Archive for July 2018
It’s a good thing I like making these … Large Serving Pieces.
The name is a problem for me. When I started making these, uh, LSPs, people started calling them Surfboards because they have a curvy shape … and we’re in SoCal.
We have surfers here, you see. Deal with it.
So, these were called Surfboards for a couple of years. Then I thought that they weren’t really shaped like surfboards – especially when I started making true surfboard-shaped cutting boards, so I started calling these Cheese & Cracker Servers.
Which is true … but limiting. Some people use these to serve the entree. Or the dessert. Whatever. They work great as Cheese & Cracker Servers, of course … but that’s not all that they are. So, for now, I call them Large Serving Pieces. You can call yours whatever you want!
Making this batch of 19 LSPs put a lot of sawdust into the shop, because each edge of each piece has to go across the table saw blade at an oblique angle multiple times. There’s no saw guard to help with dust collection when I make these “open faced” cuts. Plus, the work pieces go across the saw blade, not through the blade, which means that a whole lot of sawdust gets made to shape those elegant curves under each edge. Those curves are actually made in the shape of the saw blade as the work pieces go across the blade. These cuts are called cove cuts, and you rarely see them used these days.
Which only means I’m old school. Or something. In any event, these LSPs are individually designed, hand shaped, hand rubbed, and they are now ready for your inspection!
I must note that they are one of the rewards in my current Kickstarter campaign which is almost over. The campaign ends July 31, so you have until then to become a Backer and select the reward that you would like to receive. Yes, you can receive one of these LSPs if that’s your choice. It’s one of the most popular rewards, though, so you may have to get in line if you like one of these Large Serving Pieces!
Each piece (except for the one that’s a bit wider) is about 12″ wide x 19″ long x 1-1/4″ thick. All are finished with my standard food-ready finish: mineral oil, with a top coat or my “Board Butter,” which is locally-harvested beeswax mixed with mineral oil. All pieces have non-skid feet held on with stainless steel screws for long life.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 01. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & White Oak.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 05. Cherry.
Detail of Large Serving Piece 18 – 05.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 02. Hard Maple, Cherry & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 10. Black Walnut, Padauk & Cherry.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 03. Cherry, Hard Maple & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 04. Black Walnut, Canarywood, Hard Maple, Padauk & Bloodwood.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 07. Cherry & Goncalo Alves. 13″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 08. Purpleheart, Cherry & Hard Maple.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 06. White Oak, Cherry & Merbau.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 09. Purpleheart, Goncalo Alves, Hard Maple, Canarywood, Cherry, Bloodwood & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 12. Black Walnut, Cherry & Hard Maple.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 13. Hard Maple, Cherry & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 11. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, & Cherry.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 19. There’s nothing like … Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 19. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & White Oak.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 15. Cherry, Purpleheart, Bloodwood & Hard Maple.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 16. Cherry & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 19. Red Oak & Black Walnut.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 18. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple.
More
My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
Once upon a time, a friend told me this was a good event.
Not sure I still believe her.
Last year, I didn’t pass $1,000 in sales with my solo effort. On my birthday. That’s not a good thing, truly.
This seems like a good community event, though. Free music. Beer gardens. Carnival rides. Vendors. 30,000 in attendance projected. What’s not to like?
It’s not like there are many better events in July that I’ve found, after all.
So, I’m in for another year. I want to see if I can do better with some legacy working for me. It’ll be just me and a couple of hundred buy & sell vendors offering imported goods….
New Ideas
- This event was marginal last year, really. It was barely OK. So what did I do? I doubled down with a double booth. I have room for everything this way. Still no Mrs M, though. She might melt in the heat. Oh, wait, I mean her lotions & balms & such might melt. That’s it.
Observations
- I left home at 5:08a on my way to the Golden State Freeway … and my ramp was closed. No problem; the GPS will get me there on the 126. I’m told. I arrived at my booths at 6:18a, and was unloaded 30 minutes later. Same location as last year, so it’s easy.
- This event does not send out formal confirmations, maps, booth #s or anything to help you find your booth or your customers to find you. Things may change up until the last minute, they say. At check in, they don’t give you a map, they just show you about where your booth is on a spreadsheet that has business landmarks on it that are years out of date.
- No clue why they think that’s OK. It’s annoying, in my not-so-humble opinion as a well-seasoned veteran.
- Canopies were up at 7:30a, and the booth & products were set up at about 9:30a. I was still putting pricing up at the official opening, 10a.
- I looked across the street at 10 booths, most of which were community businesses (bath remodel, new windows, insurance agent, etc). Of the 10 booths, 8 had canopies that were totally unweighted. 1 had 20 pounds of weight, total. One had sandbags of undeterminate weight. I hope there’s no wind this weekend.
- 11:40a: first sale of the day. I try to not every make duplicates of the same cheese board blanks, and I did make 4 of the same pattern in the last go round. Finally, finally, I sold one of them in this sale.
- 1:03p: second sale of the day … and it’s another copy of that same cheese board. Huh?
- I’m a monkey in a cage. Seems like it, anyway. Since I’ve added the signs on the mesh walls … people stop in front of the booth, look, point & laugh. And I just sit there looking at them.
- Me. Monkey. Cage.
- I did not expect that to happen.
- Saturday ended barely ahead of last year … but I doubled my booth size. Did sales double? Nope, they were basically unchanged.
- The drive home was an adventure. I followed the GPS, and it sent me through farmland. I drove a canyon to get to Fillmore. Why has the GPS forsaken me?
- Sunday opens at 12n for some reason. I arrived a bit after 10a, and was open by 11a. I had walkers immediately.
- No buyers though. First sale was at 12:45a.
- But something did happen early: the insurance agent across the way brought a sound system. They turned it up so they were broadcasting to a 100′ radius above speaking volume, and proceeded to chat to everyone about their raffle.
- I was that guy. I called the organizer to complain. She showed up 15 minutes later and had them turn down, thankfully. For some reason, they shut down the sound system & it left at 2p. No problem from my perspective.
- A lady walked into the booth.
- She said, “I have a cutting board. I got it from your competition. I love it. It’s my favorite thing. I got it from your competition.”
- I said, “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It’s good to have a favorite thing.”
- She said, “I got it from your competition.” And then she left.
- Before I was unkind to her.
- At the end of Sunday, sales were barely ahead of prior year, and far, far below my expectations for a 2-day event and my double booth. Very disappointing.
- The drive home was another adventure, but I at least drove a different canyon. Why is Camarillo so hard to get home from?
- This is my last July event before the end of my Kickstarter campaign, and I did mention it to several customers in the hopes of garnering a bit of support. The campaign is currently at 93% and just $329 away from goal! I know that I’ll bring it home, but it is oh so close. Here’s the link: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
- Requests were for bigger chess pieces (nope), a cheese slicer (on the list!), a cookbook stand, a horse tack shadow box, a coffee table top, knife cases and the 10 Commandments on a plaque. Bilingual, too. Oh, and a chicken shaped cutting board. That’s a trend. And I still haven’t made it.
The Food
- Best Meal: I tried to order take out ahead of arriving back in Santa Clarita … and a lousy cell connection resulted in a bad order. Oh well, I guess we will eat 5 side Caesars. Eventually.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 220
- Booth cost: $500
- Food cost: none
- Travel cost: $114
- Total sales: $1,092
- Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $478
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 1
- Saturday alarm: 4:20a
- Sunday alarm: nope
- # transactions: far too few
- # soap & lotion vendors: no clue
- # woodworking vendors: no clue
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 23:0
- Returning next year? Nope. Nope. Nope.
Boards sold: 23
Word Blocks: 5
Cheese Boards: 3
Magic Bottle Openers: 3
Cutting Boards: 3
CNC Signs: 3
Trivets: 2
Heart Board: 1
Coaster Set: 1
Wine Bottle Coaster: 1
Sous Chef Board: 1
Cheese Board 18 – 117. Jatoba, Yellowheart, Cherry, Padauk & Purpleheart. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Cutting Board 18 – 320. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Cheese Board 17 – 320. Padauk, Cherry, Black Walnut & Jatoba. Chaos Board. 8-1/2″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
CNC Sign 18 – 29 Steak. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
Wine Bottle Coaster 18 – 503. Cherry. 8″ x 11″ x 1″.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 118. Wall mount.
CNC Sign 18 – 51. Hard Maple. 6″ x 22″.
Sous Chef 18 – 706. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 18 – 323. Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Purpleheart. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 202. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Double Magic.
CNC Sign 18 – 52. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
Carnivore Board 18 – 905. Hard Maple. 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
Trivet 18 – 713. 8.5″ square.
Trivet 18 – 715. 8.5″ square.
Heart 18 – 918.
Coasters 18 – 07. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Black Walnut. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 109. Wall mount.
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Ah, the finish line.
I tend to make boards in batches. That makes it easier to cut lumber to size, and that makes me a bit more efficient.
Which would be a good thing.
After our successful Spring Fling, I was out of 12″ x 16″ cutting boards – my most popular size! That’s just not OK, so I made a few to get ready for this weekend’s event in Camarillo.
In the process of making the Cutting Boards, I made a few Small Boards, as I call them (usually about 8″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″). One cheese board got finished (9″ x 11″ x 5/8″). And then I finished a couple of sets of coasters, as well as a quartet of 3D-carved Wine Bottle Coasters. A little variety makes the whole working in batches thing a little more fun, in my estimation. I can’t make too many of one thing, or I go crazy.
As you can see here, every cutting board is unique. That’s a goal!
And speaking of goals (again, a very smooth transition!)….
My Kickstarter campaign is now 87% funded. I’m $611 from my goal of $5,000. Please consider becoming a Backer – and getting a cool reward from me in time for holiday giving. Note the clock is ticking: the goal must be reached by July 31. Check out the options here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
Coasters 18 – 29. Hard Maple & Sapele coasters, shown with a Jatoba holder.
Cutting Board 18 – 320. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Wine Bottle Coaster 18 – 503. Cherry. 8″ x 11″ x 1″.
Cutting Board 18 – 321. Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Canarywood & Purpleheart. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/18″.
Cutting Board 18 – 322. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Cutting Board 18 – 318. Hard Maple & Jatoba. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/2″.
Coasters 18 – 30. Red Oak & Black Walnut coasters, shown with a Jatoba & Black Walnut holder.
Small Board 18 – 207. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Cheese Board 18 – 119. Bloodwood, Bubinga, Jatoba & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Small Board 18 – 208. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Cutting Board 18 – 319. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Canarywood. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Wine Bottle Coaster 18 – 504. Cherry. 9″ diameter.
Small Board 18 – 209. Purpleheart, Canarywood & Hard Maple. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Cutting Board 18 – 323. Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Purpleheart. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
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If you are a meat eater, or know a meat eater, then these boards might tickle your fancy.
I designed these boards for 2-sided use, which is unusual for me. I believe cutting boards benefit from having non-skid rubber feet, so most boards I make have one good side … unless there’s a compelling reason to do it another way.
Which brings us to the Carnivore Board.
The side everyone comments on is the one with the oval ridges forming a dish in the middle of the board. Those ridges are designed to hold the carcass of the chicken or turkey in place while it’s being carved. Surrounding those ovals is a giant juice groove that will hold 2 cups of juice.
I have some experience carving turkey. I know what you’re up against.
Flip the board over, and you’ve got a nice cutting board, again with a nice juice groove, for beef or pork carving. You can take a tri tip off the bar-b-que, put it on your Carnivore Board, and serve it on the board.
All of your meat carving can be done on this one board.
The Carnivore Board, in action.
All of these Carnivore Boards are made from Hard Maple, which is the gold standard for cutting boards. Dimensions are 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″. Finish, as with all of my food ready boards, is mineral oil, with a top coat of my own Board Butter, which is a mix of mineral oil with locally-harvested beeswax.
Here I show you 4 Carnivore boards that just got finished. They are all the same … except for the grain of the Hard Maple boards. Every piece of lumber is different, so every one of these Carnivore boards is slightly different.
Carnivore Boards are one of the rewards offered in my current Kickstarter campaign, which will end on July 31. If you would like to become a Backer of my campaign, then receiving a Carnivore Board for your reward is an option. All of the reward options are explained here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces. Note that the campaign is 82% funded as I write this, with a goal of $5,000. If I don’t make the goal, then nothing happens. Help me make the goal, though, and I’ll deliver your reward to you in time for holiday giving. Thanks for your consideration!
Carnivore Board 18 – 902. Hard Maple. 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
The B side of 18-902.
Carnivore Board 18 – 903. Hard Maple. 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
The B side of 18-903.
Carnivore Board 18 – 904. Hard Maple. 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
The B side of 18-904.
Carnivore Board 18 – 905. Hard Maple. 14″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
The B side of 18-905.
More
My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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You pick up ideas everywhere.
When you’re looking.
And me, I’m always on the lookout for a good cutting board. When a client told me they wanted me to refinish their favorite cutting board, I was all in.
This, then, is my homage to their favorite cutting board. It’s 9″ x 20″ x 3/4″. It’s curvy. It has softly rounded edges. It’s made from Birds Eye Maple – which is highly figured Hard Maple – and this board feels elegant in your hand.
I call it a Charcuterie Board, but it’s really a cutting board, or whatever you want it to be.
Mrs M saw the prototypes and loved them. She decided that one of them would be perfect to hold my birthday dinner’s appetizer, and I, of course, had to get some photographs during the “golden hour” on the patio. I call this board a Charcuterie Board, but it’s an Appetizer Board, too.
What, I’m going to tell the Lady what board she has to use to serve the most excellent food she makes? That’s not going to happen. And the recipe is linked at the bottom, just in case you’re in the mood for a wonderful treat.
So, I call this a Charcuterie Board. Yes, it’s a Cutting Board. Yes, it’s an Appetizer Board. Yes, it’s a Cheese Board. Yes, it’s a Bread Board.
You get to choose!
Finally, I am running a Kickstarter campaign RIGHT NOW to help me expand the workshop’s capabilities. If you are interested in backing my campaign – and getting some cool stuff as a reward – then, please, click here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
Here’s the latest to make it to the finish line from the Woodshop!
Charcuterie 18 – 701. Birds Eye Maple. 9″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Charcuterie 18 – 702. Birds Eye Maple. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Prototype # 2
More
Velda’s Bruschetta
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These signs have been a total surprise to me.
Honest.
My goal was to decorate the booth. Add some color. A little sass. Personality. Verticality.
Apparently, I’ve done that. And while doing that, I’ve created another product category: CNC signs. This batch of 31 signs completes all but 1 that I have designed; I didn’t have enough wood to do that blank in this batch. What I have done is replaced all of those sold at the last event, and then some.
These signs include thoughts from some of the great philosophers of our society. Some of the great food experts of our society.
Hippocrates. Julia Child. Shakespeare. Mark Twain. Miss Piggy.
You get the picture.
All of these signs will be on display this weekend at the next event for Mr M’s Woodshop, the Camarillo Fiesta & Street Fair. No clue where my booth will be … so, look for my banner and find me!
But, if you don’t find yourself in Camarillo next weekend, I have a solution for you. I am running a Kickstarter campaign RIGHT NOW to help me expand the workshop’s capabilities. If you are interested in backing my campaign – and getting some cool stuff as a reward – then, please, click here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
CNC Sign 8 – 35. Hard Maple. 6″ x 18″.
CNC Sign 18 – 36. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 40. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 61. Hard Maple. 13″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 45. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 55. Hard Maple. 9″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 41. Hard Maple. 14″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 37. Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 59. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 38. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 44. Hard Maple. 11″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 42. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 39. Hard Maple. 11″ x 17″.
CNC Sign 18 – 47. Cherry. 14″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 43. Cherry. 14″ x 15″.
CNC Sign 18 – 51. Hard Maple. 6″ x 22″.
CNC Sign 18 – 65. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 46. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 57. Hard Maple. 10″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 49. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 50. Cherry. 13″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 52. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 53. Cherry. 15″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 48. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 54. Hard Maple. 10″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 56. Hard Maple. 12″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 58. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 60. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 62. Hard Maple. 10″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 63. Cherry. 15″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 64. Hard Maple. 6″ x 22″.
More
My Surprise: People Buy My Signs
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Whoa.
It’s been nearly 3 years since I have posted a recipe on MowryJournal.com.
I’m sorry. Truly, truly sorry. Why? Because when I post a recipe, that means Velda’s been cooking. And when the Lady’s cooking, life is good.
Today is my birthday, and that makes me special enough that Velda decided to overcome a 3-year drought and cook something new. She even allowed me to take a picture or 3. So, without further ado, please consider Velda’s Bruschetta.
Some will disagree with how to say the name of this delight of an appetizer … but the Lady’s cooking, so she gets to tell us how to say it.
Say it with me now: [‘vel dəz bru’sket ə]
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Roma or very ripe tomato of choice
- 2 – 3 tsp fresh minced garlic
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 7 minced basil leaves
- 1/2 small shallot, finely minced
- salt to taste
- Small, crusty sourdough baguette (you want 2″ rounds)
Directions
- Chop the tomatoes fine and drain in a colander.
- Place tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Mix all ingredients with tomatoes. Taste.
- Slice bread 1/4″ thick. Brush with butter or olive oil on both sides. Bake @ 375* 5-7 minutes until lightly toasted. Let cool.
- Top grilled bread with bruschetta mixture. Enjoy!
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I’m committed to the Pig Business.
It took me several decades to get there … but I believe in the power of the Pig.
Last weekend, I heard yet another story from a lady that had received her Pig cutting board from a relative, who gave them to everyone in the family.
She loved her Pig.
Though I can’t share in the love, I do understand. These are fun cutting boards, charcuterie boards, whatever … and there are family traditions of support for them.
I’ve met one lady who will only cut on Pig cutting boards, and she just ordered her second one from me. That one will be in a new, smaller size. I resisted that idea, at first … but pigs do come in many sizes.
And I’m in the pig business. This current batch came in a litter of 12, but only 6 were finished at a time. The first batch is linked below. Also linked below is the story of how I first got into the pig business, 50+ years ago. Enjoy!
Oh … and if you haven’t heard, I am running a Kickstarter campaign RIGHT NOW to help me expand the workshop’s capabilities. If you are interested in backing my campaign – and getting some cool stuff as a reward – then, please, click here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
Pig 18 – 608. Hard Maple & Padauk. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Pig 18 – 60o. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Bloodwood, Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Pig 18 – 610. Hard Maple, Cherry, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Pig 18 – 611. Hard Maple, Cherry & Bubinga. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Pig 18 – 612. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Pig 18 – 613. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Padauk. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
More
Half Of The Litter
A Litter Of Pigs
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
It’s become our tradition.
This is our 4th year celebrating our nation’s independence through vendoring on Main Street in Ventura, CA. Read about the first 3 events here: 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Ventura’s a beach community, about an hour due west of our home in Santa Clarita. History has taught us that it’s definitely a great place for us to go a-vendoring.
We don’t do fireworks on the 4th, but we do watch the parade of Red, White & Blue go by our booth. It’s a wonderful thing.
New Ideas
- I’m embracing my inner foodie. I’ve made a new batch of signs that are all food themed, and I’m going to put up all of my mesh walls so I can hang them. That means my traditional open corner that allows 2-sided viewing of cutting boards will go away … now, I’m using the open corner for sign display on the outside of the booth. That’s how a traditional 2D artist displays their work. Just sayin’.
- The new worry: will curbing the cutting board display hurt those sales? Is trading sign display for cutting board visibility a bad thing?
Observations
- Why do events always start at 4 in the morning?
- On the road shortly after 5a. We can do this. We have done this.
- We’ve got the routine pretty much down at this point. We arrived at the event at 6:10a, and both of our neighbors were already well into their set-ups. We were able to load in with a minimum of trouble. From there, it was a rush to set-up, because we know this is an early crowd. The 10am official start means nothing.
- The signs are an immediate hit. 3 are sold before set-up is done.
- I have no inventory to replace signs when they sell (sigh).
- My neighbor, across the aisle, is a direct competitor for Mrs M with bath bombs, lotions, and such. Direct competitor. Apparently the promoter (the city of Ventura) does not care.
- At all.
- Such is the case at many city-sponsored events. They may know how to stage a vendor event, but that doesn’t mean they know/care about the subtleties of managing vendor relationships.
- I had a manly encounter with a woodworker:
- He walks into the booth.
- He fondles a board.
- He fondles another board.
- He looks at me, smiles, nods.
- I reciprocate with a smile and a nod.
- He leaves.
- We communicated everything we needed to communicate, right?
- The stream of humanity by the booth was impressive. People are definitely here … but here to shop? Vendors always try to count shopping bags as they walk by the booth … and there are never enough, it seems. We were busy throughout the day, thank goodness.
- Lady holding a plaque: “Can you cut on this?”
- AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
- For reference, Mrs M’s all-time favorite question, from a customer holding a boar of soap: “How do you use this?”
- When appropriate, I did mention my Kickstarter campaign to anyone that might care. Former customers, walk-in prospects … I did talk about supporting my Kickstarter campaign. Wasn’t this a good transition for my naked pitch? If you’re interested, see the video & read all about it, here.
- We never had time to go walkabout, which is a good thing, I guess. Therefore, we have no idea who else is at this event beyond our small circuit for lunch & such around the neighborhood. We did hear that there are a lot of soapmakers.
- Woodworkers? No clue.
- We began tearing down at 4:45p. Banners. Price tags. A “soft close,” which is totally against our nature. Sales, though, had largely stopped before 4pm. We had no late surge on this day.
- Sales were down a bit from last year, but far beyond the 2 years prior. Not a record setter, but definitely worthwhile.
- Requests were for a rooster board (sigh), smaller Lazy Susans (sigh) and a dachshund board (NO. Why do people want to cut on dogs?).
The Food
- Best Meal: Velda bought sushi for herself & teriyaki chicken for me from a nearby Japanese restaurant. Very well done: not fair food.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 115
- Booth cost: $385
- Food cost: $41
- Travel cost: $60
- Total sales: $2,099
- Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $1,613
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: none
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: several by the anonymous “block captain”
- Wednesday alarm: 4a
- # transactions: 71
- # soap & lotion vendors: Many, we were told
- # woodworking vendors: No clue
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 33:0
- Returning next year? Yup
Boards sold: 33
CNC Signs: 9
Coasters: 5
Trivets: 4
Hearts: 3
Magic Bottle Openers: 3
Cutting Boards: 3
Custom Orders: 2
Cheese Board: 1
Sous Chef Board: 1
Clipboard: 1
Lazy Susan: 1
CNC Sign 18 – 28 Pig. 9″ x 12″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 30 Bless The Food. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 22 Wonderful. Hard Maple. 14″ x 12″
Coasters 18 – 27. Hard Maple, Honey Locust, Black Walnut, Bloodwood & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 105. Wall mount.
Cheese Board 18 – 118. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Cherry, Bubinga, Bloodwood & Jarrah. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 116. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 101. Wall mount.
Cutting Board 17 – 145. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″. Hard Maple, Padauk & Bloodwood.
Sous Chef 18 – 706. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Clipboard 18 – 819. Letter size, 1/2″ clip.
CNC Sign 18 – 24 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 11. 6″ x 22″.
Trivet 18 – 721. Jarrah, Bubinga, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Padauk & Hard Maple.
Trivet 18 – 727. Purpleheart, Mesquite & Black Walnut.
CNC Sigh 18 – 33 Why Limit Happy. 9″ x 12″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 26 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 12. Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″.
Lazy Susan 18 – 19. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. 18″ diameter.
CNC Sign 18 – 27 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
Heart 18 – 921.
Coasters 18 – 11. Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Cherry & Canarywood.
Heart 18 – 923.
Cutting Board 17 – 144. Hard Maple & Padauk. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 18 – 314. Goncalo Alves, Hard Maple & Jatoba. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″.
Trivet 18 -723. Hard Maple & Padauk.
Heart 18 – 922.
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I blame Delinda.
She’s our friend; she runs Sweet Spot Home Decor. She has retail experience, and knows a thing or 3 about merchandising and retail presentation.
Something I had never done until I got roped into going a-vendoring. I blame the Mrs M’s.
Yes. I blame.
So, back to Delinda. She stared at my booth, and had opinions. She got in my head. I had to add color. I had to go vertical. I had to be better.
OK, that sounds like me. So, I got creative and printed some pictures of my boards in action. Most of these pictures were taken in our back yard, in front of the pizza oven. They are good photos, if I may say so myself, and seemed to be just what the doctor Delinda ordered.
Then I got a bit more creative, and decided to make some signs. They should have a bit of sass, I thought. They would be about food & drink … just like the things I make. The signs would complement the photos, and complement the cutting boards and wooden serving pieces. I got a bunch together, and they made their premiere at Bishop Mule Days. They’ve since been seen at subsequent events in Montrose, Palos Verdes, Lompoc and Ojai.
And people want to buy them.
It was never my intent to make more things to sell! I was just trying to decorate the booth, up my game, and get Delinda out of my head. I did all of that, thankfully, but now I’m working to keep signs in stock as people choose new decor for their kitchen, family room, man cave or whatever.
I’m good with that. Here’s the latest batch!
Oh, and one more thing. I am running a Kickstarter campaign in the month of July to help me expand the workshop’s capabilities. If you are interested in backing my campaign – and getting some cool stuff as a reward – then, please, click here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces. Don’t delay, though: if I don’t reach my goal by July 31, then the project fails and nothing happens. I don’t want to be that guy!
CNC Sign 18 – 24 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 23 Today. 12″ x 16″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 30 Bless The Food. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
CNC Sign 18 – 24 No Importance. Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 34 Retirement Rules. Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 26 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 28 Pig. 9″ x 12″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 29 Steak. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CHC Sign 18 – 31 If More Of Us. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
CNC Sign 18 – 32 In This House. 13″ x 16″. Cherry.
CNC Sigh 18 – 33 Why Limit Happy. 9″ x 12″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 27 Family. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
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It’s a good thing I like making these … Large Serving Pieces.
