Itchy feet syndrome is getting to us and we are considering relocating perhaps to Devon or Wales. Historically the west country has been an area that has been supportive and inspirational to artists and craftspeople. Do Folksy folk feel that the area in which you live has a direct effect on both your creativity and your success as a craftsperson/artist? And if so, which areas would you say are the locations that foster and favour the creative spirits?
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I think every county is supportive in their own way. I am in Hampshire and find the villages very friendly and supportive. From the selling part some areas are better than others. Our local village hall has a Christmas fair every year and the hall buzzes full of people they appreciate handmade and buy. A local town fair was dreadful as parents taking the kids to see Santa. Not interested in the stalls.For me country is better rather than a town and each county has to be taken on itās own merit.
I know Cornwall is good as is Somerset, Devon and Dorset.
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I get frustrated (annoyed) when folk look and then say āoh, its handmade, weāll go to B&M ( other stores are included) and get a āREALā one.ā What do they think an Art and Craft Fair is? Donāt the realise their REAL one is bulk produced by some low paid worker who doesnāt put their soul into the piece.
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I think at least when makers have the opportunity to meet the public face to face there is a chance to explain (and in some situations demonstrate) how the work is made, and it all helps to educate the public about what the difference is between a hand made piece and one that is factory made by industrial processes. I know which I think is the āREALā one!
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When we go on holiday we are always surprised by the number of galleries and shops sharing handmade items. I live in a small village near the East Yorkshire Coast and 13 miles from Hull and it certainly isnāt an area rich in galleries or handmade shops. We recently went to Devon and were amazed at how many shops there would be potentially available for selling handmade.
Our nearest city is Hull, full of cheap poundlands, B & m etc with very little quality shops.
I no longer attend craft fairs but when I did they were always in villages and I did extremely well especially with my bears, I still have a good customer base locally.
On the whole from what I have seen myself I do think the south west of the country seems to have plenty of outlets for handcrafted.
We always holiday in the UK and find the smaller market towns and villages, are definately more supportive of handmade. I often say I live in the wrong area of the UK to be working at a handmade business and know if I was in the right location it would be much easier and more profitable, there just isnt anywhere nearby to rent a shelf or corner of a shop
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Iām aware from a fellow ceramicist that MAKE South West (formerly the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, but now with a more inclusive name!) has a very high reputation and is very active. There is nothing like that in the area where I live at the moment.
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I think anywhere which gets lots of tourists especially foreign tourists is a good place to sell handmade items. Iāve done a few craft fairs in churches and schools in Leeds/Wakefield but the footfall just doesnāt have the money to be spending on non essentials and the footfall is low because they havenāt got the time to be visiting craft fairs. But if I were to sell at one in Haworth, or Harewood House (both a few miles up the road or even the Piece Hall in Halifax which has a footfall of people who may be on holiday (so have time to visit and really look) then I think I would be able to sell more.
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Possibly but these venues ask a lot of money to trade there. You need to sell a lot to make any sort of profit
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Loads of craft shops and galleries in Hampshire, they make the most of handmade etc. the area is quite affluent, money no object hence they are willing to spend.
There used to be an event at Ramster Hall on a Tuesday and Wednesday, all the Mercedesā and Astonās would arrive the āladies who lunch brigadesā would come out laden with bags. A worthwhile event to do although expensive. I have also found midweek events are better than weekend, children in school, husband at work etc.
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Yes and no for me! I live in Cornwall and have had 7 orders in 3 years here from around the country.
On another site I sell on I have had over 400 sales and year on year, most of my buyers are from Cornwall and Devon.
So I think overall it does seem to help if you have enough customers to monitor of course!! xx
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Iām in North Herefordshire and wish there was more opportunities round here - not many galleries or Art and Craft sales and not many customers on the doorstep! The other disadvantage is there are no art supply shops, I buy online but it would be lovely to go to a proper art supplier and get the chance to see new products. It would be really nice to hook up with a local creative network and as there is an Art School in Hereford Iām sure there is one but I havenāt found anything yet that really fits the bill. Iām not the greatest at self promotion, social media etc. so that doesnāt help! Places like Malvern and Worcester seem so much more ābuzzyā but thatās a little bit far to go. On the plus side the local countryside is so lovely and unspoiled itās a real inspiration - so itās swings and roundabouts.
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Yes, had people tell me, when I was making dolls with Fimo, that they could get a china doll from a local cheapie shop for half the price. Fine go ahead.
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Iām in Devon, we have an annual Art Trail in Ilfracombe and surrounds, I always do well, this year was down by 2/3 on previous years. Partly due to the crisis and partly due to a wrong venue. Lots of cooperative spaces but hard to get into. The SW is full of artists and crafts people which is great and inspiring, lots of competition too. Of course the scenery helps to inspire.
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I find that here, in a small town (or big village, depending on your point of view) in West Yorkshire, I do pretty well. But it took me a while to get into the right community to get the opportunities to sell (we moved here 8 years ago). Moreover people are a little āclannishā, they are much more interested in the products of people who live locally (however they donāt mind that I am not from the area originally, and not even from Yorkshire!). So if I try to sell at an event even just a few miles away I am far less likely to do well.
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Some areas do seem more arty and to appreciate handmade more than othersā¦ even within a town or county you can have certain areas that are really into it and others where itās all just standard high street stuff, so it might just take a bit of time to look around and find the right place nearby.
Such as here around Huddersfield Iād say Holmfirth and Slaithwaite are the more craft appreciating areas, although other villages do have craft fairs and shops, thereās a larger art community in those, which probably help encourage and inspire people to do more and helps buyers value it more (and if people know youāre local to them it just adds a bit of personal connection).
Itās hard to say country wide when I havenāt lived anywhere else, but Iād be wary that somewhere that looks to have lots of handmade shops probably also has lots more artists in the area, so while thereās more opportunities, there might also be more competition, making it harder to get into those shops/craft fairs than elsewhere, or get the sale because there is just so much there to choose from.
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I have just moved from Hereford to Pembrokeshire, there is definitely more crafts here, but that does mean competition for space, I havenāt got into a shop as of yet, and the Christmas craft fairs seem to fill up really quickly. I have only done one craft market and that was on Friday when it was pouring with rain and windy so not the best for sales. I do think villages are better, but it definitely depends on what part of the country you are in.
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Hi Kim, Iām just down the road from you, in Meltham. Thereās a nice little community of crafters building up in the town and we now have quarterly (or thereabouts) Makersā Markets. I donāt think weāll ever be as artisan a place as Holmfirth but itās nice to see it developing. The two little teashops in the town also sell a few peopleās crafts (including mine in one of them) and a new crafty gift shop has just opened up. Happy days!
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