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Gourd Birdhouses
and Polynesian Dancing-- by Karen Marks
If you have more than one business, you should talk about it and let others know what you do because you never know where it may lead to. In addition to my art/craft work, I have been conducting Polynesian dance seminars and performances. In fact, I have my own dance company now.I went to an art/craft show in May and started selling birdhouses made from gourds. I have Polynesian dance to thank for this because I use gourds in dancing and Polynesian dance has led to other things. I sold two birdhouses at this last show and distributed brochures about my Polynesian workshops and shows.The first weekend in June I decided to try an artisan market that's held every Sunday. So, I took my birdhouses and brochures about the Polynesian dance workshops/show with me too. I didn't sell any birdhouses that day, but, during that time I had told the manager of the Artisan Market that I was a Polynesian instructor/performer. She immediately became excited and said, "God works in mysterious ways!" She showed me that Ann Arbor was having a Hawaiian festival and needed dancers! So, I told her how much I charged and my dance company will be dancing August 17th!! It is interesting how things work out sometimes. And by the way, that other craft show where I sold my birdhouses was the first craft show that I ever sold anything. In all the craft shows I went to in the past, I was trying to sell my sweaters, but all I got was compliments about how beautiful they were--never any sales. Maybe it wasn't just the right shows, but I'm now considering going big time with the trade shows. I've talked to other artists who recommend that I go to the shows where the store buyers attend.Some notes about dancing: People think they can pay cheap prices for dance shows, but not when it comes to me. We have been trained, gone to Hawaii and learned from the best hula masters of Polynesia. I let people know we are professional dancers. Once they find that out, they either pay the price or don't call back. Polynesian dance has also led me to getting a how-to article published in
Bead and Button magazine. In Hawaii, they sell shell-lei necklaces that are very rare and cost from $100 to $5,000! So, I learned how they made the leis and made an easier version for those living on the mainland that is more economical, too. The article will be published in April 2004. I was paid $100 for it, and
my Web site and e-mail address will be listed in it too!
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