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Potters Prodger and Klein Featured at AdkNCcrafts.com
Country Christmas Tour in Indian Lake
Sharon O’Brien, Scenic Byways Coordinator for ANCA, enjoyed Indian Lake’s Christmas Tour held on November 24-25, 2006. "Taking in the scenery and participating in the Home Tour was well worth the trip." O’Brien stated. Many of the 30 Home Tour residences, businesses, and organizations participated in the Lighting and Decorating Contest. The local artisans and crafters were also selling a variety of Made in the Adirondacks Holiday Gifts.
ANCA congratulates Brenda Valentine, chair, and the many active members of the Country Christmas Tour Steering Committee, for the creation of a wonderful Holiday Community Celebration, now in its 7th year. Contact Brenda Valentine, 518.648.5636, if you wish to participate in next year’s community celebration.
Steady Business at Saranac Lake Holiday Arts & Craft Fair
Gail Brill, www.gailbrilldesign.com; David Coleman, www.fawn-ridge-pottery.com; and Donna Amoroso, www.leatherartisan.com informed Nadia Korths, Craft Programs Coordinator for ANCA, that sales had been steady/good all day at the November 19th show held at the North Country Community College gym in Saranac Lake. If you wish to be included on next year's list of potential exhibitors, contact the Center for Lifelong Learning at 518.891.2915, ext. 219.
Jim Van Woert, www.spruce-mountain.com, was pleased with his new booth. The spot-lit jewelry collections displayed at eye level on black fabric panels looked stunning.
Jackie Hoy, potter from Chateaugay, has a great new line, with a contemporary look in color palette, glazing and shape, which would sell probably well, as agreed by Hoy and Korths, in the Hudson Valley and/or NYC area.
Korths gave applications to four receptive exhibitors with great potential for a first time showing at ANCA's upcoming 21st annual gift trade show, Buyer Days, to be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center on April 4 and 5, 2007.
National Show Attendence and Regional Visitor Trends
Two exhibitors, one fiber and the other, prints, at the Saranac Lake Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair who also sell at major craft shows throughout the Northeast find that the shows they have been attending for years no longer generate the expected 8 to 10 times return on expenses. Both, with one attending Early Americana shows, and the other, contemporary craft shows, are considering major changes in show attendence and/or in exploring other markets and in product development.
As Jackie Hoy, potter from Chateaugay, stated, regional craft businesses may be somewhat insulated from national show attendence trends, but the DIY movement, especially scrapbooking and other similar make-your-own crafts, may be impacting sales in region.
With the region’s visitor traffic statistics, for the most part, remaining flat over the past three years, craft businesses have to manage very carefully their inventory and new product line development/selection and their marketing to increase their customer and sales numbers. ANCA’s Tool Kit with many of the best marketing practices of well-established regional gift shop and studio owners listed, may help to prioritize marketing tactics for the next season. The Product Dev't page now posts a list of questions to help identify 2007 product development directions.
The Rustic Show for Contemporary Living
Korths has seen advertising for this first-time show located at the O'Neill Center in Danbury CT in The Crafts Report and Adirondack Life. She notes that the show promoters American Art Marketing have been running the Berkshires Arts Festival with 200 artists in Great Barrington, MA on July 7-9 for six years. They also own the American Craft Galleries in NYC and Stockbridge, MA and run 3 other shows.
Crafts Report and Craft Business Magazines Sold
The Crafts Report has been bought by Jones Publishing who also publishes Fired Arts & Crafts and Doll Crafter & Costuming and The Crafts Business Magazine, with one year of publishing under its belt, was bought earlier this year by the Rosen Group.
New Shop Still Works in Port Henry
As of Oct. 20, Mary Rochon who, on May 8, opened Still Works located at 4316 Main Street in Port Henry, had already turned over her inventory 3 times! Referred by Marilyn MacAbee, Adirondack Craft Center owner, Korths provided Rochon with contact information of potters near Port Henry. Mary sells furniture, antiques and locally made product. Contact her at 518.546.7141.
Four Directions Weaving Featured in Adirondack Life
Donna Foley, Four Directions Weaving,was featured in the September/October issue of Adirondack Life. Great article. Foley’s website reinforces her story and positions herself as a regional, organic, self-sustainable, and ecologically based business. Many of her weaving fibers come from sheep raised on her own off-the-grid organic farm. Consumers who are googling keywords such as organic fiber, organic wool, natural dyes are likely to find Four Directions Weaving.
Potential Increase in Sales from Regional, Organic, and Self-sustainable Marketing
More and more consumers are adopting regional, organic, and self-sustainable purchasing habits. Though the national percentage of market share is still quite small at less than 1%, this change in purchasing habits has already resulted in the growth in the number of farmers markets from 300 to 3000 across the country over the past ten years, a 23% increase in sales of organic per year for the past 3 years and an increased fair-trade market of 73% this past year. Craft businesses who, like Foley (article above), make/grow product using regional materials, may consider highlighting this aspect of their business in their marketing materials. Businesses using recyled materials and/or alternate sources of energy, will also capture this consumer’s attention by highlighting those practices in their marketing materials.
Over 1,000 craftspeople, food producers, retailers and service organizations receive the Adirondack North Country Association’s news and announcements. Newsletter compiled and edited by Nadia Korths, Craft Programs Coordinator/ANCA. Email korths@northnet.org with your news. For those of you who have recently provided Korths with news, look for it in future frequently issued and short e-newsletters.
AdkNCcrafts.com is your regional crafts resource portal where the News For and About the Artisans and Retailers of the Adirondack North Country are archived!
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