How can a woodworker sell his work?

April 23, 2012 10:31 AM

Dad Swan is a very skilled and talented woodworker. He's 73 and has a fairly severe case of arthritis, so his output is not and will never be high, but he makes enough stuff that he'd like to be able to sell some of it, and he'd like to know how to go about finding people to buy it.

My father designs and makes cedar chests, rolling pins, hourglasses, crokinole and checker boards, bowls, wine corks, and a number of other things. He lives in a little town 45 minute's drive north of Kitchener, Ontario and doesn't have any computer skills, though my sister, who lives with my parents, could probably handle some internet selling for him if it weren't too time-consuming. He's been entering some of his work in shows for some years now and nearly always places for a ribbon, and he donates pieces to charity auctions, and this has brought him some visibility and a few clients.

What advice do you have for a very small producer of very fine woodworking with no computer skills who wants to sell some of his work for a decent price?

posted by orange swan to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

Are there any small local-ish shops/galleries/boutiques/antique stores/whatnot that would be willing to host his work? Even a few pieces at a time would help build interest and clients and whatnot.

And somebody will probably mention Etsy--it might as well be me.
posted by box at 10:40 AM on April 23, 2012

Response by poster: Oh, just in case anyone wants to see what my father's work is like, he made these hourglasses. He also made the bookcases they are sitting on, to my specifications. He does do some custom order work, but that won't be his strong point as a seller because he works slowly. On the other hand, his work is 100% guaranteed to not be sweated labour from Indonesia.
posted by orange swan at 10:40 AM on April 23, 2012

Yeah, Etsy. It's very easy to set up a shop.

If there are any local craft fairs or flea markets, he could rent a seller table at those.
posted by amro at 10:42 AM on April 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

Artfire requires less management of individual pieces to keep them listed, as the seller pays a time-based fee rather than a per-item+time-based fee (Etsy's model). It also has better cache as an artisan site.

Is he interested in doing festivals and such?
posted by batmonkey at 10:49 AM on April 23, 2012 [3 favorites]

Your knowing Indonesia reference suggests that you're already aware of Etsy and have ruled it out. That's fine. Some people are averse to selling online.

I don't know if there is an Ontario equivalent of something like the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen (which I only know because of a family friend who used to sell through them) but sometimes there are associations of craftspeople or woodworkers who go in together on a retail space that showcases local craft.

If there's a museum in your father's area that has an appropriate focus (i.e., local interest / local history; historical folkways / canadian craftsmanship; toys (if he makes wooden toys) or the like), they might be willing to sell or consign your father's stuff out of their gift shop. A lot of gift shops carry inventory which is only very tangentially related to the focus of the museum, so cast your net wide, here.

If your father's craftsmanship is particularly good, it may be appropriate to point him toward an up-market home-furnishings store if there is one around. He may feel like his work isn't worth what they will want to charge for it (I've seen this with a lot of older craftsmen and tradespeople) but he should get over this.
posted by gauche at 10:50 AM on April 23, 2012

ArtFire is quite good, and he could probably barter some of his work with someone there to manage his account--that way, your sister could just email the person doing that part the pictures and descriptions of pieces as your dad completes them.

gauche's suggestion of consigning with local history venues is an excellent one. My hometown Historical Society sells handmade goods by several local craftspeople (mostly quilts in their case, but some small woodworking).
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:02 AM on April 23, 2012

I definitely think you should look for little local-artist shops in Ontario - you'll probably have to look around in Ottawa. You're looking for places like this store, which is owned by a friend of my sister's. Obviously that particular shop won't work for your dad, but that's the kind of place you're looking for, IMO. Little boutique places.
posted by kavasa at 11:13 AM on April 23, 2012

The St. Jacobs farmer market (north side of KW) gets a lot of up-from-Toronto tourist traffic during the summer. He will do best with smaller items, but should have some big impressive pieces to grab attention of passers by. I suggest the outdoor seasonal stalls. There's a phone number at the link.

I wouldn't recommend it as a full time pay-the-mortgage gig; people aren't really interested in spending a lot of money, but as something to do where he can engage with a lot of people and maybe sell some product it's not bad.
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:51 AM on April 23, 2012 [3 favorites]

You could also try The One of a Kind show, which happens twice yearly in Toronto at the Exhibition Centre. It's hectic, but can be great for exposure and is very well frequented. Although their booth fees are a bit steep. Check it out though!
posted by Paper rabies at 12:18 PM on April 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

I would die for handmade bookcases! Memail me please :)
posted by Sweetmag at 12:42 PM on April 23, 2012

My dad does the same stuff - wood turner / fine furniture. He has acquired a fairly steady stream of custom orders by doing arts & craft fairs. He gives out thousands and thousands of cards over the 12-15 shows per year that he does.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:14 PM on April 23, 2012

Response by poster: I've spoken to my father and told him about all your advice. I think trying to place some of his work in various local shops on consignment and renting a booth at a show once or twice a year would be a good path for him. The One of a Kind show could very well be a good fit for him. I also think he ought to have business cards to use at both these venues but he scoffed at that idea.

Trying to sell stuff online is probably not a good avenue in his case because he can't or won't learn to use the computer and the internet and selling online is a lot of work. It would be an unfair burden of work for someone else.

And yes, I would be steering him away from Etsy in any case.
posted by orange swan at 10:54 AM on April 27, 2012