Gun show - results after first day

[Doug B]

Sorry guys, I forgot to take the camera this morning and so no pics...I know, I know,,,didn't happen. Hopefully pictorial proof will be available tomorrow.

I am really surprised at the results. I thought my cartridge pens would be the best chance for interest, but once again my Pine Cone bottle stoppers made up half my sales. And, just like at craft shows, almost all the interest came from female shoppers.

I'm afraid that my table setup may not be attracting the possible hunter/shooter customers I had hoped to find at the gun show. I sold 2 bottle stoppers and 2 slimline pens, but 3 of the 4 items were high end and so the first day turned out very good. No matter what happens tomorrow, the gun show has been worth going to, especially since the entry fee was only $40.00.

The flag pens and rattlesnake pens and pine cone pens still caught the attention of a lot of the shoppers, but none of them sold. None of the cartridge pens that I worked so hard to get made prior to the show sold.

I also met another pen turner at the show...a lady who I have heard about, but had never met. She is really a nice lady and I am going to be trading some wood with her tomorrow - she wants to try some Sagebrush and has some Ironwood to trade for it.

One final note: I have noticed that in a place where there are a lot of people carrying firearms, everyone is very, very polite. ;D

I'll provide an update tomorrow after the show is over.

[maverick31]

I am glad to hear your show went really good. I figured your pine cones would be the big attraction. considering you were at a gun show I thought for sure you would get some movement on the cartridge pens too. well good luck tomorrow

[maverick31]

I was thinking if you do another gun show you should make some calls to go along with the other stuff.

[sdb777]

What is the price range of your cartridge pens? Most guys that are going to gunshows are........well, cheap! That's the only word that I could describe them with, being I go to gun shows to find something inexpensive. Most of my firearm purchases are done elsewhere, and I make my own cartridges(I'm pretty big into handloading).

I second the advise about calls. Turkey slates/strikers, turkey box calls, crow calls, predator calls, duck calls all will do well at the 'gun show'. But they won't bring you the $$ that you'd think they would. But it would attract a few guys that probably would just keep walking without a second glance.

If you could incorporate some kind of 'camo' onto your table, it seems to attract us hunters almost as well as a pretty girl in a bikini!


Can't wait until the results from todays review!!!




Scott (which gun show you at) B

[sachbvn]

Glad things turned out well on Day 1 - I really have no idea what to expect at our local gun shows.... I've actually never been to it - I should go, scope it out, then decide if I wanna set up shop some weekend.

Hope Day 2 brings in some cartridge pen sales!

Ever thought about changing your table cloth cover to more of a Mossy Oak?

Zac

[deepsplinter]

Not that I really know anything about it, but would have thought the cartridge pens would be the big sellers at a gun show.

Maybe if you'd quit trading wood with the ladies, you might be able to sell a little more.

[Doug B]

Thanks for the suggestions and comments guys.

Mav, I have not made any game calls yet, so that is a good thing for me to add to my list of things I need to do. Those would have helped I am sure.

Scott, I agree with you that the gun show is not where you will find a lot of guys looking to buy an expensive pen My actual customers were very similar to the ones I get at craft shows...the ladies are the shoppers for pretty things for the most part and the guys want something dangerous Bottom line, most of the guys at the gun show were not interested in spending money on a pen.

Camo? maybe if I do the game calls in the future - I could see that working.

Zac - I recommend you check out your local gun show if you get a chance before you try selling there...you will definitely get some ideas on what you might want to change up for the gun shows. I know I did.

Let's see, hmmmm, mossy oak and rattle snakes with a bunch of well armed rednecks...somebody's likely to start shooting! ;D

Maybe if you'd quit trading wood with the ladies, you might be able to sell a little more.

Dave, LMAO! You're probably right!

[Doug B]

And now for my own reflections after the second day.

I sold 2 Rattle Snake cartridge pens. Woohoo! And one Yoyo. A good day once again.

Interestingly, all 3 sales were probably made the day before when the customers were checking things out. It probably takes a little convincing yourself that you really need a pen like that. So, lesson number one is to be very, very nice to everyone who checks your wares out...they just might come back later with cash in hand to make a big purchase.

Lesson number 2 - some ladies get dragged to the gun shows just like some guys get dragged to the craft shows There are still some of the normal pen customers that will be at the gun shows.

Lesson number 3 - add something to attract the guys...my display was not given a second look by most of the guys. I need to find a way to accentuate the cartridge pens for the hunters and shooters. Most people did not realize the pens lower portion was a cartridge unless I pointed it out. I am still working on what I want to try next time, but I like the idea of camo and game calls on one small part of the display table.

Lesson number 4 - alcohol is always a good way to get a discussion going with potential customers - a lot of people could not resist commenting on the beer tap prop with the tap handles. I usually told them that I was giving away free samples earlier but had run out of beer. It didn't sell any tap handles, but sure got a lot of friendly discussion about kegs, microbrews and favorite beers ;D

Lesson number 5 - always be ready to trade for something...I got some Oklahoma Cedar, some Desert Ironwood, some Walnut, and a bunch of leather scraps via some good ol fashioned horse trading. You have to know what your trading strategy is going to be, because some savvy folks understand that trading does not involve any sales taxes ;D These people are usually the other vendors at the show.

What did I give up in trade? I try hard to make it be for future products like a pen made out of the material they are offering, or a straight trade for some material I have a bunch of that they might want, and if that does not work, then a discount on what it is they want to trade for. You also have to know how to say "no" to an otherwise very friendly person who just might be trying to get the best of you in a trade.

And one final thought...I once saw some wooden "night sticks" or "billy clubs" that were really neat looking. I think something like that would be a great thing to add to the inventory. I actually thought of these a day before the show, but did not get a chance to make any of them.

Now for the pics. First a view of the whole 10 foot table:



And now a picture of the right side with the tap handles display:



Next is the left side where the bottle stoppers are displayed:



And finally a center shot of where the pens are:

[sachbvn]

Very cool pictures Doug - you do some really really nice things!


Zac

[maverick31]

glad to hear day 2 went pretty good too. your set up is awesome,especially in the beer tap vicinity. I really like how you did that. I think the billy club idea would be a big hit there also.

[sachbvn]

I think a Billy club would be awesome too - BUT, right there you are opening up a HUGE can of worms that you need to be right careful with. You'd need to see if it was even legal to sell such an item, OR....you could market it as "decoration only" kinda thing.....man, all I can say is.... disclaimers disclaimers galore!


Zac

[fredbelknap]

Feb 22, 2010 6:55:37 GMT -6 sachbvn said:

I think a Billy club would be awesome too - BUT, right there you are opening up a HUGE can of worms that you need to be right careful with. You'd need to see if it was even legal to sell such an item, OR....you could market it as "decoration only" kinda thing.....man, all I can say is.... disclaimers disclaimers galore!


Zac

A Billy club at a gun show doesn't sound to dangerous. ;D ;D

[Doug B]

Thanks for the replies guys. This is still very much a learning experience for me and I have a lot to learn.

And Fred, you hit the nail on the head Billy Clubs at the gun show would have seemed kinda like bringing a stick to a gun fight. ;D

Zac, you should have seen all the guys walking around with a rifle slung over their shoulder. Sure, they all had to have a plastic zip tie placed where it would prevent an accidental discharge, but still....

Someone with a night stick would be seriously underarmed at the gun show

[boodrow]

Doug glad to hear u sold some of ur items at a gun show , I honestly never thought of that. Good lookin table set up and the beer tap had to get some attention ;D
When speakin of beer how many natty lite drinkers did u run into to? We have several gun shows around here but best I remeber its bout 75 dollars a day for vendors.
Boodrow

[Doug B]

Thanks Boodrow. Seventy five a day would eliminate me from consideration. Ours is probably a much smaller gun show and cost $40.00 for a 2 day show. The gun shows are sponsored by the Lions Club and they have 2 per year, one in the fall and this one. There are several more in the surrounding areas including one in El Paso in two weeks. I don't know if I would travel very far to do a gun show, but they are another thing to consider.

And if anyone's favorite beer was natty lite, they sure did not want to admit it ;D

[maverick31]

40 bucks isn't bad for 2 days show. I have 135 in on my first show. That is 50 off the normal price too. It may be risky but I hope it is worth it or Momma is gonna need a new pair of shoes after this crap.

[maverick31]

hey doug, what pen kit is this one, and what material?

[Doug B]

Wow Mav, 135 bucks is pretty steep. That must be a real good craft show. The most I've paid was 80 bucks once and 75 bucks another time and both of them were well worth the cost. I hope yours is too.

The pens you asked about are Gatsby pens in Antler. Here is a better picture of one of them.

[maverick31]

I thought that is what is was, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for posting. Yep I was a little weary of the fee but I figure it is my best chance to sell some stuff. I am down to the wire and I still need to build a bunch of stuff.

[markf]

Hey Doug,
Congrats on selling at the gun show. After looking at your setup and reading the comment about people not noticing the cartridge part of the pen I had a couple marketing ideas for you. Find some way to display a bunch of empty cartridges behind the pens and a set of antlers behind the antler pens. Also some signs, maybe on the table top or on the front of the table saying what you have, such as "Antler Pens" or "Cartridge Pens"
Good luck at the next one.

Mark F