Creative Woodworks & crafts 2004-01, страница 30

ers about how many people normally attend, and then apply the one-in-ten scroll saw work rule to see if that is enough customers to make money. Not too scientific, but it does give you an indication.

Some shows or events are looking for a percentage of sales. I usually avoid these, unless they are charity events such as sales at hospitals. Again, use your judgement.

You also have to determine how much money you are willing to spend for space at a show. My recommendation is to start small with single day ihows and tables in the $50-or-less range. That will give you a chance to test the market and, in the worst case, lose only .your table money.

One key factor you have to consider is that scroll saw work is a luxury that makes a great gift. Although birthdays occur all year long, Christmas is the prime gift-giving season; hence, there are more quality craft sales at Christmas than any other time of the year, and many more sales. Until I branched out into artistic and fantasy pieces, 80% of my sales were in November at Christmas craft sales.

Getting There

Once you have made your inventory, you are now faced with the prospect of getting your work to the sale safely and setting up. Through trial and error, I have settled on those large plastic tub containers to safely transport my work. I prefer the ones that have tops that go up with grooves, which make them safely stackable. This provides further protection for my work and allows me to safely store the work between shows in a limited amount of space in the basement. They also have the advantage of fitting inside each other under the fable during the show. I have settled on one brand with very few container sizes because this makes it a lot easier to store and move the containers.

When I first started with shows, I carried the containers into the table area one or two at a time. Then I discovered that that is whal children are for when they become teenagers. Then I discovered that teenagers become young adults, at which point you have to replace them with mechanical devices. I now use a great folding aluminum two-wheeled cart to carry two or three containers into the show and, more importantly, from the show.

The Eight-Foot World

And there you are, boxes of goods, and an empty, usually eight-foot long table. Stepping back for a moment, here are a few things that I also bring to the sale to solve the dilemma of what to do next:

My Work Kit - I have created a kit of useful items that I keep in a small container for use at shows. Some obvious contents include glue, a few basic tools like a screwdriver, adjustable wrench, scissors, masking tape, duct tape (just because it is wonderful), maybe a small container of finishing oil (I use tung oil) and cloth for touchups, extra price tags, index cards for signs, markers and pens and maybe picnic table clips to hold the tablecloth down. I also keep a ledger and my float box in the kit for recording all my sales and making change. This kit will grow as you attend more shows and discover the need for more neat things. Dollar stores are also a reasonable source for a lot of the work kit items.

Tablecloth - Most shows give you a bare table. I have purchased a few low-cost, machine washable, permanent press.

solid colour tablecloths to cover the table before I set up. Mine are red because of Christmas sales, but dark green or blue also work well. What you are looking for are colors that complement the many shades of brown in the wood without providing a distraction (e.g. patterns in the cloth) from your product.

Display Stands and Shelving -Dollar stores are also a wonderful source for plate stands, small easels and other neat things on which to stand your work. Using these items gives my potential customer an opportunity to see The wire-cube shelving the work as it could be displayed, system is great for shows. They also provide me with a low-cost throw-in if someone wants a stand with their piece.

Some time ago, I invested in a shelving system made up of 14" square metal wire frames tha~ are linked together with plastic connectors. This is a great system that can be used to build anything from tabletop cubes that raise pieces to eye level, to large cages from which to hang sun catchers and ornaments using S-hooks through to shelving behind the table on the floor. It also fits into the same containers as my sales pieces, making it easy to transport in and out of the sale. The shelving can be built in minutes in order to suit the space around the table and accommodate the inventory of items that you have for sale.

More recently, I made a small investment (less than $20) in a three-tier wood shelf made up o^; pine slats. I have seen similar shelving in many different places and, besides the price, they have several advantages. First, they are made out of wood, which is a better fit for my work. Second, they can be quickly modified to provide a stable tabletop platform from which to hang sun catchers and ornaments. I bought a few dozen cup hooks and fastened them to the sides and under the top shelf so that I can hang samples of my work. My sales of these kinds of items have increased because my customers can now see what they are buying. Additionally, I am able to put pieces with bases on top of the shelf so that my customers can make eye contact with them.

Space Management

After I have set up the shelving based on the location of the table, how much space I have around it, and what inventory I have brought to the show, I reach the hardest part: what do I display? 1 usually use the approach of smaller, low-cost items at the front of the table, with larger items at the rear and hanging Christmas ornamonts and sun catchers under the shelving units. I try to leave the center of the table.open so that I can make eye contact with my customers and, just as importantly, exchange goods for money.

This is where the matching containers come in handy. If you can fit most of your work on the table, the containers can be stacked inside of each other. If you have lots of extra stock, the containers will normally fit under the table beneath the dis-

Two-wheeied cart with two storage containers.

Two-wheeled cart folded up.

The wood shelf modified with cup holder hooks has proven invaluable,

30 • Creative Woodworks & Crafts January 2004