One store (Grizzly's Gifts) is kitschy and geared primarily towards the tourist traffic. What do they order from me, you ask? They are only interested in my ivory and sterling silver jewelry and order from my wholesale catalog. This photo is a sampling of what I offer there:
The second store is Cabin Fever. I've known the owner, Jana, for many years. She's a terrific supporter of local artists. She buys only my one-of-a-kind pieces, much like what you find in my etsy shop. It really moves in her shop because she displays it well and is a master marketer. Oh, and she pays in a timely manner as well. Gotta love that.
These 2 retail stores are different and they sell completely different product lines of mine. Most customers wouldn't even realize that those 2 product lines are produced by the same artist. And that's fine with me. I admit that I'm not in this business to "make a statement" with my art. I'm here because I need to make a living and I truly enjoy what I do. But I'm no purist. Most of the time, business objectives trump artistic freedom.
That's just the way it is ... for me. Please tell me how you feel about this.
2 comments:
Those stores are so COMPLETELY different. I didn't know you made the fossilized ivory pieces (they are nice!)?! They would be a perfect fit to Grizzly's! Jana is the best -I wholesale her my Garden Ravens and have my metal wall sculptures even closer at Katie's gallery across the street! No problem here, I also keep the work different for different places, no matter how geographically close. ;o)
If it works for you that's great. I wish I had the opportunities but there are no shops here.
Missoula is the closest and with not being able to drive it's hard. Not to mention the plethora of "artistes" in Missoula...
Plus there is no saying you couldn't create those special pieces every now and again for yourself and sell them in the venue you think would suit them best.
I was sick as a dog yesterday. Never made it out of bed.
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