Craft fare dilemma?

[Gary Elson]

Hi everyone
I have just signed up for a local church craft fare in November - rash decision I know
Now as you may remember I can Whittle a little / produce the usual array of spoons etc but the question is this
Have any you good folk had experience of what sells , pricing etc
Any suggestions gratefully received
Sorry if this is in the wrong place

Gary

 

[Robson Valley]

I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks, all about 14" long in birch. Thick. 2cm diameter handles for stirring stiff dough.
I sold them in the local Friday market.
Before that, I made different sizes and shapes to see what my friends liked and didn't like. Feedback said $10 - $15 was OK.
We have $10.00 notes. From a $20.00 note, easy to make change. Something like $12.00 is awkward, needing a more diverse float.

I was carving a dozen at a time from square blanks. About 90 minutes each including the oven-baked oil finish.
Maybe $0.020 wood in each, sold for $10.00 each. How fast are you at production lots?

Think about my numbers, Gary. Did I "make money?" Hardly think so for my time.
I wish you every success.
What sets yours apart form other spoon carvers?

 

[saxonaxe]

Just an observation to start with Gary. Recently I bought two hard wood ( machine made) spoons from the kitchen department at a local Sainsbury's Supermarket..They were 50 Pence each!
With that fact in mind may I suggest that unless you can find a gap in the market, even for hand carved spoons, you will be struggling to sell many as practical use spoons. So, novelty spoons perhaps?
By a strange coincidence, last weekend I was tottering around a local Wood Fair and on a stall was a display of carved wooden spoons with simple figures carved on the top of the handle. They looked like characters from a Dickens novel, not too elaborate but they were selling like hot cakes...
Now, Church Fare, November, Winter and Yule approaching and the search for little presents..
How about wooden spoons with a 'Snowman' figure topping off the handle? Burn his eyes and buttons in with a hot nail or something and he might sell better than plain carved wooden spoons?

 

[Bionic]

To be honest having seen the standard of the little figures you produce, I’d have thought you could make a killing with caricatures. After following your recent tutorial for the chap in the flat cap I’ve made a few rudimentary variations along the same theme and my two children as well as nieces and nephews love playing with them. It’s nice to see them playing with something other than plastic tat and I’m sure my lot can’t be the only ones to be drawn to that type of thing

 

[Toddy]

Sit and carve. Honestly, it'll draw folks in, and once they're there, they'll look more closely to buy. That you're obviously making them yourself adds appeal and value. It's not brought in from abroad tatt made by penny labour, it's skilled craft work by someone with an accent that's 'a local lad'.

Best of luck with it.

Prices ? depends on the area, depends on how much you're happy to give them away for, and the folks posting above all have good ideas on it

M