Shop Inventory Management
"Finding the right balance between service and savings can be as much of an art as a science...If the customers who do come in see old inventory, they are not likely to come back for another visit this year.
1. "Moving your store around every two or three weeks can save you... That will help make the merchandise seem like new... Clean every bottle and shelf and add lights... "
2. Control your impulses. Just because you like something does not mean you have to buy it. One way to avoid inventory bloat is to match purchases with sales." Sell $500 worth in pottery, buy $500 in pottery.
3. "How far does your real inventory differ from your documented inventory? ... Measure the disparity by reviewing stock on hand... It may be that you don't have much of the stuff you are really making money on, but you are swamped with stuff that is not moving."
4. How much merchandise do you have that's more than six months old? A year? ... If eliminating five or six slow-moving items would cause your
profits to zoom by 20%, would you do it? ... Sometimes just eyeballing your shelves can do the job... Do a "half off' sale if you need to...

POS companies listed in article:
"Everest Software: www.everestsoftwareinc.com
Integrated accounting, inventory, point of sale (POS) and e-commerce software
JDA Software Group: www.jda.com
POS software integrated with inventory management
RMSA: www.rmsa.com
Software that help you purchase the correct amount of inventory to achieve optimal sales."
Excerpts from Inventory Management, author Phillip M. Perry, Niche Magazine, Summer 2008, p. 81.

One Person Wood Shop Receives 80% of Business via Website
Dan Alleger, New Orleans furniture maker, "describes his website as 'the saving grace' for his business. He estimates about 80 percent of his business comes from his website and 20 percent by word of mouth.
'I take the business of marketing very seriously and do everything I can to get the website out there; Google ranking, search engine ranking,
creating a proper site map, following everyone's protocol so that when anybody types anything about New Orleans and furniture, wood or seating, I want to be at the top. I recently added a "Clients Comments" page to the website and that is one of the pages that gets the most traffic on the site. People want to hear what the other clients are saying.'
Excerpt from Jazzed About His Job, author Brian Caldwell, The Woodshop News, August 2008, p. 39.

Old Forge Hardware Hosts Cancer Awareness Event
Mary Lamphear of Raquette Lake, co-creator of the "Staying the Course" line of inspirational cards for those faced with cancer, will be at Old Forge Hardware on July 27 from 1-3pm. http://www.dock-talk.com/cancer-support-cards.aspx.

ArtWorks Celebrating 20th Year With New Website
Each member of ArtWorks has an About Me description and photos of their creations with links to their websites for those that have them. http://www.oldforgeartworks.com/

Member Kathy Spingler, who started out incredibly successfully with clay wind chimes at Buyer Days four years ago, has her website up. http://www.bouldercoveoriginals.com/

Member Frank Vellone, makes furniture of native hardwoods with clean lines, functionality and solid joinery and finishes them with an oil finish. http://www.fromthewoodsfinewoodworking.com/

New Shop in Inlet - The Cubby Hole
Antiques and Adirondack handmade creations. Robin Dwyer and Dale Huebner are the owners. They are open Fri. and Sat. from 10-5pm and Sun. from 1-5pm. 124 Rte. 28N. bearupnorth(at)frontiernet.net.

More than 90 Artists and Craftspeople at 32nd Annual Arts in the Park at Inlet
On July 19 and 20 at Arrowhead Park people came to buy from 90 artisans from New York state and Pennsylvania. Locals were Mary Maslyn from Moose River Trading Company selling candles, hiking sticks, soaps and more; Sabrina Nedell, formerly of Inlet, as "ADK Girl" with Adirondack inspired sculpture and pottery; Greg and Toni Rudd of Country Collage of Inlet and Utica, with pottery, jams and jellies; Mary Blanchard of South Bay Jewelry, Raquette Lake, with sterling silver and 14kt gold filled earrings, bracelets and neckwear; Nancy Brouty of Boonville with Patchwork Plus Country Home Decor; Joe and Mary Thurston of J & M Crafts in Lowville with leather belts, wallets, cell phone cases and more and Rose Raymond of Yellow Rose Soapworks, Barnveld, with handcrafted all-natural soaps and bath and beauty products.

The Mountain Peddler in Old Forge starts Local Artist Promotion Blog
The Mountain Peddler may be the first retailer to start a blog in the Adirondack North Country region! Congratulations. Their goal is to write about the artisans they represent both in the store and online. Their ad in The Weekly Adirondack, July 10, states "You can sell your stuff in our "Local Artist" section in the store and on the website!" At the present time photographers Melissa Macdonald and Mike Faria have 5 photos posted at http://www.themountainpeddler.com/ on the Local Artists page.

All of today's news was found in The Weekly Adirondack, issues July 10 and 17.

The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls has Website
It's great to see the listings of all the businesses at http://shirtfactorygf.com/. "A business community of Artisans, Craftspeople, Healers and Professionals located in the historic Shirt Factory Building at Lawrence and Cooper Streets in Glens Falls, NY." Business descriptions, images, website links and upcoming events are posted.
As always, I admire the determination of small businesses willing to collaborate in their marketing efforts. And the Shirt Factory, square footage wise, is probably the biggest collaboration in the Adirondack North Country!

Restless Roots - New Shop in Plattsburgh
Restless Roots, just north of the Post Office in downtown Plattsburgh on Miller Street, opened up a few weeks/months ago. Their sandwich board (artistic), open door and "Fine Arts and Crafts" on the window drew me in. Most of their business comes from the people who drive into town to go to the post office.
They are looking for more artisans and artists. Already there are pieces from the furniture maker, Jon Whallonsburg, from Jay; Mark Stowe's jewelry; the owner's clothing and jewelry lines; Jackie Sabourin's pottery and figure drawings by the owner's mother. And others. It's a mix of space rental and consignment (very reasonable rates). I have misplaced their business card but will post their contact info. as soon as I have it. The owner, Jessica, is developing a product sales website for the shop as well.
Yes, keep your overhead to a minimum, select a storefront in a large community near a post office with a lot of on-street parking and commit to regular easy-to-remember hours and your bills will be paid! My compliments to Jessica, the owner, and Alicia, Plattsburgh SBDC staff, who helped in designing the business approach.

Artist Statement Workshop

Glens Falls, NY - LARAC presents artist-educator Dr. Renée O’Brien to lead an Artist Statement Workshop for artists on Tuesday, August 26th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Dr. O’Brien will assist artists in all disciplines to develop well-written, focused statements about their work and provide insight into how their art functions in the contemporary art world. Artists of all mediums will benefit from this class for applying and showing art in exhibitions in the community and beyond.

Discussion will be on the following; finding your unique perspective, talking to your audience, explaining your story, discussing your influences, communicating your feelings, and introducing who you are and why you are making the art. Attending artists should bring a copy of their current statements, resume, and some samples of their work (can be color copies). The class will include instruction, writing exercises, and actual development of a new statement.

Dr. Renée O'Brien is an artist-educator who exhibits her photographs regionally and nationally, and lectures and writes on the history of art and photography. Dr. O'Brien completed her Ph.D. at NYU with a dissertation on photography and aesthetics, The Post-Romantic Vision of Contemporary Pinhole Photographers. She teaches at Adirondack Community College, Queensbury, NY and Empire State College, Center for Distance Learning, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Pre-registration is required. Cost to attend is $15 for LARAC members and $20 for non-members. Light refreshments will be served. Class size is limited. Please call 518-798-1144 x 2 or email Patrice at gallery@larac.org to register and for directions.

Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council is a non-profit arts service founded in 1972 to promote arts and culture in the region. LARAC is open year round Monday through Saturday 10-3pm and is located at 7 Lapham Place on City Park in Downtown Glens Falls. For more information about LARAC services call 518-798-1144. www.larac.org

Two New Shops - One in So. Colton and One in Tupper Lake

Adirondack Artisans in South Colton opened sometime in the last year. They represent 90 artisans from the region. 3924 St. Hwy. 56. 315.262.2117. www.AdirondackArtisan.net under construction. Northern NY Flair, July 2008

The Well Dressed Food Company has recently opened in Tupper Lake. Located at 95 Park St., David Tomberlin's tastefully packaged foods; sauces, granola blends, nut honeys and more are now available for direct sale to the public. Tomberlin started his specialty food business two and a half years ago. He has done very well at ANCA's annual gift tradeshow, Buyer Days, two years in a row. www.WellDressedFood.com. Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Weekender, July 11-17, 2008

Chicken Coop Forge featured in Albany Times Union
Article describes how the business in Queensbury owned by Mike Parwana and Jeannette Brandt has evolved since it started in the early 1990s. "Parwana and Brandt primarily create custom lighting and fire screens for high-end homes." Read the full article at http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=698187&category=LifeAtHome&BCCode=&newsdate=7/2/2008. Reporter Jill Montag, June 25, 2008

Sculptor John Van Alstine One of 50 Artists Worldwide Chosen to Exhibit at Olympics in Beijing
The Wells-based sculptor created a 16-foot bronze ring with a large stone suspended in the center. The sculpture, titled Rings of Unity-Circle of Inclusion, is a beautifully powerful piece, portraying stillness and motion in balance. http://www.johnvanalstine.com/docs/portfolio/Beijing_Olympic.html

Sara Pfau's Lake Silhouette Pendants Featured in Adirondack Life
"Beyond mere navigational tools, maps have always had a near-mystical pull on the psyche... Sara Pfau, a 24-year-old jewelry designer and metal artist with strong family ties to the North Country, has found that her pendants in the shapes of Adirondack lakes have had a similar effect on people." Pfau has already made pendants of Lake George, Schroon Lake, Lake Placid, and Cranberry and Brant Lakes. She also designs cuff links, brooches, bracelets and money clips. http://www.sarapfau.com/. Adirondack Life, July/August 2008, p. 98.

Modern Hip Use for Small Packbasket
Someone already making packbaskets should consider testing the following version as a product line. Two weeks ago in Saranac Lake, I saw a woman who was carrying a packbasket handbag with a strap long enough to be placed diagonally across the chest with the basket comfortably sitting on the side of the hip. The three that she bought had been made on a whim by a hobbyist. They were beautiful.

24 Ways to Get and Keep a Customer

"Here are ways many (web)sites have failed to serve their customers:

Only 37 percent offer multiple images views of products.
Only 33 percent offer customer reviews.
62 percent have difficult to read fonts.
Only 14 percent allow customers to change the font.
Only 43 percent offer free shipping.
Almost two-thirds do not offer in-stock information on the product page.
While just over half of online retailers have physical stores, only 10 percent offer in-store pickup.
58 percent do not offer shipping costs early in the checkout process. One third have checkout processes with more than 4 steps.
Only 58 percent correctly answer an e-mail question within 24 hours.
Around 80 percent don't seem to get that more ways to pay means more ways to buy. 20 percent offer pay-by-check, 10 percent offer Google Checkout, 20 percent accept PayPal and 18 percent offer Bill Me Later."

Read complete article written by Jason Lee Miller posted on July 1, 2008 at http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/06/30/24-ways-to-get-a-customer-and-keep-a-customer#more.