Open Studio
 

I'm almost done setting up my crafting space as an open studio. My crafting space is in my kitchen (the joys of living in Brooklyn!) but I will put up some fabric with funky trim as a curtain between my actual kitchen work area, which is along one wall of the room, and my large table & craft space. I plan on charging $20 an hour, & people can come & do whatever they want with all my craft supplies, with as much or as little guidance as they want. I would be grateful for any feedback, advice, encouragement or warnings you can share with me. Thank you!

How FUN is that??

I think the per hour charge is brilliant because the time can't "go long" without you getting paid.

I'd love to see photos!

This might be EXACTLY the answer to my current dilemma, so thank you for the idea (further bulletins as events warrant), and good luck to you! One question, though - how are you marketing this to get the word out?

Have you spoken to your insurance company about your liability coverage? Often times, residential policies will exclude coverage for injuries to guests if you're running a business out of the residence. What happens if someone slices a tendon with an exacto knife or gets a concussion tripping over the cricuit cord?

I don't see how this is any different than going to a SU demos house for a monthly class. Or any other companies home parties.

thanks for your support & excitement! so far ppl seem to like the idea but they sound kind of doubtful & thats even before i've asked them for money! marketing is one of my greatest & most dreaded challenges, esp as i have no money to lay out. i'll try facebook groups & such & i'll take it from there. any ideas would be welcome! in my neighborhood rental apartments are very unofficial & most renters dont have insurance & most ppl dont even think of insurance or taking legal action! knife cuts & tripping prob wouldn't even register as something to complain about! also, most ppl come from or have large families with lots of little kids so were used to these accidents. i plan on offering open studio to ppl ages 12 & up so that should also help with damage control

What you can do (I did this when I was trying to grow my classes) is offer for everyone's first class to be free, and also anyone who brings a friend gets their class for free. This can get them hooked if they try their first time with no risk, and the bring a friend get a free class allows for continued growth. Or, if you can't afford to give everyone their first class for free right off the bat, hand out a few free class tickets - just three or four and see how that goes.

Let us know how this goes, and if you get any 'open studio' customers.
In my neck of the woods, I do not know anyone who would pay $20 just to come play in my craft room. (I have a 10x14' room, solidly packed with supplies and seating for 6.) The competition around here is that you can go to a demo workshop, play all afternoon, and usually make 4 pre-designed cards. Then it is all free if you place a small order (usually $25) so you get the merchandise too. So please let us know if the open studio idea is a successful approach.

I'm hoping to do this after we move. Lydia's got great ideas. In addition, check with local community centers to see if you can host a monthly make and take event there. With upcoming holidays, you should get some interest. Also check local craft stores to see if you could teach or demonstrate products. The whole idea is to create a following and get the word out. Both the community center and craft stores would advertise for you. Good luck!!!

A riff off the free class tickets might be to raffle one with each group. And maybe 1-2 little freebies things. It's fun and someone gets the freebie class but you only lose the 1 seat fee.

The difference with IL is that you guys are going to a demo-so you are guided and doing specific things-and maybe learning a technique. This sounds like the chance for people to just make, who dont have space at home to do it...but much more open-they could do anything virtually. And sounds like instructional for anything virtually. In NYC 20 bucks for that an hour is quite good. Plus from what I see here, if a person is nimble-they could technically make a LOT of cards in an hour.

I think if you do some dedicated "beginner classes" you could do well. The LSS in Manhattan (who claims to be the ONLY LSS in the city) never runs beginner classes! Or intermediates. It's all journaling and mixed media now so I think there is an opportunity for you...and they charge 35 though that's usually 2-2 1/2 hrs. Shame. They had a really nice beginner teacher there for a while.

I always thought that was short sighted-they are never growing the customer base that way.

Do you really want to commit yourself to being home every day in case a crafter wants to pop in? Will you have set hours? Will you require appointments? How would you prevent them from wandering to other areas of your house? I would also be concerned about theft.

That being said, you could form a Meetup group. Go to www.meetup.com. You have to pay dues for being an administrator, but if you're charging by the hour, you could recoup the fees.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I think I know the store you're talking about. I don't know if I'm the teacher you're talking about, but I used to teach beginner classes there when I worked there. Then they let me go, and there went the beginner classes. :(

With ALL your craft supplies, or just non-consumables? Meaning, can someone show up empty handed, and get to make all their Christmas cards using your paper, ribbon, and bling? Or people should bring their paper, tape, and embellishents for their projects, but you'll supply the punches, ink, stamps, tools, Big Shot, Cricut, etc.?

I was thinking the same thing.

It might be good to make sure you are very specific as to what they can use and I would definitely "hide" anything that is not to be used or that you are not prepared to replace if broken or just happens to disappear.

Sounds like a fun adventure - good luck!

Wow, y'all are giving me a lot to think about! I can also see that I've really thought through a lot of this already & it's helping me to "talk it out"
Promos that I'll prob start with:
1. some giveaway sessions in exchange for detailed feedback
2. first session is an extra 15 minutes, just so they can check out my stash
3. the first time someone comes they can fill out a short survey, on paper or online, & they earn $5 off another session, either their own or someone else's. i think the survey will be something like: I had a great time at Open Studio! I especially liked ......... i wasn't so thrilled that......... also, i wish there were more (colors, styles, supplies, etc.).........
i might offer a discount for bringing a friend or if someone comes a number of times they get one free session
In my neck of the (non-)woods we have the opposite problem of an overabundance of crafting opportunities. we have almost no art or craft supply stores or public spaces. the few art programs are usually for children. we have tiny apartments or houses, filled with lots of children thank G-d and very high cost of living (for ex. we go to private schools for Jewish education). the challenge would be convincing ppl to leave their houses & pay to play!
i dont want to do demos or classes- i dont like teaching & i dont want to try to pack up my things & travel. they can come to me & it's all ready for them
my apartment is very small- kitchen when you walk in, hallway to bathroom on the side & bedroom straight ahead. not many places to wander around & not much of value to walk off with!
i would have sessions from 11 am to 9 pm. ppl have to reserve at minimum the night before. i'll check out meetup, thanks!
they can use all my craft supplies. i have a few things i would like to sell one day & those are in a separate place. esp in my community it's very important that people know they can show up empty handed, the dont need to buy or stock anything on their own

I do one on one classes and charge $!0.00 to $20.00 an hour plus supplies. I help people create custom cards. I also have another lady that I work one on one with doing art projects.

I have people over to craft in my space all the time for free! Of course they are my friends, so that makes a difference. As much as I love doing this, I can't imagine having people here every day. When would I get my crafting done, or travel, or work in the yard, or clean, or (in your case, especially,) fix meals? I hope this works for you, as I could never take on such a thing without facing divorce, at the least!

Sounds fun! I wouldn't do it without liability insurance, however. One lawsuit could wipe you out. Good luck to you, and let us know what happens.

Good luck to you. I hope that it attracts customers. I believe that a lot of fabulous samples are the best way to attract customers. My suggestion is start with make and takes. You design cards and/or projects and they will make that item. You might not have enough time to make Rosh Hashanah cards but you can start designing Hanukkah cards/ gift items now. Show your samples to women and kids in your community. They can come in to craft. As people develop a love for card making or crafting, they may just come to use your supplies.

I think it's a great idea, I've tried to do something similar. Most people tho say they are too busy to start a new craft! But here are a couple more things to think about. Theft even if it's by accident is always a problem. Especially for stamp sets and tools. You might consider a library system where they 'borrow' the item and have to pay if it's damaged or bits are lost. Especially crucial for sets with tiny clear stamps. Can you 'watch' several people at once?

You will have to be there unless someone gets very familiar with your space. To prevent theft but also to prevent mishaps with tools they may not be familiar with. Even if they are careful, people are never as careful with stuff unless it's their own.

You know your space best. How will they find things? Are you planning on labeling everything? Cataloging your stamps somehow? If they want a Thank you stamp, how will they find it? (I use an apple app called My Stuff Pro)

I'd consider $15/hr for using non-consumables and $20 and up for using all your stuff especially ribbon, embellies etc.. Are you going to be ok with it if someone uses up your last few sheets of a specific Colour of Cardstock? (I'd be annoyed even tho I probably shouldn't be). What if they use up a roll of ribbon? Are you expected to teach them stuff? If so, I'd have a separate class rate even if it wasn't officially a class to start with.

You might start with a sheet with your rules. Or post them in a frame in your space. It may be light and not too heavy sounding but it makes sure everyone is treated fairly and knows what to expect.

Meet-up.com This is how I see all craft classes in CA now. Most of them start out making 3 or 4 cards, supplies provided, with just a little crafting but nothing to overwhelm the Newbies, for $20. Then moving on to a monthly (or more often) class that is a Craft N Chat class where the students can bring in their own projects and get guidance - or not. This is usually them finishing a project, or doing scrapbooking instead. This is around $15. I also see one woman who provides a snacks and beverages (which I do not see a profit margin with food, supplies, time spent creating the kits, etc. for $20/head). And all of these are being held in homes.

I see a ton of these meetups doing this, from SU demos to ladies who are looking for a way to use up supplies and recoup some money.

Matter of fact, in the last 2 years I have seen only 2 meet up groups that specifically stated it was geared towards people who already have supplies and no selling allowed - refreshing actually. And once those groups get established with regular people, they stop using meet-up.

It's a great idea and if you enjoy teaching, you can use up supplies, make some money and have a fun time. If I didn't live in the sticks, I would have done this myself!

I might be missing something....but if you're not teaching how will people know how to use the supplies. If there aren't craft stores do they have any experience at all? Since they sound doubtful, they seem like non-crafters to me. Oh, I do see you posted they can get guidance from you.

I think many people would be overwhelmed if they are not the crafty/artistic type. I would have had no idea where to start ten years ago in a craft studio. Could you have simple samples they could choose from to get them started?

I think it sounds fun. I also think once you get a few people in the door they will tell friends, neighbors, relatives.

The only ones I've seen make this work were ladies who liked to teach crafting, had good people skills, and were warm and inviting. They understood their target audience (new crafters or those with no supplies or skills) and they created fun little kits for them to complete so they had fun and felt good about what they accomplished (hence, they came back). They were able to charge a hefty fee to cover their costs and made a profit off it. I saw them doing classes at different days/times to reach a wider audience also.

For most people, crafting is a lot more fun in a group. I would not want to show up at your house alone.

Good luck with your venture. Let us know how it goes.

My pr piece for now. (references to Jewish ideas should be understandable or ignorable in context but feel free to ask for explanations.) I appreciate all suggestions!

Contest! Prizes! Go to the next post for details!

Libby: I tried getting crafty last night. I cleared a corner of the dining room table, I found a piece of construction paper that was mostly unscribbled and a few abc* crayons. Unfortunately, Sara’le wouldn’t share the smelly sticker she got at the doctor’s office today
*already been chewed
Brocha: You should check out Creative Chabad Crafts Open Studio! I bet you’ll love it!
Libby: Creative Chab- what?
Brocha: CCC OS, right here in Crown Heights! You pay $20 and you get an hour to play with all the craft supplies you want to create whatever you want. And the first time you go you get an extra 15 minutes, just to check out the stash!
Libby: You mean I won’t have to unbury my table? And I can have a fresh sheet of construction paper all for myself?
Brocha: Yup and yup! The craft area is organized and spacious. And Miriam has more than just construction paper and more than just paper. She has adult-style, quality supplies- only a handful of pompoms and no pipe cleaners! She has papers in a ton of colors and styles and patterns, and quite a few are special papers, like metallic or vellum. She has lots of paper-crafting supplies, like stamps and stickers and heat embossing powders (5) and ribbons, twine and threads (5), and bling. And she has a die-cutting machine!
Libby: A what machine?
Brocha: Die-cutting. It cuts out perfect shapes of paper and other materials, like your basic hearts and stars and circles, or more interesting shapes, like borders or frames or flowers. She has a neat flower die set (1) that once you put it through the machine you can use both the innies and the outies! And the machine also embosses (1) different designs, so they kind of pop on top of the paper & look & feel 3-d
Libby: Maybe I can finally finish some of the kids’ baby books! And it would be nice to create a stash of greeting cards, like happy birthday cards, thank you, just because…
Brocha: And even mazel tov or happy Chanukah cards! Miriam has a nice collection of Chabad-friendly Jewish and Hebrew supplies (5)! And you can make matching envelopes (1), with the envelope punch board
Libby: Maybe I can make some posters for my classroom
Brocha: By the way, CCC OS has supplies for lots of different crafts (5), not just paper crafts! Mosaics, paints, gift packaging, hair accessories, paper marbling and more
Libby: Oh, gosh! This is starting to sound really complicated
Brocha: Don’t worry, Miriam will give you as much guidance as you want or she can keep quiet. Just let her know what you want
Libby: This is sounding really nice! I can think of a few projects I’d like to make (2+)! But when do I go, in my free time?!
Brocha: Miriam has hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Just reserve by noon of the day before at the latest and she’ll probably be happy to see you
Libby: And her husband and kids don’t mind?
Brocha: She’s not married and she has her own apartment, no roommates
Libby: Hmmm, maybe we should try to find her a shiduch
Brocha: Nah, let’s keep out of her private business, at least for now. ‘Sides, if she gets married she might not be able to continue offering Open Studio
Libby: Ok, fine. I’ll keep quiet for now. Hey, do you know if I can bring any of the kids along? It might be a nice way to spend some quality time with them
Brocha: Up to 3 people at a time can come, but you can only bring Zeldie for now. You gotta wait until Shira has her bas mitzva before she can go. Oh, and don’t bring Levi! OS isn’t really a baby-friendly place and if he’s awake for more than 10 minutes Miriam will automatically charge an extra $10 baby-sitting fee
Libby: That’s good to know about the girls, although it’s just too bad about the baby. I guess I’ll just really have to enjoy myself!

Contest time! Look through the album “Created by CCC” and find projects that include the numbered elements from the conversation. To sum up, look for:
5 projects with heat embossing
5 projects with ribbon, twine or thread
1 photo of the flower dies’ innies and outies
1 machine-embossed paper project
5 projects using Jewish and Hebrew supplies
1 photo of envelopes made with the punch board
5 projects that don’t include paper
2 (or more!) projects you want to try
That’s 25 photos in total!
Notes: A series of photos of one project counts as one photo. For example, you can either use photo 4 or 5 but not both. Also, try to use a separate photo for each item unless you’re really stuck!
All entries must be submitted by Motzei Shabbos ו תשרי תשע"ו, September 19 2015. The winner will be announced after Yom Kippur
Prizes: A $5 voucher for Creative Chabad Crafts Open Studio will be rewarded for every correct entry. One grand prize winner will be randomly selected to receive a free session at CCC OS!
Good luck and have fun!

I may eventually have a contest for those who want to record a performance of the script. I will prob also create a friendly list of rules that I don't think ppl need to know until they actually show up

Choose not to shmooze?
Creative Chabad Crafts Open Studio - CCC OS
What: Scrapbooking papers, stamps, stickers, heat embossing powders, ribbons, twine and threads, bling, die-cutting and embossing machine, Chabad-friendly Jewish and Hebrew supplies envelope punch board, mosaics, paints, gift packaging, hair accessories, paper marbling and more
How: Independent play if you want
Instructions, tips and techniques if you want
Who: 1-3 people per session
Girls and women, ages 12 and up
Babies are not welcome! Automatic $10 babysitting surcharge for a baby who’s awake for 10+ minutes
When: 11:00 a.m. first session begins - 9:00 p.m. last session begins
Cost: $20 for an hour of unlimited crafting!
Bonus 15 minutes for first time visitors to check out the stash

Reservations accepted until 12:00 p.m. the day before the desired session

Is there a reason that men cannot also take advantage of your open studio?

Interactions between men and women who are not immediate family or grandparent/child are kept to a minimum according to Jewish law.
Personally, as a single woman I feel safer knowing I don't have to allow unknown men into my apartment and to work with them one-on-one. I'm glad Jewish law gives me this sensitivity and support!
(If anyone wants we can discuss this more in a different thread)

I thought perhaps that might be the case. Thanks for answering.

I think the 12+ covers the babies part - I think I'd take that part out - the "are not welcome" sounds a little strong, as does the surcharge. :)

You said that in your neighborhood no one would sue for an accident so no need for liability insurance. Whay happens if someone from outside the neighborhood hears about your business, books a session and gets injured?

How do you plan on keepoing cooking odors and possibly grease ( it does spread all over) from getting into the crafting area?

I know my neighbors & most of them will ask or try to bring their babies with them, even with the threatened surcharge. I"ll try to move that line up though, so it's not the last part of the convo!
I think insurance is important, although, thankfully, I can prob get away without it for now. I'm going to add insurance to my wish list, in the "sooner rather than later" section.
I have air freshner & my kitchen area is a few feet away from my craft area. I try not to be a perfectionist but just to do the best I can with what I have!

I wrote this line mostly as a reminder for myself :)

HAHA! Oh my gosh - good luck with that!

I love your comment on perfectionism - I agree - work with what you have! I think you and your neighbors will have a great time.