handmadeseller . com — FEBRUARY 2021
“ I BEGAN TO SET BETTER STANDARDS FOR QUALITY .”
of craft comes before design . If there was a technique I wanted to master I focused an allotted time each day to just working on that and comparing results . That allowed me to build confidence in my craft . I came to realize that master leatherworkers all over the world are constantly learning and improving on their methods . I began to set better standards for acceptable quality that were rooted in the reality of the materials rather than perfectionism . This has helped me become pleased with my work and helps me enjoy educating the customer rather than just selling to them . Today I feel confident my prices reflecting the quality of my work and business efforts .
TODAY ’ S NEWS
Covid-19 torpedoed my plans for 2020 popup shows ! However , because I spent 2018-19 planning out what I wanted the next five years to look like , I felt confident in moving forward on some of my long-term plans of having a larger studio and a physical boutique . I signed a lease for a new studio / showroom in a beautiful historic section of the city . I began moving my business into the new space on December of 2020 . I am so happy to finally have the space my equipment needs and have a physical space to represent my brand . My plans now are to link my online website to the physical storefront to create a cycle of marketing and promotion that will support sales on both . My goal is to give online and walk-in customers a behind-the-scenes look at Town & Shore Handcrafted and the work I put into it .
My advice to other sellers who are not valuing their work is this ... Push yourself out of the comfy space of denial about cost . I hear so many fellow makers say they don ’ t include a decent wage for their time to make the product or they discount so much that they are working for free . Your business cannot survive that . When you do some real fact-checking about the amount of time , energy , and creativity that goes into making your products AND bringing them to market , you will see that your prices need to go up .
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