We've spent the last two weeks preparing for and attending art bazaars. We've tried farmers' markets in the past, but we would only make enough to cover entry costs. Our booth at the Valley Junction Art Festival proved much more lucrative; we pulled in over $400. Even after taxes we'll cover the entry costs, new displays and canopy. With luck the 2005 Fall For Urbandale Open Market on Saturday, October 1st will go as well; fortunately for us, people have been buying small gift items and we have a large stockpile.
We aren't expecting the same level of turnout for the FFU Open Market, but we are guessing people will be buying the same kind of items. That means less time in front of the lathe creating more expensive bowls and more time spent tracking inventory and updating our online catalog, but I really don't mind the work as it trains me to think about our work as a business instead of an excuse to spend time in the shop.
Speaking of the which, our basement workspaces were entirely overdue for cleaning and organization; I had to make room for a new lathe, and Mel rescued her studio from stacks of old papers and boxes of junk. All in all we've probably hauled a dozen full garbage sacks of crap out of the two rooms; it's amazing how much useless detritus people shove into odd corners and cabinets. And that's just the garbage; we've already hauled four full truck loads of stuff to Goodwill. I know we've been guilty of the same packrat behavior, but at least Mel and I ditch our stuff relatively regularly. I don't know how many decades of debris was represented in the heaps we've extracted. With the debris cleared and tools in place, work with the new lathe could begin in earnest and in a few days I had stacks of new bowls and platters ready for sale. All the effort has definitely proved worthwhile; I'm much more productive with a better machine and more efficient surroundings.
