It’s June, which means the sun is shining, the kids are running through sprinklers, and it’s time to… start turning Christmas ornaments?
While it might feel early to begin thinking about the fall or winter craft show season, savvy woodturners who plan to sell their wares at holiday or craft shows will start preparing now. Building up inventory during the summer season can allow you to work at a more leisurely pace and perfect your craft. It can also give you time to finish items and let them dry, as well as replace items that may not turn out as you expect.
If you plan to set up a booth at holiday craft shows this year, whether it’s for the first time or the fiftieth time, read through the guidelines below to see what to start thinking about this summer so that you’ll be ready.
Every woodturner who has attended a craft show knows that there are certain items that are sure to sell. These often include common items like bottle stoppers, pens, honey dippers, ornaments, and small bowls. These smaller items are fairly quick to make (see our December post on creating fast-turn gifts) and will fill out your display tables.
As you work on these common items, try to find your niche. Discover what you really like to turn and play around with various ways to finish or decorate your completed items to set you apart from other vendors. For example, maybe you have a specific and unique shape of bottle stopper that other woodturners may not have. Or you may try using a certain kind of finish or sanding technique that will draw people to your booth for items that bear your signature style.
On the other hand, it is also a good idea to craft a range of common items—if you enjoy turning honey dippers, you might make some different handle shapes, some longer and some shorter, and create several with different finishes.
If you have attended multiple craft shows, either as a buyer or a vendor, you might already have an idea of what sells and what your niche might be. If this is your first fair season, treat this year as a test run. Make some of your favorite common items and see what sells.
While there are some projects that you can complete in an afternoon, there are some projects and types of wood that take more time and preparation. Many woodturners enjoy turning greenwood, which is wood that has not been dried or seasoned. Turning greenwood can be easier because the wood is more pliable and easier to cut than dry wood. (See our post on Turning Greenwood for a discussion of the benefits and challenges of turning greenwood, as well as some tips and techniques for turning it and drying it.)
However, if you choose to turn greenwood, you will need to allow time for the wood to dry before finishing, which is exactly why it is best to start turning greenwood items this summer rather than waiting until September. You can rough-turn bowl blanks in batches now, dry them using your preferred method, and then return to the project later to finish them before craft show season.
Greenwood projects are not the only ones that will benefit from the extra time. Large hollow forms, segmented pieces, and anything that requires multiple finishes or drying periods will be easier to make with a longer timeline.
Summer is also a great time to prepare bowl blanks and spindle stock for future projects. Even if you aren’t sure exactly what you’ll make, having prepared materials on hand can save valuable shop time as craft show season approaches.
Starting these now will ensure that you will have a pipeline of work in motion, rather than starting from scratch in the fall.
As we mentioned above, this should be the time when you get creative. While you are laying in a supply of items to stock your tables later this year, you don’t have to make your woodshop feel like a factory churning out identical items.
Instead, take some time now to test new forms or kinds of wood. Play around with different ways to finish items and add embellishments like texturing, burning, engraving, or painting. One of the best things about woodturning slowly and not feeling rushed is that you can experiment and feel free to discard or re-turn things that don’t turn out the way you imagine.
And it’s also possible that the things that don’t turn out the way you imagine will lead to beautiful new styles or projects that you hadn’t planned! If you create any extra-special pieces during your experimenting phase, be sure to set them aside as possible showcase pieces for your booth this fall.
Another possibility is creating themed items or sets. Buyers might like the idea of purchasing not just a ladle, but a set of kitchen implements including a spatula and stirring spoons that are all finished the same way. Likewise, a set of home décor that can be purchased together or separately might strike someone’s fancy more than just a single item.
Once you have an inventory of items prepared for your displays, it’s time to price your items. This can be a difficult process, especially if you haven’t done it before. However, we dedicated an entire blog post to this topic last year, so check that out for some helpful guidelines about how best to price your items.
As a reminder, though, consider the fact that shoppers will have different budgets. You’ll want to have something to cater to each level of shopper: some under $20 items for the impulse buyers, some $20-$60 mid-range items for those who are looking for gifts or handmade items to use or display in their homes, and some $60-$100 premium showcase pieces for those aficionados who are looking for high quality regardless of price.
The showcase pieces, if displayed correctly, can also be useful for catching the eye of the other types of shoppers, even if those shoppers don’t intend to buy large or high-priced items. But remember that most of your sales will happen in the lower categories, so don’t fixate too much on creating large, exceptional pieces. Focus instead on building up a supply of smaller items so that you will have a broad range of price points, as this will increase your sales opportunities.
As you are preparing your inventory, you might also consider preparing a turning demonstration piece or two. A demonstration piece is something you turn live at the craft show as a demonstration of your skills. This sort of demonstration can bring buyers to your booth and provide you with additional items to display and sell during the craft show as you turn quick items.
This is also a good time to invite questions from buyers and to build a rapport with the people who stop by your booth. Sometimes, these types of customers will become repeat buyers as they see your workmanship and get to know you as a craftsperson and not just a vendor.
To prepare for a live demonstration, you’ll want to practice turning some specific pieces so that you know them backward and forward. Have two or three of your bread-and-butter items that you can turn easily.
You’ll also need to consider what set-up you’ll need for a demonstration; obviously, you’ll need to bring your lathe and some of your gouges and other tools along with the wood blanks you plan to turn. You may also want several grits of sandpaper and a fast-drying finish.
Lastly, check with the craft show personnel about what they expect for clean-up. Be courteous and do your best to keep your wood shavings and other debris to a minimum and plan to do some sweeping up after the show closes each day.
Once you have begun to make your items, you might wonder: how am I supposed to store all of this? It is important to have a system to make sure your inventory will be ready come craft season and not warped or damaged.
First, make sure to protect all finished surfaces. Store your pieces so that they won’t rub against one another, wrapping them lightly in cloth or bubble wrap. If you can, avoid stacking pieces. If you find stacking necessary due to space constraints, make sure each item is wrapped and that heavier pieces are on the bottom.
Then, consider where you are storing your items, as extreme swings in moisture or temperature can cause wood movement, cracks, or finish issues. If you can, store your inventory in a climate-controlled area rather than a damp garage or shed.
Lastly, you’ll want to keep your items organized. Keep similar items together using bins, shelves, or boxes for different categories. Label everything you put into the bins; if you are keeping an inventory list (see the next section), it would be helpful to have a tag on each item with a key that matches the information on your inventory sheet.
This can be extremely helpful for you when it comes to setting up for the craft show, as you will have information about wood type and pricing ready for buyers. Make sure the tags you attach will not damage the finish (a bit of string attached to a paper tag or even a bit of masking tape will do the trick).
It might also make sense to create a “show-ready” section of your storage area, a dedicated shelf or cabinet for items that are fully finished. This can help you keep track of what you’ve done and prevent you from accidentally selling, gifting, or reworking items intended for upcoming shows.
Likewise, you might dedicate some space to items that need finishing so that you know what projects need more time before you pack them up for the show.
Finally, make sure to inspect your inventory periodically. Turning early is a wise idea, but you don’t want to put things away and assume everything will be fine, only to find out a week before the show that some mishap has ruined an entire selection of items. Check pieces every few weeks for finish defects and dust.
One other important thing to do this summer as you get ready for craft show season is to track your inventory. Though it is beneficial to work ahead, it can be easy for those of us who are not the most organized to lose track of what we’ve made and where we’ve stored each item.
Before you begin turning, make a simple list of what you plan to turn. Then, as you begin turning items, keep track of the type of item, the type of wood used for each one, how many items you make in each category, and your pricing ideas.
If you decide not to make something as you begin turning, or you decide that things are not turning out as you had planned, leave a section for notes so that you can track of those issues as well.
If you prefer to write things out by hand, by all means, do that! Keep a notebook handy so that you can update things as you go. If you are slightly more tech-friendly, you might keep a spreadsheet on your computer that contains all this information.
Whatever method you use, keeping a list of your inventory and other information will help you identify gaps before the craft season begins.
One last thing a woodturner should think about ahead of time is how his or her items will be displayed come craft show season. Preparing for these craft shows is not just about preparing inventory; you will also need a way to show off the pieces you have created.
While you can buy display stands or business card holders, you could also turn them yourself. This will give you some extra practice turning items you may not normally think of, and it will give you full control over how your projects will be viewed. While your items should speak for themselves, the way the booth looks as a whole will draw customers in and show them what exactly to focus on.
You will also want to think about your signage and price tags. How will you communicate with your customers about your products? Do you want to hand-letter your signs and price tags or have them printed?
Lastly, think about what your customers will walk away with. Will you provide any instructions on upkeep for your pieces? Any packaging or gift-wrapping opportunities (possibly for an additional price?) While these things are certainly not necessary, they may impress your buyers and show them how much you care about your craft.
As you can see, the best time to prepare for craft show season is before it feels urgent. A few hours in the shop each week during summer can result in a well-stocked booth by fall. Focus on creating staple sellers with varied price points, as well as inventory planning, to ensure that you’ll be ready when show season arrives.
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