MrDavidRoberts":31g5h425 said:
Some nice stuff you got there guys,
however you need to have a serious skill to get someone to buy something at those prices...
Hello,
They are reallistically priced, though. The OP hasn't fallen into the trap of underpricing his stuff early on into the venture. which would be fatal. I hope he does well, but fear he might fall into the same problems that all freestanding furniture makers do. There are a few who post here and I myself was a maker for quite sometime; no one has ever really come up with a successful method of really selling this kind of thing. put stuff in galleries and specilist shops and the mark up makes the pries ludacrously expensive. doing trade shows and the like is often time consuming, expensive and takes you out of the workshop so halts productivity. They are a lottery; sometimes gaining clients, usually not. Promoting your self is a job in itself and can take up all of your time. If you have premesis that doesn't cost a lot, you have a fighting chance, but paying rent etc. on workshop space when you are rarely there chasing leads and seein clients that often end in no commission, it gets expensive. And dont underestimate how much space you need for a workshop; working out of a garage will soon become inadequate. where will you keep your timber dry enough to make furniture out of, that will go into centrally heated houses? That is a huge chunk of space for a start, but if not done properly, will lead to product failure and worse, ruin your reputation. Most makers spend most of their time doing something else, such as tutoring or making built ins. Big space required for these ventures too. These usually become the main aspect of the buisiness after a while, the freestanding stuff you love doing often gets so sidelined, you might make a couple of small bits a year and wonder why you spend most of your time doing things you don't want to. Big built ins are a killer for a one man band, too. I did lots for years, and getting the stuff up 3 flights of steps in Georgian houses was never going to be a long term proposition for me alone. Making tat sort of stuff is fine, but you'll need to employ people and take out a second mortgage for the Altendorf's and Martin's..........
If you are employed, I would seriously stay employed, and make whatever stuff takes your fancy in your spare time. You will likely make just as many pieces of fine freestanding stuff this way, as you would if you tried it as a venture. You will likely sell the odd piece on the side, too. Otherwise, expect to be doing mostly what you are being paid to do anyway, but you'll have to fund it yourself and take all the risks and struggle through lean times withiout much of an income. Or else just go straight into the bilt in side of the buisiness from the off, if there is a market for it where you are. You can make a good living that way. The other, I'm afraid is extremely difficult (not impossible) to do. Mr.T, Custard, Jimmy Rivers, Siahn Dubh are designer/makers who post here will say much the same, I'm sure, and likely chip in at some point on the subject.
Nice work you do, By the way.
Mike.
