Where To Start

I am in the same boat. I want it attached to my home Due to my health problem and cut down on $ spent for rent and utilities.I hope to get help with this too!  Any input  from experienced studio owners out there?

Lois aka fibernut    http://warpology.tripod.com/

Frankly I am surprised there has been no response to our request for help or ideas - where are my talented, giving and sharing fellow weavers?  Does anyone out there have some creative ideas so that we might be able to start out with minimal pitfalls?  

I personally was hoping to hear from those successful weavers who are living my dream - people like Homestead Weaving studio, Crazy As A Loom, Glimarka USA, Vavstuga, Woolgathers, etc.  

Hello,

I just found your group.  You might read about the Torpedo Factory in Arlington Virginia.  Ruth Blau gave me a tour one day.  It is an old factory where many artists of all kinds have studio space.  The buying public comes by as well as tours.  If you weave at home, you will need to do a lot of networking to get visitors.  But you could start with home schooling groups, girl scouts, private schools, etc.  They often are looking for places to take the kids.  And local fund raising groups for museums and art centers sometimes plan studio tours.  Our state museum has lunch time programs and sometimes a summer outdoor event where they want demonstrators. Check with your state's art council.  Maybe they have an arts program that would bring the public to your studio.

Offering classes is another way to get folks to come by.  Offer half day classes on simple fiber things like gods eyes, spinning, basket making or weaving a pouch on a cardboard loom.  There are some websites with simple projects.  

You might also consider joining another artist or two who already does this.  In this case, the emphasis is on selling your work, so you would need to find a product like scarves or wall hangings and develop your style of scarves. 

I wove tapestries for many years and did most of the above.   I entered a lot of shows, which is costly, but a good way to get your work accepted into exhibits.  Some weavers prefer to find a few galleries in tourist areas and simply send work to the galleries.  Places where tour buses and cruises make stops are good places to check out.

Once you start discussing these things, you will have a lot of discussion. 

You might write messages to other Weavolution groups to announce that you have started this group.  Ask Laura Fry to join you. One weaver in BC who ran such a workshop in the 80s started to hire and train weavers.  She sold placemats and other items.  She talked about staying fit to be able to weave long hours.  I think that she retired.  But it was men she hired to use the fly shuttle.    

I can also make recommendations on weaving equipment that is kind to your bodies.  If you do weave long hours, that is a consideration.  We give quantity discounts on threads and yarns. You might want to search out ways to purchase materials. You need to have good quality materials that you can stand behind.

Joanne

 Joanne, thanks for all the wonderful information!

 I personally live in a small midwestern town, although we do have a brand new art center in town it unfortunately does not get a lot of support from the public.  The people who are running this center are not very interested in fiber arts and are unwilling to promote this type of art.  

Tourist areas do not exist out here - we are 60 miles or more from any cities - galleries are non existant, fellow fiber artists in the area are non existant.  

My thought of opening a working studio is one were I can work at my looms and hopefully sell a few things on the side - although the thought of selling yarns might or might not be in the picture - I am still trying to figure out how to come up with capital to open said studio.   My main idea is to show case traditional weaving and hopefully pass on the education to others.

Thanks for your very helpful insights! - Martha

The midwest is a good place to have a weaving studio.  Check out the fiber fairs in your area.  Then weave a lot of small items that will sell at a price that would put them into the impulse category.    When you have enough, get a booth and plan to demonstrate.   Doing  your first show will show you what folks want to purchase. 

Joanne

I'm also hoping to build and open a weaving/spinning studio where I'll sell my own weaving, teach some classes and sell some supplies.  I'm working on a business plan right now so don't have a lot to tell yet but I can at least jump on the "me too!" bandwagon. :)

 Welcome Janet!  I took a peek at your website - looks like you are a busy girl.  Am I correct in surmising that you have a working studio and also a share in a artist's co-op?  Maybe I should be asking you questions!  Love your scarf a day - very clever.   Love to hear about your business plan writing - this will be interesting!

I am interested in following this thread.  I too live in an area that does not suopport  fibre arts. I have been considering a brMaureenoader range - knitting spinning - anything fibery - but zi don't believe that it would be supported here.  Prairies in Nanitoba

If you start by teaching weaving and other fiber crafts in your home, you will find out if there is enough interest.  Try teaching tapestry on a stretcher frame, using a needle.  Or gather some used rigid heddle looms for weaving scarves.  Try teaching spinning with a drop spindle.  Make the projects easy so that the class is not a long one.  Or have a series of classes where each class teaches them something different.

Joanne

 I've never had a working studio, but I have recently looked into starting a private practice as a lactation consultant.  There are many things to think about that aren't obvious:  city/county/state business licenses, zoning, accounting, taxes, will your homeowners' insurance cover, say, accidents that customers have (mine won't), paying estimated taxes quarterly (the IRS is SO much fun....).

If all this sounds like a drag, well, it is!  Not fun like weaving!  That's the bad news.  The good news is that small businesses are "in" now, and there is lots of help online from the federal government.  Check out "SCORE" too--it's help for small businesses provided by retired executives who volunteer.  I have found it terrific!  

You won't be surprised to learn that after looking into it, I decided to ally myself with a group of other lactation consultants to take advantage of their structure for at least some of this.  It costs approximately 50% of my earnings, but it is worth it.  Your situation is different, but do consider seeing if there is a school or community organization that can be your umbrella.

Good luck!  Your working studio will bring many people joy, hopefully especially you!

Alaire Rieffel, DC

 Alaire,

Thank you for your informative post and good luck with your very interesting project.

 I have done a ton of research, talked with various officials, wrote a business plan, contacted the small business organization in my state - whew...  After all of that very intense hard work I have decided not to open a working studio at this time - it would be suicide.  There is just not enough interest in the fiber arts in my area to really make a go of this type of business.  So, I will continue to work in my home studio and be happy that I did not put my family or finances in the poor house.  To those of you out there who are considering this type of adventure I wish you all the luck in the world!  

Best wishes and happy weaving, Martha

Although I'm late to this discussion, I will speak up for my business, Homestead Weaving Studio.

I'm a bit puzzled that you expected a response from Hilary, Sara, Joanne, Becky and myself in this forum ... I rarely have time to read either here or on Ravelry. However, I'm always willing to answer questions from weavers if they email me directly. I only happened to find the discussion because I was on the site viewing a draft someone posted and stumbled on  your thread.

But to answer your question, I have gone though many phases of my business to get to the stage of "living my dream ..." and it has often been frustrating. I, too, have lived in areas with dismal economies or unreceptive to handweaving. My business plan, which was never written down, but always followed, was basically this:

1) Continue to do what you love (weave) and grow your knowledge of the subject. Keep learning.

2) Don't go into debt for the sake of the business. And don't expect your business to support you in the beginning.

3) Find something that can bring in money when the weaving isn't selling. I had a Tandy Leather franchise at my store in Nebraska. I began carrying weaving and spinning supplies and equipment in the 1970s and have an unbelievable amount of mill end yarns (which can only truly be appreciated by coming to the studio). Some years, sales of looms, yarn, and supplies to other fiber artists equals my sales of weaving.

If I had more time, or someone to do the work, I would improve and expand my website. As it is, I'd rather weave rugs and clothing and teach people to make something with their hands..

I encourage you to pursue your dream. Several of us on your list are senior citizens and we need your enthusiasm to help people learn about weaving. But keep in mind that when you achieve success, you sometimes do it at the expense of other things in your life. With my studio being open to visitors most of the year, I rarely travel very far.

I hope these words give you some encouragement and insight. Please visit the studio. And please email me through my website if you have any questions.   www.homesteadweaver.com

Chris Gustin

 Chris,

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to respond to my post, I truly appreciate it. 

Your response is a breath of fresh air for me.  I have done a business plan, as I mentioned in a previous post and the outlook is grim for making any money....which really put a wrench in our plans at the time.

However, I am a still considering how to best approach this dream of mine from a different aspect now - the thought of keeping weaving growing into the future is very important to me.  Traditional crafts should be passed on to the next generation and I so want to be able to do my part.  A working studio is my way of teaching it forward.

My hubby and I are considering a hobby farm where I can open my studio and not have to worry about the extra expenses of running a studio out of different location.  I realize there are many things I can do to achieve this goal and I have not thrown in the towel....guess I was discouraged ... I have rallied and will continue on my quest.

Again, thank you for you advice and encouragement.  

***Note, to others reading this post I will send a copy of it directly to Chris...Happy Weaving! - Martha

Martha,

I'm glad you found some encouragement in my post ... as you should have ... because it sounds to me like you are taking the right approach to achieving your dream.

One of the very most important things that I do at my studio is to be an ambassador for weaving. With the hundreds (probably thousands) of people that pass through my doors every year, I'm always willing to demonstrate, tell my stories of how I got started, funny deals I've made for weaving supplies. I also let people sit at a loom and try weaving themselves (or spinning). I open the studio to tours and groups, field trips, etc. from home school groups, nursing homes, elder hostel, Girl Scouts. I go into the community and set up at Pioneer Days at the local elementary school. I have worked in the past with VSA (Very Special Arts) Indiana to bring fiber to children with mild to severe disabilities. I taught workshops (again through VSA) in weaving to low-sighted or blind clients. There are just so many opportunities to make connections with your community and CREATE interest in what you're doing.

Your hobby farm sounds like a good plan. If you make your place an interesting destination, eventually people will find you. ( ... remember, "If you build it, they will come.")

My husband and I have built it, and people come to see it. Good luck to you and the others who want to do the same ... I think a network all across the U.S. of working studios would be the greatest thing!

Chris

Any progress to report on your hobby farm/studio, Martha?

 Hi-

Sorry for not responding earlier, my husband and I have relocated to Utah and as you can imagine I had a ton of things to accomplish.  Sold our home in Illinois in 3 days - I know unheard of  in this economy but it is true.  We actually made a tidy little sum and did not sell the house below its value or asking price.  

Moved cross country, unpacked a ton of boxes and set up my weaving studio in my new spacious finished basement.  My dream of a hobby farm is not going to happen here in Utah, land around here is astronomical in price so it is out of the question.  I am now researching artist co-ops in Salt Lake City or the surrounding areas - possibly Bountiful or Ogden - not sure what is out here yet - but I am excited to make the journey to discovery.  My dream of working studio has changed a bit but I have not given up on making my dream a reality.  

Happy weaving! - Martha