Thuya Burl
Thuya Burl is back in stock! Just arrived from Morocco is this great burl with plenty of eyes! Thuya burl’s color varies from a rich, lustrous golden brown to nearly black. Usually the eyes within the burl are perfectly round and are scattered throughout the burl. When turning Thuya Burl, it emits a sweet fragrance that fills my shop each time it is turned.
Enjoy these blanks while they last. Happy Turning – Barry
I want to personally thank the staff of the Midwest Pen Gathering for a great 3 days. The different talented speakers inspired all that attended. I have been making pens for over 25 years and I still am amazed at the creativity and talent so many pen makers have! Looking forward to next year where ever it will be held.
Arrowmont-2016
Now, I am gearing up for a week long, sold out pen making class at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts the first week of June. Mark Gisi & Dan Symonds will be joining me for a week long intensive class on pen making – looking forward to seeing all those who signed up.
Happy Turning – Barry
Packed Car
Outdoor Booth Setup
The price of craft shows are going up, so in order to get your money’s worth you must think ahead and be prepared. I attended an upscale craft show in the New York City area and paid over $1,300 for the booth and hotel accommodations. As you can see from the picture my car was packed to the roof to everything I thought I could use. You would think after all these years of doing shows, I would be prepared at all times, NOT!!! Like I always do, I checked the weather report and it was supposed to be sunny and in the 80’s all weekend. A weather person’s job is the ONLY job that if they blow a forecast they still get to keep their job!
The first day of setup was in the 80’s and hot. The next morning I woke up and it was raining and in the 60’s. Of course I only packed shorts and short sleeve shirts, glad my neighbor took pity on me and loaned me his jacket for the day or I would still be shivering. Lesson learned, pack a variety of clothes to make yourself comfortable so you can focus on your customers and not your frozen body! The show turned out just okay, the weather played a factor in attendance but it could have been much worse if not for my nice neighbor loaning me his jacket!
Don’t Do This! Get off the cell phone and pay attention to your customer!
Be prepared for long hours when you do a retail show that spans weeks. There were times when we did not sell anything for an hour or two and then there were times when we were selling a pen every five minutes. However, the temptation to pick up your cell phone and text, call or check email was there, but to be polite to the people walking by we (myself and my help) did not do that. Other vendors did, and I watched as potential customers walked right by because they did not engage them! They were too busy texting, or worse, playing games on their phones! That was one of the “rules” I set before anyone was hired – while you were in the booth no cell phone usage – I told them pretend you are driving – of course we know how that works! But when there were two of us in the booth, no cell phone usage. If someone calls, then leave the booth or do not answer it! When no potential customers were there, clean the booth make sure the pens were properly displayed and not turned around. If someone handled a pen, wipe it off and set it down on display again. Keep busy, it will relieve the boredom and help pass the time more quickly.
At peak times, which we figured out after a few days, we adjusted our schedule so that each of us could get a bathroom break, get some food, and just get away to make a call or check your phone. At times, there were so many people trying to see the pens that one of us actually had to step out of the booth. That was a good thing so we could keep an eye on the pens. Fortunately, there was only two pens taken, one we caught the guy, (charges are still pending) and the other was lost, and I never even knew it was gone until it was gone! My fault! Next year, if I get in, I will have cameras mounted in the booth as a deterrent. After doing some preliminary research, I will install a two camera system that will link to a DVR that has the recording capabilities of one week. After that week it will record over the previous week. Hopefully, that will deter anyone from stealing but as I have learned over the years, the “professional thief” if they want it, they will probably get it. So, on that cheery note, I will just tell you to be vigilant, stay off the phone, and your chances of theft will greatly be reduced.
Happy selling,
