23/05/2018
Once upon a time, a customer wanted to purchase a beautiful Wire Wrap Bracelet and spotted an artist who made some absolutely amazing work.
The customer thought that the artist's price was too high, so the customer
approached the artist and in a quite brisk manner stated
“I want to buy a bracelet from you, but I think you charge too much.”
The artist was a little taken aback but replied, “Okay, how much do you think I should charge?”
The customer replied
“I think you should charge ‘X’ amount, because the wire will cost this much, the clasp this much, and the cabochon that much. And I even factored in the cost of your pliers.”
The price the customer had calculated was a lot cheaper than the artists original price, but the artist kindly agreed: “Okay, deal. You will have your goods in a week.”
The customer was very pleased with herself and couldn’t resist telling her friends what a fabulous deal she had negotiated, and that in a week's time she would have a gorgeous bracelet.
A week later the customers parcel arrives in a lovely packaged box. She opens the box and inside is a wire, a clasp, a cabochon, and two sets of pliers.
Angrily the customer contacts the artists asking “What is this? I asked you for a bracelet and you sent me a box of wire, a clasp, a cabochon and pliers!?”
The artist calmly replies, “My dear, you got exactly what you paid for, if you think there is something missing, then you will need to pay for it.”
The moral of this story is, when you buy something handmade, you are not just buying the materials; you are buying the artists time, effort, skills, talent, love and dedication is that goes into making their work, their beautiful items; your personalised and customised, one of a kind gifts.
Please be more mindful and support small, local, handmade businesses, because when you buy from a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy their third home.
You are helping
A little girl go to dance lessons
A little boy get his football boots
A parent put food on the table
And pay their rent
Our customers are our shareholders and they are the ones we strive to make happy.
Did you know if each of us spent £100.00 a year on small, local, handmade businesses instead of chain stores, it would put an extra £3 million pounds a year into our economy.
Not only that, but it would create thousands of new jobs.
Thank you for supporting small, local, handmade businesses.
