Today's Belt & Strap Production

[rdb]

Just trying to get my production skills up, not much today, but making up the designs takes time, as I get them in my head, I'll do better.

As you can see, I'm trying to get ready to do some street fairs. As a new company, you have to get the word out somehow. I haven't been doing this long enough locally for a word of mouth business.

The "vintage" straps (without padding) have gone pretty well around here through the local music store, so I'll make up a dozen.

Hopefully, these don't look like the typical street fair belts. I still have no idea what to charge, or what the usual prices are out there.

As always, feel free to add your two centavos, and post your pix in here too.

Edited March 2, 2008 by Johanna
reduced pic size

[Spider]

I will keep an eye on your topic here cause I am planning to do some Motorcycle swapmeets soon and craft fai....I mean, street fairs...

[tonyc1]

Just trying to get my production skills up, not much today, but making up the designs takes time, as I get them in my head, I'll do better.

As you can see, I'm trying to get ready to do some street fairs. As a new company, you have to get the word out somehow. I haven't been doing this long enough locally for a word of mouth business.

The "vintage" straps (without padding) have gone pretty well around here through the local music store, so I'll make up a dozen.

Hopefully, these don't look like the typical street fair belts. I still have no idea what to charge, or what the usual prices are out there.

As always, feel free to add your two centavos, and post your pix in here too.

I'm sick of the sight of belts this week. I just made 550 for our emergency services and I had to crease app. 5000 feet and edge about 10,000 feet. Just as well they are just plain and the only stamping on them is their size.

[rdb]

Everybody hates basic belts Tony, but they are bread and butter, I guess...

Hand stamping takes forever, and all the while you are thinking about making something cool...

Did you crease and edge them by hand, or with an embosser/edger. If you did that by hand..I bow down in respect!...lol?

[tonyc1]

Yeah, all edged and creased by hand but my wife does the edge dying which I reckon is the very worst! You're right, they pay a lot of bills and it's the government's money so there are no worries about getting paid! Money is money and we all need it, don't we! I may even buy myself another machine with this lot. Well, I've had lunch so it's back to the workshop!

[abn]

You've got some nice patterns going on there -- my guess is that you'll do very well at the street fair!

Alex

[Hidemechanic]

RDB,I guess 2 centavos is all I can offer, I sympathize with the delema of pricing for target groups. Frankly I forget what the fair guys were asking for their cranked out belts, I'm thinking under $30. maybe around $20. The stores are getting over $30. But the issue is are you competing with the crankers? If you are doing hand stamping then your labor and quatity costs go up. Question is, will the street fair folk see the dif between your hand work and the crankers and be willing to shell out more for the quality?

Some projects we make, we can quantify our expences(as with Tonyc has x-hrs for x- belts, x- feet of hide= x$ per belt) others we have to justify our price, usually by time,+materials+art. The art is probably what most have trouble justifying. But again the bottom line is can you sell your quality(convince buyer it's worth it) which sometimes means lower sales volume v.s. pricing to sell for higher sales volume?

Usually it's a trial and error thing, testing the market. One of queations is desiding if your reputation will suffer for the high volume sales of quality items. Will folks expect you to do quality work on everything at street fair prices?

All I can say about that is that I make sure my customers know the difference in quality and labor. It helps to have an example of the crank work on hand to compare with your hand work and ask them if they would rather pay a little more for nicer work.

Ca-ching, there's 2cents.Good luck my man, GH

[rdb]

Thanx abn..that's what I'm hopin'.

Hidemechanic...I agree with your pricing thoughts, and yes I am hand stampin' them. To be honest, around NC, I see very few leatherworkers out there, an occasional street fair guy, you know, with the big leather hat, motorcycle boots, and a huge keychain full of keys...truckers wallets, and knife sheaths. The belts I've seen were not embossed, and ran around $18. But they looked somewhat amateurish. Can the customer tell the difference..I doubt it.

If I get anywhere near $20 a belt, I'll be having TWO Sam Adams that night! There will be time enough to try and make big money off my work. First I have to earn enough to pay off the materials, and resupply, plus some monies towards the sewing machine. Local people are notoriously cheap, hands in pockets kinda folks, whether they have money or not. But if I can earn a few hundred here and there, things will be okay. My goal is to make a wage of $15 an hour, with that you can get by down here. "I'ld rather make a quick nickel, than a slow dime".

[TomSwede]

Hey RDB!

Lookin' good!

Hope you have a real blast off total sale on that fair!

I recognize those pricing thoughts and wish the best of luck for you!

As someone mentioned, try to get a crank work for comparison.

Tom

[abn]

Before I got into leatherwork, I used to buy my belts from an old fella in the Smoky Mountains. He charged $30 or so per belt, and they were all run through one of those cranked embossing machines (but the designs were crisp and very clean). I was really happy with the quality vs. price.

One tactic he used was that he always had a Wal-Mart belt on hand which was cut in half. He'd take it out and explain to customers how his belts were leather all the way through, not some vinyl composite that's sewn to a synthetic interior strip. He'd talk to you about how his belts would last a lifetime with proper care. Looking at a store-bought belt side-by-side with his handmade stuff was pretty convincing to me.

I'd charge at least $20 if I were you, and I'd be ready to explain to potential customers why your belts are worth every penny.

Alex

[craftsman827]

Post some photos of the belts finished.

I think they are great.

I have a question. On the basket weave pattern, how did you get the pattern to line up so perfect???

Do you use a certian angel, like 30 degrees ?

Some one told me 32 degrees is the perfect angle.

Do you use an angle, or just by eye?

[rdb]

Thanx everyone. Good idea abn!

craftsman, thats just an eyeball after a scratchline down the middle. Once you layout the straight line, everything else kind of falls into place. Someone had a good tutorial about basketweaving on the forum here, see if you can find it. It might be among the missing after the crash, but maybe someone kept a copy

[Hidemechanic]

RDB, I went back and looked again after craftsman's ? and may I suggest on your guitar straps that you either use a shorter punch or a wider strap to fill the slot as much as you can? Maybe just wide enough that the strap can slip for adjustment but not so much that the strap slips off to one side of the slot. Just a thought. You're making me want to stamp out some belts now. GH

[rdb]

Good suggestion...I couldn't make up my mind..to use a wider long strap, or a skinnier slot...

[broncobuster]

check out walmart belts they run from 12-18.00. I charge 20.00 for just a plain strap with a cheaper buckle on it(not the tinny ones the ones that are like 2.00 or so from tandy) anything with a design go up from there. n i live in the cheap area same as you but when they buy a belt at walmart n it last a month or 2 they will come to shop and get one from me and no quams. I get the "thats to much syndrom" but you will sell at least a few belts at a show. Belts are popular most shows i do. but it goes in spurts. secret to selling at shows---have lots of items under 10.00--key rings, bracelets, etc cause these will go faster than a larger item and they do add up in the end if you are paying for your booth. Bonnie

[rdb]

Good solid advice...thanx

[Johanna]

Johanna hurries up and orders a couple belts for her old man before rdb raises prices!

[rdb]

Take your time Johanna...muhhahaha

[indypbear]

Sorry about coming in late on this but here is my .02. Get a feel for your market and don't under sell your product. Chan Geer, Jim Linnell etc. can get top $$$ (10x) for their product 'cause they have name/product recognition in their market arena. You'll get there but starting with keystone (2x) your material costs is a bare minimum. I personally started with 3x material costs. I agree with the demonstration of "crank" vs. quality touchy-feely sells the product. If they don't like the price they can have WalMart or Dollar General make them. "Oh Well-tough s--t, next case"!!!!

Sorry, but I don't tolerate retail and price whiners well. They waste our valuble time and some of us have darn little left!!!!! soap box over.

Happy toolin',

Indy

[tjg]

rbd - A marketing trick I learned from my Grandma when setting up for a craft/street fair was take the tools of your trade. If you just set up the product, that is what people see, if they see your tools and see you working on a piece it makes it more personel and raises the prices. People see this as more special and one of a kind. Sell it to them that is hand made by showing them.

tjg

[IndianaLeatherWorker]

at the state fair last year i bought a cranked belt for around $15. What really surprised me was I just bought a plain 10-12oz belt from wal-mart for $19.

I hope this helps.

But you could also offer Custom Created Belts for $$$. Maybe some other Handcrafted, Personalized items, specialties, etc..

[TomSwede]

rbd - A marketing trick I learned from my Grandma when setting up for a craft/street fair was take the tools of your trade. If you just set up the product, that is what people see, if they see your tools and see you working on a piece it makes it more personel and raises the prices. People see this as more special and one of a kind. Sell it to them that is hand made by showing them.

tjg

Gotta tell you a funny one here. Sorry if a bit off topic.

At a local quite big street fair I saw a guy sitting and carving (or looked to be) the most amazing woodenboxes, really nice with advanced carvings on them and the cost is next to nothing so I just turned one of them boxes around.

Made in Estonia and factorylabels aswell.

I just asked him if he sold his own handmade ones aswell, he gave me a short -No, on that one.

This was a few years ago and I always regret I didn't ask how the business was going but I haven't seen him around so maybe people saw through it.

Tom

[rdb]

Thanks for all the advice everyone...all good points.

I'm no rookie to the fairs. I used to do quite well 35 years ago with the leather, and have since done the circuits as a potter, and again with my hypertufa container gardens and fountains. mostly good days, with a few "why did I bothers". Something outside the arts always brought things to an end. This time is going to be lasting one..full circle don't you know. And now I've invested...my Artisan 3000 will be here in two weeks (This is worse than being a kid waiting for Christmas).

Today was dye day. I'll probably finish all the stuff tomorrow, and post a pic.

[rdb]

Hate to keep a thread going like this, but, well, I finally got around to finishing these damn belts up, and I promised a picture.

For the most part they turned out okay, not sure the pic will show, but there's some rich colors.

I got my GG Makers stamp. I think I'll get another one with the rdb a tad smaller, and the Rocky River Leather Co., a tad bigger.

If by any chance you like any of these, Steal any of the designs you want...

Edited March 2, 2008 by Johanna
reduced pic sizes

[Art]

Hi rdb,

What is the size distribution on belts you sell?

Art

Hate to keep a thread going like this, but, well, I finally got around to finishing these damn belts up, and I promised a picture.

For the most part they turned out okay, not sure the pic will show, but there's some rich colors.

I got my GG Makers stamp. I think I'll get another one with the rdb a tad smaller, and the Rocky River Leather Co., a tad bigger.

If by any chance you like any of these, Steal any of the designs you want...