Re: Another event sales report

See? It's like I'm telling you - the money right now is in opening the Bead SHOPS! Just like that Atlanta Journal article this a.m. If we could come up with the money to open the SHOPS, we could make money all day while still getting to play with beads! Supply and demand!

That's another facet of the problem. People who go to cons tend to be disproportionately drawn from the "shoestring-budget" crowd -- and they're more likely to buy books or T-shirts than jewelry. This is why I added the emphasis on inexpensive pendants and earrings in the first place.

I've been told that I should try mystery-cons, which tend to attract well-heeled women who *like* handmade jewelry. But there aren't many of those, and I haven't been able to schedule one in yet.

Celine

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@mindspring.com (Lee S. Billings) :

]I've been told that I should try mystery-cons, which tend to attract ]well-heeled women who *like* handmade jewelry. But there aren't many of those, ]and I haven't been able to schedule one in yet.

trust me - there are LOTS. the largest is Bouchercon, coming up in October. for the rest [?] of the lists, try:

list hundreds - sf/fantasy/ and mystery.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

Celine

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@mindspring.com (Lee S. Billings) :

]This year it's in Vegas IIRC, which is a little too far to travel. Not to ]mention that tables there are *expensive*! I think I'd like to wet my feet with ]something a little more regional and less pricey first.

no kidding! that's why we won't have one, although we had considered it. Left Coast Crime, in February was absolutely wonderful - and those are less expensive. the one in 2004 is in Monterey, but 2005 is in Austin, i think. [that one really gets me - LEFT COAST Crime - Austin Texas - but they seem to consider anything west of the Mississippi to be "left coast", and i believe they actually started in Denver]

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 3:39:43 -0400, vj wrote (in message ):

They're out of their mind. Everyone knows that the left coast starts at the New York border.

BTW, speaking of left coast events, we had an _earthquake_ off the coast of Massachusetts yesterday. It was a 3.6, had an epicenter about 50 miles out in the ocean, and the Experts are speculating that it is an aftershock of an earthquake that took place in Boston in 1755.

And... there was a tornado in upstate New York yesterday. Those things aren't supposed to happen here.

Amazing.

Kathy N-V

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :

]BTW, speaking of left coast events, we had an _earthquake_ off the coast of ]Massachusetts yesterday. It was a 3.6, had an epicenter about 50 miles out ]in the ocean, and the Experts are speculating that it is an aftershock of an ]earthquake that took place in Boston in 1755.

THAT is scary. NYC sits right smack on top of a major fault - and no earthquake requirements for buildings at all.

]And... there was a tornado in upstate New York yesterday. Those things ]aren't supposed to happen here.

well, they aren't supposed to happen in California either - but we had them this spring.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@mindspring.com (Lee S. Billings) :

]Second response, after having poked thru your list a bit... ] ]I still don't see many mystery-cons; most of what you have listed is SF and ]anime cons. Also, your list doesn't go very far into the future -- dealers have ]to get in 4-9 months ahead of time as a rule, and the bigger the con the more ]lead time we have to have before the tables are sold out. Do you subscribe to ]ConTemporal?

**sigh** dh is not updating the mystery cons as quickly as he is the SF cons - gonna have to have words with him about that. there really are quite a few - i didn't realize he wasn't finding them.

we just add information to our database as we find it, or as someone submits it to us. we seem to be on the e-mail lists for a lot of the SF cons.

dh is looking at his programming to see if there is a way to split them out by genre.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz) :

]Yup. The bead store here says they recieve most of their revenue from the bead ]classes. Makes people buy a lot more stuff. New skills, new needs. More more ]more!

yes, but it's more than that. J'Me at Wild Beads knows what i mean about the bead store here. i've heard the owner say things like:

"I only stock square wire - it's all the club members need." "There's no reason to stock more expensive beads, no one will buy them."

she has NO lampwork, few seed beads, super-expensive "chips", and i've never heard of a class there.

she stays open because there are FOUR businesses in the store. she is a jeweler. there is another jeweler sharing space. one corner is for beads, and most of it is a gift shop. i have the feeling the "gift shop" keeps the rest operating. and it's all imported, mass-produced stuff. **sigh**

she doesn't take consignments, either. no one up here does.

most people who need supplies drive to Chico. where there is ONE real bead store, and Michaels.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

Oh, yeah. That's the other point. Their prices are very high compared to the prices I get online.

I would still be willing to pay extra for service and for the luxury of being able to hold the beads in my hand before I buy them, but not when I'm being treated rudely by the so-called "service" organization!

Laura .

Another wonderful day in Paradise?

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]Another wonderful day in Paradise?

**chuckle** well, the store owner really is a nice lady. as are the other members of the rock and gem club that also have "parts" of the storefront. they just think i'm crazy.

it's just that i would so LOVE to open a REAL bead store. there are a lot of "artisans" up here, and i think i could prove her wrong about the customer base . . . but she's the one who has lived here forever, so what do i know?

there is a woman "up the hill" who evidently has a lampwork studio. i only found out by accident yesterday when i was telling her about Tink's offer to do my dad's ashes for my son. she doesn't carry lampwork, either.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :

]I wish I could. The newscasters announced this on the morning news, but I've ]been unable to find more details. I find it rather unbelievable as well. ]I'll keep looking and report back.

it sounds like a plot for a SF novel. [shades of Mercedes Lackey!]

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

I was always a firm believer in shopping locally, but after bad experiences with different kinds of businesses, I now prefer to buy from chain stores, or online. All their policies, including their return policy, are stated clearly in advance, so you know what to expect. I've seen local business owners do such unbusinesslike things. Because there are no policies in place, they make decisions on a whim, and if it happens to impact you, so be it, they answer to no one. You'd think the current economic climate would make them more eager to keep you as a customer, but it seems to make them even more autocratic and difficult.

• TL *

Wow, now THAT's crappy customer service! My LBS in Portland gives classes in the evening, after the store closes, but often keeps the doors open for late evening customers. To alienate customers during the classes is a shot in the foot if you ask me. :)

"shoestring-budget" crowd -- ...This is why I added the emphasis on inexpensive pendants and earrings in the first place. <

I did that, this year... no earring sales at all, two very low end bracelets and two "rocks hanging on a string" type pendants (a tumbled stone and a flat marble "wire wrapped" with craft wire, on gold COLORED chain) were my "low end" sales, then two moderately price ($30) bracelets... that was it. Have a lot of "cheap stuff" left over, intended as something kids could afford, and not priced much above actual materials; I'll probably donate most of it to our temple's next bazaar. Kaytee "Simplexities" on

Ah, I kinda like the notion. Suggests that the scale of geologic time is ... different ... from 9 to 5 time.

Deirdre

Oy gevelt! What were they thinking??? If the store is closed, it needs to be CLOSED!

Celine

Drop me a line when you get more of them updated?

You might seriously consider a subscription to ConTemporal -- that's the hardcopy list of damn near every con in the world. It's a touch on the pricey side, but it'll tell you what you're missing. Comes out either monthly or bimonthly (I can't recall offhand) and it's about 10 sheets, both sides, of VERY fine print!

If he can do that, I'll send a gratitude gift! Does he like chocolate?

Celine