[00:00.00]NARRATOR: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and an employee at the campus store.[00:06.00]FEMALE STUDENT: I like those ceramic coffee mugs you have on display at the other end of the store. [00:10.85]Were they made by students?[00:12.20]MALE PROFESSOR: Oh, we only use certain suppliers—wholesalers who've been selected by the store manager.
[00:17.60]FEMALE STUDENT: Do you ever sell things made by students?
[00:20.50]MALE PROFESSOR: We use preferred vendors only because, I mean… if we said yes to one student, we’d have to say yes to any student who asks. [00:27.80] And the store's only so big!
[00:29.70]FEMALE STUDENT: Hmm, that’s too bad, 'cause—um, I make these pretty ceramic bowls—I design 'em myself—I'm a studio art major. [00:36.30]Anyway, I was hoping I could sell ’em here. [00:39.50]Y’see, I’m taking Art 202 —“Marketing your Art.” [00:42.65]And for my final project, I need to find a way to sell my own artwork.[00:46.10]MALE PROFESSOR: Hmm… What about selling online? [00:48.60]A lotta art and crafts are marketed that way.[00:51.50]FEMALE STUDENT: I really don't have the computer skills, or the time to manage a Web site.[00:55.30]MALE PROFESSOR: What about the Emporium—[00:56.92] y’know, that gift shop downtown? [00:58.60]I’ve seen items by local artists there—
[01:01.10]FEMALE STUDENT: The Emporium buys directly from artists?[01:03.60]MALE PROFESSOR: Well, they sell items on consignment.
[01:06.30]FEMALE STUDENT: Consignment… I think my professor mentioned that. [01:10.00]MALE PROFESSOR: Yeah, you give them some items to sell on your behalf, and then you and the store split the purchase price. [01:16.60] But they wouldn't pay you anything up front—if that’s what you want. [01:20.10]And might may need to provide your own display case.
[01:24.10]FEMALE STUDENT: Oh, I already have a display case, a portable one with three shelves. [01:28.00]But aren't there shops that would, y'know, just buy stuff from me outright? '[01:33.10]Cause, if not enough bowls are sold, how would I recoup the cost of my materials— [01:37.30]they’re not cheap… and neither was the case![01:39.70]MALE PROFESSOR: All the stores around here that sell craft items are small and independently owned, like the Emporium. [01:45.90]For them, selling on consignment lowers their risk; [01:49.20]they don’t get stuck with unsold items—[01:51.55]they can return them to the owner. [01:53.20]You just have to make sure you set a retail price high enough to make it worth your while. [01:58.20]But you're right, consignment isn't for everyone. [02:01.20]What about the spring craft fair? [02:03.50]Y’know, that outdoor market that’s held on Saturdays? [02:06.50]Plenty of local people sell their stuff there—ceramics, jewelry, decorative items… [02:11.20]The vendor fee is nominal, I believe.[02:13.50]FEMALE STUDENT: Oh yeah, I remember seeing that last year… [02:16.60]all those tables lined up in that vacant lot on Main Street, right?[02:20.10]MALE PROFESSOR: Right! Since the craft fair's only a few blocks from campus, it seems like a good place for students to sell things.[02:27.10]FEMALE STUDENT: Do you know how it works?[02:28.60]MALE PROFESSOR: I think you'd just rent a space and set up a table to display your bowls on. [02:32.60]You’d set the prices and keep all the profits.[02:35.60]FEMALE STUDENT: Seems doable— [02:37.30]But, hmm… I don't have a car to haul everything down there.[02:41.55]MALE PROFESSOR: You could take the campus bus—it goes into town on weekends.[02:45.30]FEMALE STUDENT: True. But… I'd also hafta sit there all day when I should be in the library or the studio. [02:52.00]I dunno… I suppose I could do my reading assignments between customers.