# Wish us luck......and pray



## rdnkmedic (Nov 2, 2013)

Melanie and I will go to our first Arts and Crafts show today with some of our creations. It's a small local deal right here in our county. I have turkey calls, squirrel calls, bowls, platters, plates and a few other odds and ends. Hopefully I can recoup some of the $$$$ I have invested in this madness. Pictures will follow later in the day. I have high hopes. It would be nice, real nice if I could hit a lick and cover Christmas costs with this.

Keep your fingers crossed. Insert fingers crossed smiley here.

Kevin

P.S.------any pointers or tips on being successful would be appreciated.

Reactions: Like 5


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## SDB777 (Nov 2, 2013)

Photo the set-up!!! Photo's! Photo's! Photo's!

I use to work retail at a major sporting/hunting store... The customer anyways falls into a category.
#1: The looker - never buys anything but wants to talk all day.
#2: The educated - came to buy a specific item and doesn't want anything else.
#3: The over educated - knows about everything you have and can make it cheaper, if only he/she had the stuff to do it with.
#4: The unknowing - this is a fun customer, will buy anything if it will impress someone(this one is the one you want).


Good luck, and let us know how things went!!!






Scott (did I mention photo's) B

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## NYWoodturner (Nov 2, 2013)

Good luck to you both. Just have fun with it. It will grow as you do it more and more. I think the most important thing you could accomplish on this round is to learn to enjoy it. Keep us posted !
Scott

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## bluedot (Nov 2, 2013)

Good luck today.

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## Nobby40 (Nov 2, 2013)

rdnkmedic said:


> Melanie and I will go to our first Arts and Crafts show today with some of our creations. It's a small local deal right here in our county. I have turkey calls, squirrel calls, bowls, platters, plates and a few other odds and ends. Hopefully I can recoup some of the $$$$ I have invested in this madness. Pictures will follow later in the day. I have high hopes. It would be nice, real nice if I could hit a lick and cover Christmas costs with this.
> 
> Keep your fingers crossed. Insert fingers crossed smiley here.
> 
> ...


 I did little shows and eventually the big ones for 24 yrs. You need to sell to them, no sitting in your booth eating, reading books, surfing the net etc. Look active, you have beautiful wood, get up and polish the pieces, use anything to attract customers to your booth. It's real easy to try and generalize a customer by how they act and what they wear, try not to do that. treat all of them as they are a "whale" and will purchase everything. I've had some big rollers who don't attract attention to themselves by the way they dress. You also want your patrons to continue to buy from you, be it direct or your next show. Start building your mailing list, especially from your purchases. You are going to get ALOT of "i'll be back or "do you have a card", it's a polite way of blowing you off really, your choice, I only gave out cards to purchasers. Have a plan for wholesale if you plan on going that route. Alo t of gallerys, etc hit the shows looking for new blood. I got all my gallerys from shows and still have them, you might like me get tired of the public and decide to go that route. Consignment is usually 60-40 purchase is usually "keystone" at 50-50, this route all sounds expensive, but after you factor in your costs I found selling to gallerys was more profitable. The best thing about shows are some of the graet people I met and the cash!. When I was doing them there was pos systems but were expensive, people love plastic, but they always had a checkbook to make the purchase, Good Luck, Alex

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## Mike1950 (Nov 2, 2013)

Good luck!!!

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## Kevin (Nov 2, 2013)

Good luck Kevin & Mel.!

Alex, that was some excellent advice. I don't think I'll ever do any shows but if I do I would definitely want to pick your brain!

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## DKMD (Nov 2, 2013)

Good luck! I've never sold anyhing like that, but I think you two will do just fine... You both strike me as 'people persons', and I think personality should be good for some sales!

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## barry richardson (Nov 2, 2013)

All good advise. If you take credit cards, that helps. Pay pal gives away a free card swiper for smart phones. I used it at a show last weekend. Works pretty slick, money goes straight into your PP account. Having your wife there to help is a good idea too. Me being a social mutant, I find it to be a great help to have a lady who can chat-up the customers, and relate to other ladies... . The majority of my customers are women. Hey, they like to shop:p especially before Christmas...

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## rdnkmedic (Nov 2, 2013)

Thanks for all the well wishes and advice. Overall, it was a good day. Small town and small town crowd. Pretty much a local event. People don't come from 100 miles away to this festival as they do others. We learned a lot. We were very active. Scratched turkey calls all day and sold 8 I think. Sold several bowls and platters, a few squirrel calls and made a ton of friends. Sold my prized mesquite bowl for a premium price. Priced it really high as I was ok with taking it back home. Apparently the lady that bought it liked it as much as I did. It's gone to a good home.

As advised we didn't sit down all day. No time. Lots of traffic. We forgot to take chairs anyway. We will plan to do it again at a bigger A&C Fair. It was a long but enjoyable day. Even made some wood connections. My sawmiller came by and said he has some stuff for me.



 


 





And it feels pretty good for someone other than your family to like and admire your work. Thanks again.

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## Kevin (Nov 2, 2013)

Hey Kev, I inserted your pics full size (it's easy to do if you just click the full size option it will automatically inserrt them) but one of your pics is upside down. 

Sounds like a great day and your display looks awesome. Makes me want to do a show one day.


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## rdnkmedic (Nov 2, 2013)

No idea how it got turned over. Crazy ipad.


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## Sprung (Nov 2, 2013)

Kevin, it looks and sounds like you guys had a great day! I'm hoping that by the time next summer or fall rolls around I can try and do the same thing you did today.

You do great work, so it's good to see/hear that others (who could see it in person) appreciated your work too!

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## SDB777 (Nov 2, 2013)

I wanna be 'family'.....smackin' some LIKE button!

If I am reading correctly, sounds like you had a profitable day!! Well done!!




Scott (the hungry rabbit jumps) B

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## robert flynt (Nov 2, 2013)

A good way to build a customer list is to get a receipt book that has a place for the customers name and address. when you fill this out you will have a copy, so the next time you do that show you can send them a note letting them know you will be there. Don't send the reminder to early, about a week before the show is early enough and they want forget.

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## Gdurfey (Nov 2, 2013)

I didn't think that pic was upside down, I thought they were doing flips for their customers!

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## ripjack13 (Nov 2, 2013)

I fixed it for ya. 

Congratulations on a great show. The booth looks good. I love all the turkey calls!

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## Tclem (Nov 3, 2013)

We'll first rule is to get rid of that 
Auburn avatar and get you a LSU sign and you will make it big time. No just friendly joking. Wish you all the luck and continued success. 
Tony

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## Kenbo (Nov 3, 2013)

Congrats on the sales. That's fantastic. I used to love doing little shows but it was pretty much hit and miss for me. I had no problem with the social aspect of it and always had a great time. There were days that I would come home with a pile of cash in my pocket and others where I made enough to buy myself a couple of lunches at work. Either way, I enjoyed every experience and I'm glad that you did too. Well done.

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## rdnkmedic (Nov 4, 2013)

Of course I think of you guys as family. My very extended woodworking family. I have gotten very valuable advice and critcism from many people here. Lots of kudos too but sometimes the criticism and critique is much more valuable. There are people here whose opinions I highly value. Sure we disagree sometimes. That is what makes us such a great group of people, a family of woodworkers.

The comment about other people admiring my works validates, in my mind, what I have been trying to accomplish. Constant improvement in my work is important to me. I go to the Georgia National Fair and look at the woodworking exhibits and I wonder if I can compete. Now I know I can compete with some of those guys. Not all of them, mind you, just some of them.

We will try a bigger show when it comes around. In another location. Who knows, I might even make a dollar or two. Or at least pay for some of the tools I have. Thanks for sharing this with me.

And , *WAR EAGLE! #9 IN THE BCS NOW. *

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## rdnkmedic (Nov 4, 2013)

I forgot to mention one really cool thing. A professional turkey hunter, Judy Catrett, lives in my county. She came by our booth and looked at every pot call I had. I had turned three 3 inch calls, slate over glass, with some pignut hickory I got from Scott (SDB777). She liked the 3 incher because it fit her hand bettter. She spent 30-40 minutes picking on my calls trying to find the perfect call and the perfect striker to match. She found the call she liked and picked a purpleheart striker with a cherry top. She loved the call and the tone. Made me feel really good. She is listed all over the NWTF website and travels all over turkey hunting. I guess I made at least one call that sounded good. Can you tell that I am still pretty excited about all of this?

She was a #2 on Scott's list above. Knew exactly what she was looking for.

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## Gdurfey (Nov 4, 2013)

Where is the don't like button?. This war parakeet stuff has to stop! Of course, I am an Aggie.....that might have something to do with it. Great game a couple weeks ago, congrats! See you next year.

Best wishes on your next show.


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## rdnkmedic (Nov 4, 2013)

Gdurfey said:


> Where is the don't like button?. This war parakeet stuff has to stop! Of course, I am an Aggie.....that might have something to do with it. Great game a couple weeks ago, congrats! See you next year.
> 
> Best wishes on your next show.



Well, somebody's gotta be an Aggie. They need a fan or three. That was an awesome game.

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