Grumbles from the shop #7: Another gallery done gone

I would say that you are lucky if you got your pieces back from the gallery.

I know plenty of artists that had galleries close on them and their artwork ended up in the gallery owner’s mcmansion after the store closed. The gallery owners never let the artists know they were closing and their pieces were never recovered.

I know and personally share the same frustrations as you do when it comes to construction budgets and the cheap decisions that are made. I have done a lot of repairs and upgrades on commercial cabinets exactly on the items that you mention; hinges and drawer glides.

Right now I am really excited to have an abundance of work and I will focus on making hay while the sun shines.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Dennis: I’m glad you can recover your projects. And I hope that the work contuinues. Give them your business card when they want to repair the cabinets.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I hope that one of the changes in our society, that will come from this economic stress, is that people will learn to buy quality and for endurance rather than the quick fix and replaceable.

Just like the “100 mile diet” and eating organic has taken a strong hold on our society, perhaps, with a little education people will again start buying for permanence. Now.. how do we create this educational trend?

(and I too am glad that you got your work back from the gallery)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Dennis, I am a small one man shop. I will ususally get a couple big jobs during a year. I do this part time so I do have something to fall back on, but I put a bid in a couple weeks ago for 30’ of upper and lower cabinets and a serving bar that was 28’ long. I was alittle higher on my bid, but was going to get the job, then a cabinet dealer ( premade stuff) dropped his bid $2,500 dollars. So no doubt he got the job.This also has me scratching my head. How can he aford to drop his price that much and still make money. I know that he is not saleing custom cabinets, but still $2,500.00 dollars is a lot to be able to give up. How much was he going to make before he dropped his price? I know that I could not do it.

-- F.Little

A few years ago I worked at the largest air conditioning plant in the world. With nearly 2 million in mfg space it had 16 assembly lines. In its hay day it employed thousands of people. As a supplier quality manager I remember an incident that has stuck with me. A buyer found a better price on sheet metal screws in China. The price difference in volume was was only .004 cheaper per screw,with a very high usage the annual savings was 52 thousand bucks.

A couple years later the factory was moved to Mexico and closed. The average hourly rate in the US plant was probably 15 bucks an hour. The workers in Mexico made about 3 bucks or so. An Mexican engineer made around a thousand a month. Plant managers in Mexico made about 40k a year.

Change… a little off topic … but another grumble

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

It all started in the 80s with bust the union and the good paying jobs going away. In the 90s totally free trade took more. We are the only country in teh world with wide open borders. They benefit the large corps who are killing their own market. It is finally catching up with them. Today the economy based on credit is failing. Too bad it will have to get worse before the process starts it’s cycle all over again.

Glad to hear you didn’t loose your work to a dishonest gallery owner.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Hey Dennis, if all the companies you worked for are closed and all the galleries you supply are closed, maybe it,s you. You,re a jinx!

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

Hey Dennis
I’m sorry about the gallery but glad about you getting your furniture back. I have only made about 10% of what I made last year at this time. I’m grateful to have that much it’s better than ZIP.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Yep kiwi…I know I’m a jinx. The furniture work I do is VERY non marketable.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Dennis – I just bid a kitchen in a 6000 square foot custom home – 79 linear feet of hickory cabinets. Only two bids were submitted for the kitchen, mine and stock cabinets from a lumber yard. The lumber yard bid was less than half my bid. Oops!

I always wonder why, with the word “custom” in the name of my business, people think I might have better prices than companies who build thousands of identical cabinets out of junk materials.

People’s comments about not getting furniture back from galleries makes me want to suggest that you get an acceptance document from the gallery for each piece, stating that they accept responsibility for the piece and it will be returned to you or you will receive a payment of $XX.

Hang in there Dennis. You do beautiful work. I know people who know your work. Have you thought about an online gallery/cooperative like Northwest Fine Woodworking? I don’t know if they are accepting members, but there are sure to be others – or maybe you (we) could get a group together to start a similar cooperative …

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

Dennis – Sorry that your sources are closing down – I am afraid that is going to happen more often than not. Its seems that we have become a throw away society – buy it – use it – and then throw it away. Very sad indeed. For our area – I see that the Dairy Industry is also going belly up around here. The paper stated that almost 80% of the dairy herds are going to be destroyed – that mean that most of the Hispanic work force will be out of work, all the folks that depend on the dairy industry will be hurting and that mean – it is going to effect all of us. I sure hope you find some more sources for the sales of your furniture and your projects.

Who is John Galt????

-- Thos. Angle

it can only get worse before it gets better

which in the end

gets better

hang in there dude!!!!

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

Your dilemma reminds me of something I read quite a few years ago.

This shoe manufacturer was bragging about how much money he was going to make,

because of getting his shoes made in China. He had closed all of his factories in the USA.

Someone asked him who was going to buy his shoes if nobody was working in the USA.

I think the people in the USA have had just about all they can take.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I’m sorry Dennis, you do make beautiful and unique furniture. I guess selling stuff on etsy and working for the man are your only options for the time being or coming up with a better mousetrap. You still have valuable talent I think you are going to find a way to make it. Just like guys like Mark D. You guys have too many personal skills to fold up and quit. I’m behind you all the way.m

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

It looks like the NW Fine Woodworkers is an excellent site to show your creations.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I am glad that you are getting your furniture back Dennis, but it is sad that another business is closing. At this rate, the only businesses that will be left open are the big box stores in each category. And since they work on the self help model, they will not employ that many people. What will the thousands of other people do? And like other have said, how will they buy what is being sold?

I would like to think eventually people will turn back to quality, but with the economic problems now I am afraid they will look even harder for those “bargains”. At what point does price no longer become the deciding factor? I am not sure we are there yet. Most of the retailers have been reporting declines, except for Walmart. Time will only tell.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

It is a sad commentary that a great number of people no longer want a better mousetrap, or a prettier mousetrap. All that they want is a cheaper mousetrap. Quality is a buzz-word that adverisers use to make people feel better about their purchase.

Ford used to use the slogan, “Quality is Job #1” and I doubt many believed them, knowing that quality was actually job #7 or 8 … and sometimes didn’t even make it on the list.

It’s difficult to teach quality to people because it’s an acquired taste and requires patience and understanding. Classical music really is better than poplar music, but you need to know what to look for to appreciate it, and that takes knowledge. Too many folks don’t have time for that anymore so they just want stuff.

Dennis, there is a definite loss to society in general when quality and beauty become rare. At times it can be downright depressing.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I wonder how badly affected the rich people are. It seems that the working classes cannot and have never been able to afford to buy hand made bespoke quality furniture.The rich will always be able to do so without blinking. However the vast majority of people in the middle who are neither rich nor poor, like us for example are dfinitely putting buying quality stuff of for a while . I see it here in the uk. Hand made furniture has been a luxury long before this cash crisis and still quality hand made furniture was always seen by the masses as a rip off sometimes uneducated cries and phrases like ” what a thousand pounds why I could get ten in Ikea for that” .The good craftsmen sigh and say yes but how long will they be around will they become heirloom pieces to be used with pride in three or four hundred years. I have never been able to understand this people do get ripped off and they have always been wary but they were beginning to realise that waiting saving for a good piece was always best. I say you were lucky also to get your stuff back I know people who have lost big time sorry for rant good luck Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

The problem I see is the march towards subsistence level wages and the end of the middle class. You notice in teh economic recovery talk out of DC, there is not talk about CEO’s making multi-million dollar salaries, but here is a lot of talk about the UAW giving , giving, giving, to match the work for less states in the south where Honda and Toyota located. Health care and pensions cost money. If you’re struggling to find food, who’s looking for hand made furniture? There aren’t enough rich out there to support the economy.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Back to Debbie’s “how do you educate” comment. This web site is a fantastic educator. To appreciate the value of fine craftmanship (or craftswomanship) there is nothing like trying it out yourself and screwing it up.

There will always be a market for high end items (so they say) – and you need to find ways to make sure your products become seen. Get them in an online gallery. If I had disposable cash, I would have bought several items from Darrell Peart whose work I had never seen before starting to visit Lumberjocks.

Wow this blog has brought out a wave of emotions. Sadness, frustration and all out anger in others. Mostly it seems focused upon our sad state of the economy. I have not been spared as well. I have worked in the food industry all my life. I have owned a small business myself. In 2003 at the end of the internet boom, I purchased a restaurant. I overpaid at the time thinking I had enough saved up to survive any bump. What I got was this economy and my descent into near bankruptcy. Even though I have a fairly strong resume, I haven’t found a decent job in three years. I have channeled my depression into working wood. I am still very new and have little disposable income to put into it. I view it more as a creative outlet. My wife however thinks I have potential. She has encouraged me to build more and possibly make a few bucks. I feel continual frustration in explaining to her that in this economy its not likely with price of wood etc that its worthwhile. Who can afford anything anymore.
sorry for my long drawn out post. It feels good to vent.
And Dennis I will pass along the only advice I have received. Keep plugging away.

mtkate’s statement makes my point about where we have descended into since the 80’s. No disposable income. This modern society was built on good paying manufacturing jobs with a disposable income, not service industry, minimum wage jobs without any benefits. I have been wondering how long this could last for the last 20 yrs, Now we know. They say unemployment is under 10%, but they don’t count the under-employed working for peanuts while looking for work, those whose unemployment benes have run out, or the over 50 gang who are screwed if they loose their job after 50 or 55. I’ve only known 1 who ever returned to the work force at his former capacity

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.