Village Squire, 1974-12, Page 20them." says Pat.
Ernie agrees and says he would like to have
a place to display the work of local craftsmen
and not even worry about taking a
commission on the work. He's really
interested in selling his own work, he says,
but he doesn't want to turn his church into a
store.
"There are Tots of stores around, Tots of
gift shops...but if a local craftsman has got
something good, I wouldn't hesitate to have
some of his work there. And if anyone wants
to buy his work, fine. You know I'm not going
to want 50 per cent or 30 per cent or 25 per
cent."
"The person turning out a craft," Pat
agrees, "can't really afford to rent a store."
So, she says, she'd be happy to have some of
this good work in her church. Being
surrounded by fine crafts, she hopes, might
rub off on the children a little and make them
more interested in this kind of work.
The problem for many craftsman, Ernie
says, is that if they sell their work through
shops, by the time the craftsman gets a fair
price and the store marks it up fifty or one
hundred per cent, the price is so high people
can't afford to buy. But by selling himself, the
craftsman can sell at a reasonable price and
still make money. Lots of good craftsmen, he
says, would be content to work at three or
even two dollars an hour if their products
were selling.
One example he says is a dough box he
made which he sold to a store for 875. Two
weeks later he was in the store and the piece
was marked for $200. He.immediately took it
out of the store.
"1 could have sold it here, since I'm not
selling it wholesale then, for $125 and still
make a good amount," he says.
"I admire John Plumtree down in
Clinton," he says. "He turns out beautiful
work. He's the best lathe man in Canada
probably, not just in Ontario but in Canada."
Despite his skill, Ernie says, Mr. Plumtree
charges a relatively low hourly rate and
hasn't increased the rate for a long time. He
could charge twice as much, Ernie says, but
he's content to do good work that will sell and
make a decent profit. Some carpenters are
charging three times as much and not turning
out near the quality of work. Mr. Plumtree
tries to sell all his work direct to cut down on
the expenses.
The kind of trap that craftsmen can get in,
he said, is illustrated by a friend who
operated a small business in Toronto and
produced finely crafted articles. He got a
contract with Eatons to supply them with a
quantity of his product and he had to expand
his shop to meet the order. The order was met
and Eatons came back with another order,
even larger meaning more expansion and at a
lower per unit price. He went broke. The
same thing happened to another acquaint-
ence who ran a silk screening shop but who
caught on before he did himself in. Dropping
price in quantity is the big mistake for the
craftsman.
It's a mistake Ernie doesn't seem likely to
make. He's too busy enjoying his work to
worry about becoming a big businessman
0
18, VILLAGE. SQUIRE/NOVJ;,MBE1 1974
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1
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