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| It’s not unusual to hear a craft artist mutter gloomily about giving up or cutting back on retail or wholesale shows when buyers are few and far between. We’ve heard this kind of remark from disappointed artists at high-end and highly-rated museum shows as well as craftspeople manning their booths at regional festivals and town fairs. |
We wondered how many of them pursue their thoughts of finding
better ways to sell their work? The Crafts Report informally polled groups
of artists and retailers who exhibited or bought at retail or wholesale craft
shows in 2002. We didn’t find any alarming numbers of artists or buyers
abandoning the shows; but some of what we found was surprising.
Retail Artists Going Back for More
One surprise in the retail market was that 13 percent of artists who reported lower sales at retail shows in 2002 than in 2001 were planning to do more retail shows in 2003.
Norm Sartorius, an artist in Parkersburg, W. Va., known for his award-winning wooden spoons, did four retail shows in 2002 but plans to apply to six in 2003.
Sartorius has exhibited at venues like the Smithsonian and Washington Craft shows, but says, “most shows in 2002 were off and one was really bad.”
Undaunted, Sartorius has decided to attack on new fronts. “In 2003, I will show at one, two, maybe three new venues,” he says. “I have never been to Boston or Charlotte, and I have applied to a different show in Philadelphia, so hopefully, I will locate some new collectors.”
Kimberley Klein, a decorative fiber artist in Lancaster, Pa., has a similar plan. “I found that retail was down in 2002,” Klein says. “My strategy for 2003 is to schedule a few more shows and try some new geographical areas. I’m also planning to work on getting a Web page together — finally.”
Other artists are adjusting their products to fit the perceived market. Irene Gates of Sparrow Reed in Douglas, Minn., says sales of her traditional, seasonal and whimsical works at retail shows “were way down” in 2002. In 2003, she says she will “work on designing more lower-end products” for an increased schedule of shows.
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Artists Shifting Retail Efforts
While 51 percent of artists with lower sales at 2002 retail shows, and 30 percent of retail show respondents overall, are planning fewer retail shows in 2003, their plans for the now-available time vary.
Steve and Katie Freede, owners of The Trunk Shoppe in Crawford, Colo., say their sales in 2002 were good, but they have “criteria we evaluate shows by … to decide if we will continue them or replace them.” The Freedes say they are planning fewer retail shows in 2003 and moving to “more traditional, early American craft events.”
Bob Keegan of Newtown, Pa., is cutting back his schedule of 25 retail shows to 15-20 shows in 2003. Keegan says most of his 2002 retail shows were off by about 30-40 percent. “This was even more than I had anticipated,” says Keegan. “My art form, garden sculpture, is quite susceptible to economic downturns … but 30 to 40 percent is a disaster.”
Like some of the artists adding retail shows in 2003, Keegan has decided to try different locations. “I can’t live on, ‘I already have a piece of your work and it is soooo wonderful!’” Keegan explains.
But his business plan goes even further. “I have experienced some really decent sales off my Web site and I am definitely going to push for more sales by including more reasonably priced work,” he says. “I am also starting a small manufacturing business, reproducing my art for wholesale [sales].”
Via the Internet, Keegan has already talked to garden centers that have expressed interest in his production work. “If I land even 20 percent, I will have more than I can handle,” he says.
Many retail show artists also reported they will go to more direct marketing in 2003, especially on the Internet.
Thomas Mann of New Orleans, La., who did “OK” with his jewelry at retail shows in 2002, says he’ll do fewer of them in 2003. “[Instead] I’m doing more direct marketing and increased Web site marketing and direct sales,” says Mann.
And Jon Route, a metal artist in Frederic, Wisc., who saw his sales at retail shows drop 20 percent in 2002 also plans to market his work online. “I’ll advertise my Web site more,” says Route. “Maybe return to more wholesale [shows].”
More Focus on Gallery Sales
On the other hand, Barbara Olsen, whose prize-winning birdfeeders and chalkboards did well in 2002 and “really excellent” at the rainy Winterthur Craft Festival in Delaware, is not moving to the wholesale market.
The artist from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, says she is unsure of how many retail shows she will do in 2003, but has already decided to do fewer wholesale shows and focus on existing customers.
“ [In 2002], we had more open studio shows and I will continue that,” Olsen says. “My [other] goal is to have more gallery shows with my one-of-a-kind work.”
Gary Gennetti of Warwick, N.Y., says sales of his glass works were slower in 2002 than in the past few years and one show was a financial loss. “My income from retail shows is down by about 30 to 40 percent,” Gennetti says.
Gennetti says he may do two fewer retail shows in 2003. “My plan is to increase the number of pieces available through galleries, and increase the number of galleries representing my work.”
Sang Roberson, a ceramics artist in Ormond Beach, Fla., also plans fewer retail shows leaving him time to concentrate on his galleries “and supply them with more work.”
Roberson, who saw lower sales in 2002 than
in 2001, says he also will use his time away from retail shows to work
on new ideas for his ceramic pieces.
Artists Keeping the High-End Shows
Several artists are hoping to improve their profits by jurying into better retail shows.
Alice Hagen, a decorative fiber artist in Asheville, N.C., says she “will not be doing any more of the felted hat and scarf shows” in 2003. “Instead, I will concentrate on selling my art felts at high-end shows where my work is better understood and accepted,” Hagen says.
Marcia Macdonald, a jewelry artist in Eugene, Ore., says she will do about four retail shows in 2003 “if I get into only the best.” Macdonald says this is because she can price her work higher at the better shows.
“ It costs so much to do these retail shows (hotel, booth fees, food, airfare, etc.), you have to make over $3,000 before you even start making a profit,” she says. “And that isn’t even including how much time, money and energy you put into the work in the first place.” Macdonald is also going to try to set up a Web site for her business.
And for artists who thought they were at high-end shows in 2002, the year was discouraging in more ways than one. Mik Wright and Barb Volk of Wreston, W.Va., say sales of their shoes and other leather works went “way down” starting in May 2002 and the overall year was “worse” than 2001.
“ The quality of the work at some of the shows was way down, also,” says Wright, “and I’m talking about shows that have been consistently high quality for years. We are going to continue to develop [our] Web site, and do more wholesale. Craft [retail] shows seem to be fading.”
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Wholesale Artists Eye New Markets
Flat sales and a shaky economy have some exhibitors at wholesale shows taking a harder and more critical look at how well the wholesale system works for them. And, like many artists who exhibited at retail shows in 2002, they are considering new marketing efforts in 2003.
“ We are moving from trade shows to selling via direct mail and the Internet,” says Kem Maher of Rustica Studios, a Tulsa-based maker of hand-painted furniture and accessories. “At this point, trade shows, showrooms and reps are no longer worth what we invest in them. The traffic at trade shows has dwindled severely since 9-11, no matter what the trade show folks say.”
Maher points out that his feelings do not constitute any kind of anti-show sentiment, rather that he is simply looking for new ways to market at a lower cost. He’s not alone.
Bonnie Blandford, a jeweler from Grand Rapids, Mich., says she’s cutting back from two wholesale shows to one. “I can no longer do the Baltimore/Philadelphia combination. Besides, there were so many personal shoppers in Baltimore this past year that many of us have been frustrated and reconsidering the show.”
Blandford still plans to do some retail shows, with wholesale orders taking priority. “But I find that I need the combination of the two to make it work the best,” she says. “I do have a Web site and use it for advertising, not selling.”
Putting Other Marketing Venues to Work
Most wholesale artists who responded to our survey said that wholesale shows were just one part of their overall marketing mix.
Zero Gravity Glass in Alexandria, Va., saw a substantial increase in business last year, thanks to an aggressive marketing effort that combines wholesale shows, a Web site, advertising and cold calling. “We market like crazy,” says Moulton Avery of Zero Gravity. “We advertise on the Web and in magazines, and our 60-plus-page Web site helps a lot. We e-mail JPEG [files] of new work, price sheets, etc., to current and prospective accounts.”
Avery also provides retailers with a “top-seller” list and keeps inventory on hand so the company can ship in three to five days. “We have no minimum,” Avery adds. “I read magazines and contact any galleries that seem to be a possible venue for our work. I call any prospective galleries until they buy, or tell me they really aren’t interested. It takes an average of seven calls to land an account.”
Keeping the Customers Interested
“ We have built up a customer base through craft shows as well as our Web site,” says Jay Palefsky of Garrison, N.Y. “This year we will try to market directly with e-mails regarding new ideas.”
Palefsky and his wife, Marilyn, create decorative art they call “morphicistic” ideas where images change into other images. He adds the couple is keeping the same show schedule as last year, despite the fact that sales and buyer attendance were down from 2001.
“ We are constantly reinventing ourselves as well as changing how we present our art,” Palefsky says. “It seems that we must have something ‘new’ every six months in order to grab the attention of buyers. We have found that the less expensive items (under $60) were ordered in larger quantities.”
Some Artists Anticipate Fewer Buyers
Some wholesale exhibitors say they plan to continue to sell at wholesale shows in the near future, but fear that the pool of buyers over the last few years has waned.
“ The craft shows have grown with more exhibitors and now less buyers,” says Steven Bronstein of Blackthorne Forge in Marshfield, Vt.
“Show fees have recently jumped significantly. I am now trying to do more direct marketing, i.e. mailings and cold calls, to those galleries that continue to show higher-end crafts,” adds Bronstein. “I hope that doing so will allow me to continue to sell to the craft market. I now spend $10,000 to $15,000 on the four shows I do per year, and expect I will work less hard and spend much less by doing my own direct selling. I am also looking forward to wholesale craft buyers realizing we will all benefit if they learn to use the Net for their buying. I have a Web site and am now seeing buyers begin to use the Web.”
INTERESTING TO NOTE: • 41% of respondents planning more retail shows in 2003 reported weaker sales in 2002 than in 2001. • 28% of respondents planning more retail shows in 2003 reported stronger sales in 2002 than in 2001. • 28% of respondents planning more retail shows in 2003 reported the same amount of sales in 2002 and 2001. • 32% of respondents planning more wholesale shows in 2003 reported weaker sales in 2002 than in 2001. • 24% of respondents planning more wholesale shows in 2003 reported stronger sales in 2002 than in 2001. • 13% of respondents planning more wholesale shows in 2003 reported the same amount of sales in 2002 and 2001. |
“ I think the market has been sunk by the large chains who used the craft shows to learn the craft market and are now importing well-made contemporary craft design from overseas,” adds Bronstein.
Buyers Busy at Shows in 2002
But nearly 70 percent of buyers said they spent the same amount in 2002 as in 2001. Only 32 percent of the buyers said they purchased less in 2002 than in 2001.
And even more buyers, 74 percent, said they plan to spend the same or more in 2003. About a third of respondents — 29 percent — plan to spend more this year than last. Forty-five percent said they plan to spend the same. A small percentage by comparison — just 9 percent — said they planned to spend less in 2003 than they spent in 2002.
Gail Bolson-Magnuson of Agora Arts in Decorah, Iowa, attended three wholesale shows last year, but supplements her search for crafts through many other venues as well. “I often look on the Internet, and very often will find [artists] in other galleries I visit, or in magazines, or have artists’ names suggested to me by my customers. Many artists contact me via e-mail because they have seen my Web site.”
David Erickson of Twigs & Leaves Gallery in Waynesville, N.C., says the gallery’s budget to buy will increase by about 10 percent this year over last. Though the gallery is primarily interested in work from Southern Appalachian artists, Erickson says the gallery receives numerous e-mail inquiries through the gallery’s Web site, word-of-mouth through other artists, and a considerable amount of Web surfing.
Faces Change but Numbers Will Be Similar
Overall, The Crafts Report found that it will be “business as usual” for the buyers and exhibitors at this year’s markets.
In the retail market, where 49 percent of the retail artists who responded said their 2002 sales were down from 2001, 46 percent of respondents overall said they would do the same number of retail shows in 2003.
Twenty-four percent of the retail respondents overall said they would do more retail shows in 2003, while 30 percent said they would do fewer.
In the wholesale market, 15 percent of the respondents were planning to add more wholesale shows to their rosters, while 19 percent overall said they planned to do fewer shows.
And, while 54 percent of wholesale artists who responded to our survey said their sales in 2002 were weaker than they were in 2001, the same percentage of respondents overall said they would exhibit in the same amount of shows in 2003.
All in all, we expect to see different faces at some shows, but not fewer booths as the year’s retail and wholesale schedules get into full swing. Artists at all stages of their crafts careers and all levels of success found 2002 a challenging one in the crafts industry.
But most artists momentarily
discouraged by low turnouts or meager sales have shown they are willing
to rally and fight back by tweaking their work,
updating their marketing plans and trying new venues.