Post by danimigfb on Mar 23, 2010 10:14:44 GMT -5
Joyce and I have been married 37 years, we have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. We live in Wheatland, CA.
I was a cabinet maker most of my life. We started our own custom cabinet shop in 1977 and eventually had 10 employees. Joyce learned cabinets from the ground up and could do anything in the shop. Believe it or not we still got along great and still liked each other. We closed in 1998 due to increased competition from lower cost "box" cabinets from home depot and others as well as increasing regulations from EPA & OSHA.
In a "if you can't beat them join them" effort we started installing cabinets in new subdivisions for a major cabinet corporation for the next 5 years, Then I became a field supervisor overseeing the installers for 4 years. When the construction industry started to collapse in 2007 I was laid off.
After a year of not being able to find work, I remembered helping my mother sell Fuller Brush products in the 1960's and they always had high quality products. I had not heard of them in years and didn't know if they were still in business. After an internet search I found them and signed up (find a need and fill it). During the first year many of my customers mentioned wanting Jewel Tea & Watkins products, another internet search told me Jewel Tea closed in 1986 so I signed up with Watkins as well. Both companies have excellent products. Many of Fuller Brush and 90% of Watkins products are made in the USA, supporting American workers and I am proud to represent them.
In 2008 I just did a couple really small in town events. In December I asked Joyce to go with me so I could take a quick break now and then, she had a great time and enjoyed being there. In the past she had done various crafts either for personal use or for gifts, so she decided to start building up some stock to sell.
In 2009 we stepped it up to doing 2 separate Farmers Markets during the week and a craft fair or car show on the weekend. Eventually I found this great Staving Vendor Forum and all of the great people here to share experiences and ideas with. This year we are trying bigger (more expensive) events to see if they pay off, such as Home & Garden shows, County Fairs and Rodeos to see what works best for us. We still enjoy working together.
So all in all it seems that the bad economy has created more vendors (like us) and fewer buyers.
To see Fuller Brush & Stanley products visit:
www.fullerdirect.com/0818776
or Watkins at:
www.watkinsonline.com/dimigsr
Thank you
Dan
I was a cabinet maker most of my life. We started our own custom cabinet shop in 1977 and eventually had 10 employees. Joyce learned cabinets from the ground up and could do anything in the shop. Believe it or not we still got along great and still liked each other. We closed in 1998 due to increased competition from lower cost "box" cabinets from home depot and others as well as increasing regulations from EPA & OSHA.
In a "if you can't beat them join them" effort we started installing cabinets in new subdivisions for a major cabinet corporation for the next 5 years, Then I became a field supervisor overseeing the installers for 4 years. When the construction industry started to collapse in 2007 I was laid off.
After a year of not being able to find work, I remembered helping my mother sell Fuller Brush products in the 1960's and they always had high quality products. I had not heard of them in years and didn't know if they were still in business. After an internet search I found them and signed up (find a need and fill it). During the first year many of my customers mentioned wanting Jewel Tea & Watkins products, another internet search told me Jewel Tea closed in 1986 so I signed up with Watkins as well. Both companies have excellent products. Many of Fuller Brush and 90% of Watkins products are made in the USA, supporting American workers and I am proud to represent them.
In 2008 I just did a couple really small in town events. In December I asked Joyce to go with me so I could take a quick break now and then, she had a great time and enjoyed being there. In the past she had done various crafts either for personal use or for gifts, so she decided to start building up some stock to sell.
In 2009 we stepped it up to doing 2 separate Farmers Markets during the week and a craft fair or car show on the weekend. Eventually I found this great Staving Vendor Forum and all of the great people here to share experiences and ideas with. This year we are trying bigger (more expensive) events to see if they pay off, such as Home & Garden shows, County Fairs and Rodeos to see what works best for us. We still enjoy working together.
So all in all it seems that the bad economy has created more vendors (like us) and fewer buyers.
To see Fuller Brush & Stanley products visit:
www.fullerdirect.com/0818776
or Watkins at:
www.watkinsonline.com/dimigsr
Thank you
Dan
