own designs painted on them (mugs, planters,
sugars and creamers) to some funky hand-built stoneware. My question is, is
it unprofessional to take these older pieces (earthenware) to shows and have
a "clearance" or "sale" table? I just feel like people can buy mugs and
planters these days at Target so inexpensively that they don't want to spend
the extra money just becasue it's handmade. So do I leave these peices
sitting up in the attic or have a "sale"? On the other hand my stoneware
pieces are unique and unusual and I have been getting a great response to
it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

Sandy

I'm grabbing for the proper analogy and don't have it yet but PLEASE offer
your 'old' stuff for sale. I would love to have an early Picasso. I hate
his popular stuff well known pieces. Everyone has their own sense of beauty
and while some may prefer the 'perfect' form of factory manufactured dishes
others go the to other extreme (I should say end of the continuum rather
than extreme). We have had pottery sales at our studio at school and people
have bought the beginning students pieces that for me lacked any beauty
either in design, skill, color, etc. The buyer wanted it because they loved
the look of it being hand made. They did not know enough to know all of the
flaws that I could see. My only argument against what you suggest is that
you put them up as "Sale" items. I would only do that if they were in some
way flawed. A crack, too heavy of a foot, bubbled glaze etc. is a flaw.
Coming from a different period in your development is not a flaw.

Where are you at?

"Sandy" wrote in message
...
I have been doing juried craft shows for a few years now and have been
fairly successful. My work has changed over these years, I've switched
from
white earthenware with my own designs painted on them (mugs, planters,
sugars and creamers) to some funky hand-built stoneware. My question is,
is
it unprofessional to take these older pieces (earthenware) to shows and
have
a "clearance" or "sale" table? I just feel like people can buy mugs and
planters these days at Target so inexpensively that they don't want to
spend
the extra money just becasue it's handmade. So do I leave these peices
sitting up in the attic or have a "sale"? On the other hand my stoneware
pieces are unique and unusual and I have been getting a great response to
it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

Sandy

"Sandy" wrote in message
...
I have been doing juried craft shows for a few years now and have been
fairly successful. My work has changed over these years, I've switched
from
white earthenware with my own designs painted on them (mugs, planters,
sugars and creamers) to some funky hand-built stoneware. My question is,
is
it unprofessional to take these older pieces (earthenware) to shows and
have
a "clearance" or "sale" table? I just feel like people can buy mugs and
planters these days at Target so inexpensively that they don't want to
spend
the extra money just becasue it's handmade. So do I leave these peices
sitting up in the attic or have a "sale"? On the other hand my stoneware
pieces are unique and unusual and I have been getting a great response to
it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

Sandy


I agree with dkat, sell them, maybe cheaper than you might to get a sale,
but not advertised as sale items. All potters or ceramic artists move on,
it is the way things happen. If you had not changed or moved on I could see
that as a problem.
Its all in the buyers eye if they like it, thats all that matters.
If you were to put your work into an exhibition however, that is where only
your latest work would go.
A

Sandy,
I recently have switched from 25 years of stoneware to white earthenware. I
too have been wondering what to do with my old stoneware.
I have decided that I am selling apples and oranges now. My new grove is
apple trees, my old crop is oranges, that I still have lots of left. They
arent rotten, they just arent my *new crop*. That doesnt make them any less
valuable.

Laura


"annemarie" wrote in message
...
:
: "Sandy" wrote in message
: ...
: I have been doing juried craft shows for a few years now and have been
: fairly successful. My work has changed over these years, I've switched
: from
: white earthenware with my own designs painted on them (mugs, planters,
: sugars and creamers) to some funky hand-built stoneware. My question
is,
: is
: it unprofessional to take these older pieces (earthenware) to shows and
: have
: a "clearance" or "sale" table? I just feel like people can buy mugs
and
: planters these days at Target so inexpensively that they don't want to
: spend
: the extra money just becasue it's handmade. So do I leave these peices
: sitting up in the attic or have a "sale"? On the other hand my stoneware
: pieces are unique and unusual and I have been getting a great response
to
: it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.
:
: Sandy
:
:
: I agree with dkat, sell them, maybe cheaper than you might to get a sale,
: but not advertised as sale items. All potters or ceramic artists move on,
: it is the way things happen. If you had not changed or moved on I could
see
: that as a problem.
: Its all in the buyers eye if they like it, thats all that matters.
: If you were to put your work into an exhibition however, that is where
only
: your latest work would go.
: A
:
:

it'll be a slow way to run down your old inventory, but maybe offer up an old
piece at every show as a free raffle item? use the old piece teaser to expand
your mailing list.

have small pieces of paper ready for people to fill out and pick one at the end
of the day to select who gets the pot.

or, tell customer's for every $100 they buy they get one of these "old" pieces
for free?

they may not be as valuable as gold but they're still at least silver.

see ya

steve





Subject: sales at craft shows?
From: "Sandy"
Date: 5/29/2004 7:43 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

I have been doing juried craft shows for a few years now and have been
fairly successful. My work has changed over these years, I've switched from
white earthenware with my own designs painted on them (mugs, planters,
sugars and creamers) to some funky hand-built stoneware. My question is, is
it unprofessional to take these older pieces (earthenware) to shows and have
a "clearance" or "sale" table? I just feel like people can buy mugs and
planters these days at Target so inexpensively that they don't want to spend
the extra money just becasue it's handmade. So do I leave these peices
sitting up in the attic or have a "sale"? On the other hand my stoneware
pieces are unique and unusual and I have been getting a great response to
it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

Sandy











steve graber