Show results from this weekend

by kgoeller on October 20, 2008

I’m shocked.  Given the economic news of the past few weeks, I was really dreading this weekend’s “big show.”  The fact that it was already paid for is what got me there, but my expectations were very low, to say the least.  The show was the PA Guild of Craftsmen’s Fall show, formerly held at Tyler State Park in Newtown, PA.  This year (and for the next 5 years at least), it moved to Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA — about 45 minutes from its original location.  It’s still an outside show, and the weather was very nice, albeit chilly and windy.

To my utter surprise, the show opened on Saturday morning and people streamed in… and were ready to BUY!  They were snapping up mid- to high-ticket items, too!  Not the lower end earrings and pendants that usually sell well in a sluggish situation.  My median sale this weekend was $350 and the outcome was the best show I’ve had in 5 years!

The results weren’t limited to me, either. The neigboring booths (different media) all reported sales that were significantly higher than expected and also higher than they’ve seen at any shows lately.

Now this is just one show, which does not equate to a trend.  But it was an unexpectedly bright spot that gave me some hope for the rest of the season and for all of us!

{ 0 comments }

kgoeller

kgoeller

kgoeller

Latest posts by kgoeller (see all)

Taking Things For Granted

by kgoeller on October 13, 2008

This weekend, I had the lovely experience of doing a 3-day workshop with Richard Sweetman of Print Shop Metals in Denver.  He covered a range of techniques and tips from bezel-setting irregular shaped and faceted stones, fabricating box clasps, making steel dies for roller printing, twist-forming sterling wire, and forging steel bracelets.

As with other PA Society of Goldsmiths workshops I’ve done, the participants were experienced, enthusiastic, and very supportive of each other’s endeavors.  That’s always a refreshing environment in which to work.   As the majority of us were fairly experienced at fabrication and jewelrysmithing, it was intriguing to see what tripped people up in these processes.

It’s usually “the basics” that provide the gotcha moments.  The hard stuff we do is what makes us sit up and pay extra attention — we know it’s going to be difficult, so we focus and think through the process carefully before proceeding.  The “easy” stuff (soldering a bezel onto a backplate, soldering a jump ring to a piece of holloware, annealing a piece of silver) becomes so routine that we don’t really pay close attention to it.  Our minds wander elsewhere (thinking about how to do the next “fun” step or solving that tough engineering challenge) and suddenly we realize that we’ve screwed something up… made a beginner’s mistake…

Back in the early 90s, it was all the rage for big companies to do “mission training” with their staff to define or change their culture.  Remember those There is no I in team posters?  At the time, I was working for a big telcom research company and their slogan was “BE HERE NOW.”  Man, did we think that was hokey.  But with the passage of time I’m realizing how relevant that slogan actually is.

The point is to “be” in the moment.  Not to be thinking about what just happened 5 minutes ago, or what might happen tonight….to focus on what IS happening.  Right now.

It’s surprisingly tough to do, but could really make a difference in the quality and efficiency of the work we do in all aspects of our lives (not just jewelrysmithing).  It’s all about not taking our basic skills for granted and paying them the attention we deserve.

{ 0 comments }

kgoeller

kgoeller

kgoeller

Latest posts by kgoeller (see all)

WordPress Admin