BUILD A BELLOWS BUSINESS

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When setting your prices, you might want to check out the competition first. You'll find that there are very few bellowsmakers in this country, and the usually shoddy toys from overseas (which commonly cost from $15 to $30!) aren't likely to rival your quality creations. Figure your costs (they should average no more than $2.00 to $4.00 per implement), then time yourself after you get the knack of construction- and decide just how much your hours are worth. (Be sure to take into consideration how much fun you're having making the tools.) Depending on the wood finish and the leather or vinyl used, my bellows sell from $15 to $35 each. Almost all of my raw materials are scrounged or traded, but the quality of workmanship would never reveal this "secret", and quality is what people really appreciate ... and pay for.

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

The recently increased popularity of wood and coal-burning heaters, cookstoves, and fireplace inserts has triggered a growing interest in bellows. Most folks buy the windmakers as gifts for fellow woodburners, so fall and winter are obviously the prime sales seasons. It's smart to approach retailers by late summer since that's when you'll catch them busily ordering for the winter, and you'll want to be sure that you make your sales before all their buying funds have been committed elsewhere!

Woodstove dealers will probably be the best retail outlets, but you'll often have to show the store owners just how efficient and valuable-your product is. Many have never even used a bellows ... and think that their modern heating devices don't need such old-fashioned fireside implements. A good way to sell these people on carrying your line of bellows is to let them see for themselves what a quality puffer can do. Go over the tool's uses with them, then try to get an order. Offer the free use of a bellows for a couple of weeks, under the stipulation that-if the dealer finds the device to be a great help in tending fires and a lot of fun to use-he or she will stock them for customers. And whether your offer is taken up or not, leave one bellows as a gift for the shop. That gesture will bring you far more than the value of the tool in goodwill and future sales.

When dealing with store owners, keep in mind that the retailer has to mark up his or her items 40% to 50%, so set a wholesale price for your bellows that will give the businessperson room to charge a reasonable retail price. I'd also suggest that you avoid consignment deals whenever possible ... always try for a cash sale.

In addition to stove outlets, you can approach chain-saw dealers ... hardware stores that sell woodburners, stovepipe, and such ... and stores offering local arts and crafts. If you live in a tourist area, gift shops (even those in airports) are also likely marketing targets.

Of course, you don't have to rely exclusively on retailers. You might, for instance, join a craft guild and set up a booth at some of the larger craft fairs in your vicinity. (Your local chamber of commerce can usually supply you with the location, date, and sponsor of festivals near you.) Many arts and crafts fairs are now juried, with only the finest workmanship accepted for display, and shows are held almost year round. Visitors to these affairs tend to spend freely for unique gifts of real quality, and handcrafted wood-and-leather bellows usually win immediate interest (and sales).

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