Craft Stops along the East Coast

In Boston, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts and saw a small exhibit of contemporary Japanese ceramics and fibers - beautiful works. Wednesday nights are free after 4 pm and it's open until 9.
I was all set to visit the Fuller Museum of Craft in Brockton, just south of Boston, the next day but missed it and ended up in RI! Seven exhibits of various medias and 4,000 permanent pieces. Definitely worth stopping by - just make sure you take 93 off of 95!
They switched their name from "art" to "craft" last year. One of the few museums who have done so.
Stopped at the Artisans Center of Virginia located just off of 81 on 64 heading towards Richmond at exit 97 (I think) for Waynesboro. Some 300 Virginia artisans on exhibit. Liz Moss, programs and store manager, has done a great job with the gallery presentation of the many works. Everyone is juried and in addition there are 11 exhibits a year and a guest show for Christmas season. They've been operating the store for 5 years, 3 staff, getting in the black this year. I was in there a good hour viewing the works; glass, pottery, paper, turned wood bowls, felt, some furniture and lots more. Lots of natural and spot light and big display cases on casters. Nice setup.
Now it's off to Dallas for a week.

Traveling along the east coast to GA and then out west to Dallas

Visiting with family and friends along the way. Taking a vacation. I hope to visit some studios, craft museums and shops. Off to Boston tommorrow. I've already visited the Crafts Guild shop just off Harvard Square in Cambridge. Wonder what other handmade treasures I'll find. Then it's to Savannah, GA via Richmond, VA. Have you favorite shops, studios or museums in any of those towns?

Lowville downtown retailers critique each other's shops as part of workshop.

From left to right: Darci Waite, AD Present Co.; Brenda Eggleston, Sweet Basil; Ellen Chamberlain, Riverbend Alpaca; Nadia Korths, ANCA workshop presenter; Donna Smith, Tying It All Together; Tish Zehr, Ole Adirondack Pottery Shoppe; Linda Allen, Adirondack Basketry.

The Lowville business community is beginning to work more actively together with Donna Smith, Tying It All Together, spearheading much of the activity from what I learned during the workshop. Ellen Chamberlain, Riverbend Alpaca said she enjoyed the workshop as a great opportunity to become more familiar with her peers in the Lowville area.

The local business owners all expressed confidence in having developed their niches enough that the Walmart at the south end of town would only benefit them by bringing more shoppers into Lowville. Lowville had already two Walmarts about 25 miles to the north in Watertown and one 50 miles to the south in Utica!

The architecture on State Street, Lowville's main street, is spectacular. Ann Durant, Lewis County's SBDC person, also said that that State Street had received a Main Street Facade Grant and business owners were moving on their projects. The Bates Building has a beautiful marble lobby which Linda Allen, Adirondack Basketry, is considering renting as a guild member if she receives committment from folks who wish to sell their product.

Ann Durant, who with Sarah O'Connell, of the Watertown SBDC, contacted and registered the businesses who attended the three workshops (a big thank you to them for their initiative) while I presented. That type of workshop partnership seems to be working out quite well.

Darci and her partner, Allison, who have had the AD Present Co. Fine Gift Shop open for 3 years now, attend the NY Gift Show to order quality product. Lisa Nortz, silversmith, has just started to display her work there. They have beautiful glass pieces and the shop is painted in warm reds and yellows. Their customer base attracted more of the seasonal customer than the average shop.

A quick survey of workshop participants determined that about 60% of their customers are year round residents, 35% are seasonal (those who have second homes and camps in the Brantingham area to the south) and 5% are one time visitors. In informal surveys across the region, year round residents and seasonal have rated almost 2/3 of the total customer base throughout the region with Malone and Plattburgh standing out because their year round residents are most of their customer base.

News from Giftshop and Studio Owners in Sackets Harbor, Watertown and Lowville

In partnership with the Watertown SBDC, the Sacket Harbor Speciality Shops, Proverbial Women's Country Cottage Shop and the Lowville Business Association, I held on Nov. 1 and 2 three Marketing Toolkit workshops in those communities. Some 15 businesses attended (20 people in all).

As usual, I am amazed at the amount of self initiative shown by small business owners.

Sackets Harbor, along with 30 cities, celebrates on Nov. 19th, from 10am-6pm, the Second Annual Unchained Sackets Harbor National Day of Support for Local Businesses which was started a year ago by a independent bookshop association. Cheryl Payne, owner of George and Ida May Giftshop and Lawrence Barrone Gallery and chamber president, said this event drew many residents to downtown Sackets Harbor to shop locally last year. Visit http://www.sacketsharborny.com/Event/Event.html and http://www.sacketsharborchamberofcommerce.com and http://news.bookweb.org/news/3066.html to find out more about the Unchained Support for Local Businesses Event.