Little John does it again!

As many of you know Ole & Lena's held a broom making class last month. The instructor was Little John, who is well known in the area for his talent for making brooms, and a wonderful time was had by all who attended.

For those of you unfamiliar with Little John, his real name is John Holzwart and he has been making brooms for quite a while. He is not only a broom maker but also an artist, gardener, wild forager and along with his partner own Moonwise Herbs. Whether he is collecting branches for broom handles, mushrooms for supper, or fibrous plants for cordage, he is always inspired by the natural world. Little John also teaches several different classes for the Driftless Folk School located in Viroqua, Wisconsin, and can always be found at the Country Fair held by Organic Valley every year. We at Ole & Lena's would like to thank Little John for sharing his knowledge and talent with everyone.

The class was attended by 9 people, several who were getting married and wanted to "jump the broom" at their handfasting and thought it would be exciting to make their own broom. Of course there was lots of laughter going on as there were three Jennifers taking the class. The youngest broom maker that day was Harley, who was 12 years old and he did a great job on his broom. The class took 4 hours and included a short break for hot apple cider and birthday cake (we had two people celebrating birthdays).

After the class was over it was picture taking time so we could all show off our very own brooms. We all decided that it would be fun to do it again and talked to Little John about coming back to do another class, and we decided that next time we would have a willow basket making class as well as a another broom class. We may have been strangers getting together but we parted as friends all looking forward to doing another class together. If you would be interested in taking a class that we may offer please sign up for our newsletter on our web site.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
The Mudpuppy

A Worthy Cause Needs Your Help

Passages, Inc. is a non-profit organization operated by volunteers to provide safety, protection, and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In addition to maintaining a shelter, Passages offers community education to foster cooperation in working towards a non-violent future.

For the past six years, Passages and WRCO have had an annual radio event designed to promote peaceful homes and raise money for the work that Passages does in the community. This year in concert with their radio production, they are promoting the organizing of teams to assist in raising donations for Passages. Ole & Lena's is proud to be a team member, helping to ensure that Passages will continue to support those men, women, and children who find themselves entangled in domestic violence or sexual assault.

On March 25th, the radio show will start at 9:15 am and run until noon. During this time, Passages will be contacting the team leaders for a live accounting of the funds collected by each team. This year's radio show motif will be Daytime Soap Operas. Through a series of short reenacted "soap operas," they will explore the dynamics that cause domestic violence and sexual assault. As in past years, between the dramatized parts of the radio show, staff and dignitaries will speak on behalf of creating peaceful homes.

Ole & Lena's is asking for your help in reaching our goal of raising 25,000 to be donated to Passages. No amount is too small to make a difference.

You may contribute using the widget in our sidebar or send a check or money order to:

Passages, Inc.
P.O. Box 546
Richland Center, WI 53581

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, call their 24-hour crisis line at 608-647-3616 or 1-800-236-4325.

Boost your ceramic sales during slow times

January is one of the slowest times for sales due to cold and snowy weather that keeps people from going out and also because it is tax time, however there are some things you can do to boost sales during this slow period. I use January to do home parties. Usually I get a few of my friends or regular customers to host a party for me and invite some of their friends over for a night of fun and shopping.

To plan a home party you should plan it like a home party plan from one of the major companies such as Tupperware. Select items to take such as wall arrangements, statures and figurines, kitchen items and up coming holiday items. I always try to take 20-30 items to my parties which I use as samples to take orders on. I also explain that these sample items may be purchased that night if anyone is in a hurry for a particular item. Be sure to explain that any of the items can be painted to order or personalized.

When conducting your demonstration emphasize that ceramics play an important part of home decor and there are pieces to fit all areas in any color and any decor. Answer questions to the best of your ability, make suggestions but allow the customers to make their own final decisions.
Show several pieces and describe the technique that went into painting it such as dry-brushing, underglazing, or the use of fired gold to enhance the piece. Your prices should be a slightly higher than what you would sell them for in your shop as people come to parties expecting to pay more for items, but they do want something unique for their money. Since you are taking orders for items you will need to decide on a delivery date, or if it is a large party you could have two delivery dates, however make sure you can finish the pieces by the time you say you will.

Before the show discuss with the hostess what percentage of the sales she will get as a gift certificate for having the show and be sure to give her a thank you gift the night of the show. Small inexpensive items, paints, brushes or decal sets can be used as game prizes. I also take along a "catalog" I made up containing pictures of the pieces I am able to make so they can place orders, but again, keep in mind the time it takes to complete the pieces. The success of a party is not in the volume of the pieces sold but in the quality and unusual pieces or effects of the items you show off.

A sample party plan is:

• Introduce yourself and your business.
• Announce and show everyone what your hostess is getting for having the party.
• Play a few games and give out small prizes. (many of the games played at home parties such as Tupperware can be adapted to ceramics)
  
• Show and describe several pieces that you have brought with you, and let the guests know that you offer classes at your shop so they can also learn to paint their own pieces.
  
• Let everyone know that the pieces there are for sale and that you do have a catalog with many pieces in it that you don't have with you that they can order from.
  
• Announce that your hostess has some snacks for everyone and that you are available for their questions or to help them with their orders.
• Once the last order is taken, figure out what the hostess is getting as her gift and let everyone know.
• After the party give the hostess an envelope containing a copy of the order sheets for each guest's order as she will be collecting the money from her guests to pay you upon delivery.

Home parties such as described here can make you anywhere from $100 to $1,000 in a night and more often than not gain a new customer at your shop. When I do my shows I always enclose a thank you card with each order before delivering them to the hostess. The thank you note gives me the opportunity to thank the customer again while at the same time reminding her that if she is interested in hosting a party and earning free gifts she can always contact me or she can come into the shop and learn how to make her own pieces.

Now get out your date book and call your best friend to host a party for you.

Happy mudding,
The Mudpuppy