Thoughts on Workshop/Home Business...

[John_Canada]

The wife and I are considering making/selling niche wood furniture that is doing well for a few others we know. The pieces are mostly white oak or red oak and can be sold around the world.

We have a busy website to generate good leads and I am a marketing guru when it comes to this stuff. I know how to test the likelihood something will sell or not before making a single piece of furniture.

Our goal is to start with a simple piece and see what happens.

My question is, has anyone else done this before? I'm not talking about making a few random chairs or trussel tables that u sell at a flea market, i'm talking running a real wood furniture business from your homestead. What lessons would you pass on? Should I just hire someone to make the pieces I know will sell and focus on the sales/marketing... or do both?

Thoughts?

[Darren]

There's a good article in Fine Woodworking recently that talked about making a living making furniture. It might not be pertinent because the people were making higher end furniture including custom stuff. Making enough and at a price folks will buy is the issue. If you're selling world wide, what keeps someone from a cheap labor country from doing the same?

PM TNhermit.

[John_Canada]

Darren, I will look for that article. Can you tell me the name of the article and date?

I would be making highend/custom and niche and a coffee table would be in the $1000 to $2000 range. Most of the designs are almost a hundred years old.

Nothing is stopping them from cheap labour now (even people from here would do it), it's the sales that are the barrier.

The customer that would buy the designs we have would instantly know the difference as well. My wife and I use methods used 100 years ago that a cheap labour force would not use or even know about. They are not even likely to know WHAT we did to make it look authentic that the client is looking for. More reason to build a brand.

I know a guy that does it in Vermont and has distributors all over US and his stuff is in the $5000 to $10000 range for a dining set and he gets it because some of the furniture is replica to replace originals in restored houses. I dont think I can be that level and would not want to be as I want to go after a bit more mainstream customer and have a very small line. And you are right, I should have said, north america mostly would be the demand area and possibly Japan.

[Grumpy old man]

the idea would be to build a user assembled kit for say an oak Adirondack chair pre drilled and sanded that the user could "easily" stain and assemble from detailed pictured plans and you have to include good hardware . you would save space ,time,storage,shipping,packaging , and provide a user friendly item with good results that will demand an appropriate valued price and could be boxed in the low cost "square" boxes that are easily lifted and loaded into any car and easily wrapped as presents . Given the demand for Quality items from the yuppie crowd (who could tell their neighbors they built it ) it could be a hit and with the proper promotion could be sold nationwide ! focus on 1 item and once jigs and machinery are in place and functioning add items as $ and demand allows ! Been there done that and have the t-shirt ! one of my old customers provides windows and doors to the major you do it stores (the door you buy at home depot with one name is the same from lowes with another name there all made in the same place ) and he taught me that although he only makes $8.00 to $10.00 a piece he sold millions of them and last I talked to him he was doing $40,000,000.00 a year AFTER expenses . always choose volume over individual high cost pieces ! Unless you want to be known as a starving artist ! i saw these chairs at a beach bar in Florida and everyone wanted them for their own patio .They were very functional and comfortable and the guy who built them sold them for $250.00 each the longest board is les than 40 inches as pallets for shipping are usually 40x40 .

[Grumpy old man]

Grumpy old man knows marketing ! always deal in volume whenever you are buying or selling ,NEVER pay retail for anything , Think tooth picks not houses , Don't believe me ask the guy who sells little pink umbrellas for your tropical drink ! The auto trader empire was started in a 2,000 square foot building one ad at a time . reminds me of another friend who owns a garage door company installing and repairing garage doors ,he had 3 ads in all the area phone books with 3 different #'s and 1 girl answering all three ! they would get almost every job thru one of the calls , Another local guy has 3 ads for firewood with 3#'s and he sells more wood than anybody . he would price them different like $200. a cord then $210. delivered and then $180.00 pick up ,it's very easy to make money if you try . Most buyers will look for a deal but limit their calls to 3

[John_Canada]

Grumpy, that's some fantastic info and examples. My thought was a really high demand piece (the chairs are the perfect example). The coffee table is another one as I can throw it in a really nice box yet when assembled looks SOLID and handmade. My wife thought of doing oak/ammonia-fumed picture frames as well. We have all raw materials within miles and can be whipped out in the thousands, very Mission furniture look to them. Many ideas, just need to test test test, find the winner and pump them out. Very good analogies will show my wife those posts when she gets off her night-shift.

<also possibly LED powered lamps with white oak and stained glass is another idea - old meets new>

[Grumpy old man]

The most popular item is a simple SOLID chair , Everyone wants to sit down and likes the "feel" of a strong solid chair beneath them . With the aging baby bommers you might consider the one pictured because it was easy to get in and out of , no one likes struggling to get up and out of a low chair .

[Grumpy old man]

I'll make you a deal ... I'll provide detailed plans AND hard working patterns made from Kydex plastic with indexed drill holes ready to stain and assemble And provide you a working prototype with hardware in a box and all you'll have to do is copy what I send you . ( I'm a big fan of quality equipment, Grizzly,Dewalt etc ) In return once your up and running you send me 6 chairs in a box ? In the mean time come up with a Brand and I mean an actual brand that you heat and stamp every chair with ,Also a prototype 8x17 picture and description of your product that can easily read and be reproduced by your local Kinko's printing store that can be adhered to the outside of the boxes you'll be shipping out make sure you leave plain white space for a bar code to be displayed at the bottom think green border with a picture of the chair and description below . What do you think ? If you want marketing advice/ national leads then we're talking commision ! By the way I'm 6'4" and 270 so that's why I stressed a solid chair that is easy to get in and out of and I have helped more than a few people start their own home based businesses ! If anyone has an idea but not sure where to go with it PM me .

[John_Canada]

Sounds good to me! Will PM you in a bit just have to run out for a few.

[Grumpy old man]

Well.... Looks like we might have a deal !

[clovis]

Once you are up and running, consider painting some of the chairs in resort colors.

Bright blue, red, tangerine, bright yellow, etc. I'd also paint some flat or satin black, which is very popular right now.

FWIW, I love the pool/deck chair. I'm not a big fan of the drilled cup holders in the arms, but that is just me. Most would probably love them.

[John_Canada]

Good suggestions clovis. I am partial to natural fumed oak and linseed oil but gotta make what people buy!

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by John_Canada

Good suggestions clovis. I am partial to natural fumed oak and linseed oil but gotta make what people buy!

I'm Already working on one and gathering hardware ,Shouldn't take to long to have it done , I'll pm you for the shipping address when it's close

[John_Canada]

Thanks so much, Grumpy. Try email instead I think my PM is full again.

Update, we will have an offer on a 2 acre property with 2400 sqft barn/milk house we can use as shop. Just have to get this house ready to go. No physical shop (plenty of tools tho) here so time to move to the country to find shop with house attached.

Bit off topic but has anyone changed a barn into a shop in the northern part of US? I cant find much info online about what we may run into. The thing that concerns me most is winterizing the shop to stop condensation on the machines.