It's Fall.........officially.....and as we eye our calendars most of us are filled with a sense of invigoration this time of year brings ,coupled with a vague sense that things are about to get a "little bit crazy". The Holidays are careening toward us ,causing us to long to savor a few of the crisp, nostalgic days of Fall that hint at promises of football games, chilly nights, pumpkin pie and apple cider. Here in the South Fall is a fickle thing... teasing us with crisp days here and there, then sending the temperature back up into the 80s to remind us that perhaps it's a little premature to be packing away the shorts and breaking out the sweaters. But we live for those...
This past weekend was The Prodigal Carpenter's first experience participating in a Festival or Artisan Fair. For anyone who has undertaken one of these, we don't have to tell you the amount of hard work that goes into preparation, facilitating, and post event handling. We learned a lot from our "initiation" into the outdoor market world. 1 Nothing replaces personal interaction with potential customers. The feedback was invaluable. It was affirming to have so many folks express admiration for the quality and craftsmanship of our products and admire what we do. 2. Know your Target Market. Handcrafted items of high quality are not produced inexpensively They take time, craftsmanship and quality materials. Consequently they're not what everyone is looking...
My wife and I are participating in a local artisan festival this weekend, so there have been a multitude of "bases" to cover in preparation. Nothing done well comes easy ......... and we hope do this well! Being "new" to it, however, we've made list after list over the past couple of weeks in an attempt to not leave any critical task unaddressed. Those who've taken the "entrepreneur" plunge understand...... business licenses, tax numbers, business cards, payment processing, packaging etc. etc. Meanwhile the work in the shop goes on..... Artisan Boxes Wooden Culinary Utensils...and Cutting Boards Sanding, Gluing and stirring up Sawdust:) The results are piling up...... We're looking forward to some...
