My first show

Really too bad that 99.5% of Wisconsites haven't got a clue what the value of handmade art is, let alone the art form of the South Seas. I had reasonable prices for my work, and many here on TC who have seen it have commented on the craftsmanship as being good. Not a single piece sold out of the 40 that I brought with me to a street festival and a fine art fair (I use that term loosely now that I have seen what was considered "fine art" there) that drew between 20,000 and 40,000 over 2 beautiful summer days.

Must people pound on the tops of the tikis as they walk by? And 1 out of 3 people called them totem poles. Children age 10 knew what they were and called them out, "TIKIS!" Too bad the little buggers didn't carry wallets, they would have been my best customers!

I blew $100 on a booth space and out of the Beenie Baby booths and welded junk creatures and cigar box purses I swear I was the only vendor that didn't sell a thing all weekend. Secondly, I was hoping to share my love for the art/tiki culture with others and maybe find more people who share the same or get someone new on the path to addition like me. If tiki happens to be the next biggest thing in pop culture again we don't have to worry about Wisconsin catching on. I have one more show in a few weeks and I am hoping to make up for some big losses this weekend... after that I think I'm back to the underground... I have a lot of tikis in my house again...

Thanks to Tiki-Toa and finkdaddy for stopping by and their Aloha! Nice to meet in person!

Some pics from the weekend...

Me carving trying to attract a little business to the tent...

My wife in the tent trying to keep her spirits up...

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2009-02-08 22:46 ]

I'm really sorry to hear that you didn't even sell one tiki! Your work is REALLY good and I hope that the next one will yield many costomers. I'll bet you could sell some of your tikis to TC members...

sounds kind of rough, in all likely hood it was your crowd, those Wisconsites. your work is good and i would think that in a better environment like Florida, CAlifornia, or another area of the country were tikis are a bit more recognizable, and valued your stuff would sell much better. don't worry about your rough time with those Wisconsites, it doesn't reflect your work at all, but more of a cultural/interest difference.

[ Edited by: Octane on 2004-06-27 22:31 ]

Don't let it get you down...it's a similar situation here, for me. I travel all over the country and even Japan and sell the hell outta my signs, wall art and striping...but I can't hardly give it away at home. It looks like you do some real nice work! Send me an email of your price range, and hopefuly I can order one in the not too distant future (I'm playing " $ catch up" after several road trips). I've also got some friends that might be interested in snatching up a tiki from you...I'll be happy to pass the word along.

Sorry about your weekend man. Your tikis look amazing. You gotta keep chuggin' away. I know the feeling when nothing moves, but sooner or later. Besta luck man

[ Edited by: TNTiki on 2004-11-06 15:47 ]

Dude that sucks! It happens to the best of us though, don't take it to heart. Like you said it's Wisconsin!

I suggest you put them all in a truck and drive them down to Hukilau where they will be appreciated.

Good luk with your next show.

Lakesurfer-your stuff is terrific-maybe you should carve a "Packer Tiki"-that would probably go over big,but I wouldn't buy one of those,being a Bear Fan.Keep a good thought.

sorry to hear. probably, a lot of folks at street festivals just go to browse & will only purchase something if it's easy to carry w/ them & involves virtually no commitment (magnets, hand-made cards).

the exposure may have still made it worthwhile. you may one day hear, "oh yeah, i saw you at the street fair! i really like your stuff!" or "my friend told me about this great tiki carver he saw at the street fair."

your carvings look great.

Don't let it get ya down. The folks who posted previously are right. Wrong crowd. I imagine Tiki is hard to push in Wisconsin. Your work is very good. Someone said it before... Hukilau, you're gonna sell something there for sure. Gotta web site? Or, post some more pics.

Don't worry LakeSurfer. We have always enjoyed looking at the pictures you posted for your carvings. I would agree with everyone else. Take the carvings to Hukilau.

Lake Surfer, all the advice above is very good; keep broadening your market, use the net, etc. All that's very good stuff.

As a person who was once in a position similiar to yours, I would only offer this. Make sure your prices are on the low end. Too many newbies with promising enterprises have shot themselves in the foot by asking dream prices for their products (one starting-out-painter I knew was shocked and outraged that no one bought her painting for the asking price of $8,000 even though a lot of people SAID they liked it). I say start with very, very reasonable prices, and once they start to move then start upping the price.

I'll bet you that Shag's first pieces probably went for peanuts.

Good luck! Your stuff looks great!

"Never, never, never, NEVER give up!" --- Winston Churchill

Lakesurfer,

Sorry about the disappointment. I've always liked your stuff. If I've got the scratch I'll take one off your hands at the Hukilau!

Kanaka

Lake Surfer, Chalk it up to Experience. I remember the first few Art Shows I entered into got about the same response. It was very frustrating and I blamed everyone. Fact was there were no Tiki Lovers at the show to buy your work. Put some on consignment at the local Plant Nurseries and Landscapers shops and they will sell. Go to the next show, and the next, and the next. People will see you and start buying knowing you are a "Regular" rather than "some out of town artist". I like the Idea of "Loading a truck and going to Huki Lau" There, they Will sell. I'll share my table with you.

Yeah, keep on trying. These fairs can be tricky... 20,000 people who came for hot dogs and funnel cakes doesn't do you as much good as 20 people who had to pay admission to the show because they were interested in buying art.

Definitely keep trying the show circuit though, your stuff looks good and you will find your customers.

also, the harder it is to get into a show (ie. more hoops to jump through) the better you will probably do. Juried shows that are well established tend to draw a better crowd.

And you will be able to tell good shows from bad after a while. I walked out of a two day show after only two hours once. I just knew it was going to be bad when the booth across from me was selling used clothing and kitchenware....!

LS,
There is no reason why your art would not sell. Your tikis rock!
Do you have a website?
I am in the market to buy one. When are you coming down to California?

its not you..its them..
pity their tikiless existance.
you tried to help..they passed you by.

your work is outstanding, and unappreciated by that particular crowd.

look for other outlets to sell your beautiful carvings..something will click, and you're on your way as a not-quite-so-starving artist!

elicia

It's like advertising. How many times do you need to see a commercial before it sinks in. It may take some people a few viewings of your work before they realize they need one. The above advice is good. Keep at it. Being Wisconsin's only tiki artist is sure to pay off.

What part of Wisco are you from? We're really surprised that your great carvings didn't go over well-from what we've seen,Wisconsin is one of the lawn ornament capitols of the world-but apparently only if they're those shiny garden globes or fiberglass deer-they're really missing out!!!

Don't sweat it, Lake. That's nothing. Your stuff speaks for itself. You will do very well at Hukilau. There is a huge difference between the "great unwashed" at a trade fair and the good Tiki Ohana (of which you and your wife are esteemed members) that you will find at a Tiki event. I've always dug your stuff..and you're one of the original cowboys on this site. That counts for something..

hey man, I want to buy one! email me.. [email protected]

Tiki rocks, even in Washington state!

Mahalo Ohana for your words of encouragement. Much appreciated. I am almost fully recovered and looking forward to getting to some new projects for myself, one being a five foot tiki fountain. Another being two 8 foot poles fully carved for the doorway of my tiki room. I'll rise again to market some tikis but now it is about making myself happy with my work.

Still batting around the trip to Huki... I may make it alone, the wife has already said I should go even if she doesn't. I gotta see how much money I can raise to get me there...

Mahalo again for the kind words...

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2004-06-28 22:10 ]

drew between 20,000 and 40,000
.........and yet all imbeciles apparently!!

I've shared swap & show sites with a tiki carver before and it's frustrating to watch as so many "love these things" but never shell out for them.

Have you got flyers and business cards done?

Dont be discouraged man,a lot of carvers have been their,i have as well.Just think of the positives at least you guys can access a tiki event, no such luck here in O.Z. If i had a dollar for every one who "wanted" one of my tikis i think i'd be as well off as "Donald Trump".One of the best things to come from my carving is i've made some great friends, in the end their worth more anyway.(although a couple of bucks in the pocket dont hurt!!)But when some one really wants your art and is willing to pay to own it and appreciates how much you put into it.You quickly forget the frustrating times.And go back to carving with more enthusiasm and a sense of purpose. gotta go my chisels are a" callin"

To join the bandwagon, from what I can see, your stuff is great. I wish I could buy one or ten right now, but we're scraping pennies together to try and kill some debts, and dreaming of buying a house in the crazed socal market. C'mon real estate bust!!!!!!!!!!
Keep slogging, your work is great!
TG

Keep your chin(tiki) up. you have to have a bad show inorder to have a sell-out show.

Hang in there Lake your tikis are are awesome. Keep showing them off and you will gather momentum. Everybody needs a tiki, some peolple just dont know it yet. You may find a different style of tiki may sell better in your parts. Something like this maybe....

Keep carvin'
Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2004-06-29 12:45 ]

Look at it this way also. The more you don't sell up there, The MORE We have to buy at HukiLau. pack'um up and Come on Down to where your audience Loves ya' Man.

You guys rule.... :)

We attend a lot of festivals music and art down in Louisiana and I have only seen one tiki at one festival and that is it. To me having a booth with just tikis would be considered a major find and I doubt if I would have gotten any further, especially if you were doing a carving demonstration like the picture indicated. You probably would have had to chase me off.

Lake your carvings are cool. Seems like your crowd didn't even know about Tikis. Maybe a copy of The Book of Tiki displayed with your carvings might spark some interest. Hope you do better at your next show.

get in touch with price list.

i know some folk who'd be interested if shipping costs aren't too horrendous and when i clear a few debts very soon i might also be.

your stuff is good.

the crowd just wasn't the right crowd for your stuff

I wish I had seen this post earlier! I had the very same experience that you did around the same time period. I made some decision after that about my art (ceramics).

1)I don't have to sell at these "garage sales" posing as festivals. (somebody mentioned funnel cake buyers...that's just what I experienced.)
2)If somebody really wants art, they will pay for art.
3)I was trying to sell to the wrong market.
4)All of the advice and offers to buy your stuff just proves what I have come to believe...TC people are wonderful support for artists!

Your work is wonderful! I hope things got better for you and that your stuff is selling like wildfire now.

To the others who replied, I, too, will benefit from your responses, as they apply to me, as well. I'm trying to fit Tiki Oasis into my calendar in May, so hopefully I will see you there. We could trade notes.

Hang in there. Keep carving!

-Kimberly

On 2004-07-01 07:17, tiki410 wrote:
We attend a lot of festivals music and art down in Louisiana and I have only seen one tiki at one festival and that is it. To me having a booth with just tikis would be considered a major find and I doubt if I would have gotten any further, especially if you were doing a carving demonstration like the picture indicated. You probably would have had to chase me off.

I gotta go where you're going!

On 2004-06-27 21:57, Lake Surfer wrote:
Really too bad that 99.5% of Wisconsites haven't got a clue what the value of handmade art is, let alone the art form of the South Seas. I had reasonable prices for my work, and many here on TC who have seen it have commented on the craftsmanship as being good. Not a single piece sold out of the 40 that I brought with me to a street festival and a fine art fair (I use that term loosely now that I have seen what was considered "fine art" there) that drew between 20,000 and 40,000 over 2 beautiful summer days.

Discovered this thread by accident, mate you've come a long way :D