I was wondering what you all think about my situation- I read this
forum religiously and have posted when I can help. I love the mix of
retail trade jewelers and independent artists, so I thought someone
might be have advice for me. I am a retail jeweler working in the
trade for 13 years. I am an artist first, with that background in
education, and am now home with my two children. I have had a great
response in art shows and am starting to get very busy. An obnoxious
gallery owner came to my retail booth at an art fair yesterday and
was trying to buy wholesale in front of retail customers! You can
imagine how uncomfortable that was… I eventually made it though
with tact, but will never sell to her again due to her rudeness. But
I am in the situation now that I must decide pricing and if I want
to sell to stores wholesale or continue to do fairs and customs until
my children are older. Should I mark up the jewelry for the stores to
recoup some of their commission? I’d like to keep my pricing the same
for continuity, but am finding the customer base will pay differently
in different locations. They would pay more in a trendy boutique than
at an art fair. I just need the money, so I am pricing my product
well enough that it will not be thought that it isn’t something
special, but low enough that I can move it. Does anyone feel
comfortable sharing their experience with me on this subject?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Stephanie Swanson
(@Stephanie_Swanson)