Low on Inventory
I’m back slaving away in the shop to build my inventory up from the Inman Park show. Everything sold well, but it was obvious that everyone liked the walnut end grain cutting boards because they sold completely out. I made a trip to my lumber supplier last week and stocked back up on 6/4 and 4/4 walnut and started ripping and gluing boards. I never know what a walnut end grain board is going to look like until I start oiling it. Each one is different and varies from impressive to highly dramatic. This finished batch has some highly dramatic grain patterns.
Almost a Great Show
This weekend was my first experience at the Inman Park show, and I have decided that this one is a keeper. Saturday was pretty much a washout. The show opened at 11 AM and around noon, the sky decided to open also. There was quite a large early turnout, but it kept getting darker and darker, and by noon it was so dark that the street lights came on. It wasn’t long before the thunder and lightning started, followed by a heavy downpour that lasted the rest of the afternoon. Many artists shut down and left for the day, but some of us waited around until about 4 PM. There were people out walking in the rain and I still made some sales by staying a little longer. I was so soaked by the time I got home that I even had to put my shoes in the dryer. We had a 6:30 AM setup time and I had been up since 4 AM, so I was ready to crash.
Sunday was sunny and mid 70s all day. The crowd was so thick that I lost sight of the street quite a few times. This was an excellent show for me even though I only got one dry day. Sunday sales made up for Saturday, though I can only imagine how well I would have done with two dry days.
This is a big show covering many different streets. I was amazed at the number of artists. I went on a little “walk about” Saturday morning and it seemed to stretch forever. Every time I thought I had come to the end of the booths, I would turn a corner and find even more.
The tree-lined streets are very beautiful, with a mix of Victorian and bungalow style homes. I was fortunate to be across the street from a large Victorian with some of the largest azalea bushes I have ever seen.
Looking down the street from my booth before the crowds arrived.
Inman Park This Weekend!
This is my first time at this show and I have high expectations. I drove down there this afternoon to sort through the route according to their map. I don’t like pulling my trailer into an area, especially in Atlanta, without seeing it first. A missed turn in an unknown neighborhood can be a challenge when you are 30 feet long. Fortunately, it is real easy to get to and with a Saturday 6:30 AM setup time, the streets should be empty.
As luck would have it, the local news has predicted thunderstorms this weekend. I was relieved that tonight’s forecast now has the rain coming in Saturday evening. This may give us a dry full day on Saturday. Of course, they forecast severe thunderstorms at the Conyers show last month, and all we got was sunshine all day. I’m starting to think that they are running their forecast models on an I-Phone.
I’m looking forward to seeing some friends this weekend at the show. John and Paula at T&G Woodworking are woodworkers that I met a couple of years ago and we always run across each other at the Avondale show. John makes beautiful boxes and I look forward to seeing his latest creations. Kimberly Dean is a mixed media Artists and I haven’t seen her since 1996. We worked together back in the 90s’ and lost track until we became Facebook friends last year.
The Finished Entertainment Center
Well, I’m finally back from Tennessee. It was a great load off my mind to get the entertainment center installed and this project behind me. All the components had to be carried up to the third floor of the house, but I had it installed and done in about a day and a half. I also installed rope lighting behind the crown molding on top, but forgot to turn it on for the pictures. We put a 50″ plasma TV into it with the cable box, DVD player, and the surround sound system sitting behind the glass doors under the TV. This thing is so long that I couldn’t get it all into one shot.
USA or China?
Ok, so you can buy a lazy susan at Wal-Mart for $20 or can buy one from me for $75. Is there really that much difference? I happen to think so. I detest buying anything from China because I know that some poor person is making fifty cents a day making these things in huge volumes. Of course, it goes without saying that the quality of their products just doesn’t meet even the basic standards.
A couple of years ago, my wife bought a bamboo lazy susan from Wal-Mart for our kitchen table. It worked fine and served the purpose until recently when the top just fell off scattering all the stuff we keep on it all over the place. Upon closer inspection I was shocked at the simplistic and cheap construction. The bottom was attached to the top with one screw and used a cheap plastic bearing assembly that was really too small for the top. I suspect this was the reason it was leaning slightly to one side.
This is what it looked like.
Of course, this confirmed the country of origin and the culprit selling this junk.
This is mine. Notice the difference?
Aside from the fact that I use figured domestic and exotic woods to make these very unique, I also use higher quality bearing assemblies. The bearing assembly is attached with 8 screws, four on the bottom and four on the top. So when considering your next lazy susan, ask yourself if you want one that you will throw away in a couple of years, or one that your grandchildren will one day be using?
