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"I'm not paying that......" It's a very sad fact that I have heard this remarked to me in relation to some of my small and large products. Not too often mind but often enough to sting a little. I'm sure the thought has flashed across some other people's minds too but they are too polite to openly come out and say so. You get good at reading people after a while when you sell to the public. Why are Craft Products so Expensive? Why are Craft Products so Expensive? Why does a Craftsperson charge so much for their work compared with other products out there? Why can I buy something in a supermarket or big retail store so much cheaper than from a small craft vendor??? You can almost hear the Customer think these thoughts every time a piece is picked up from your market stall table. The price tag is seen and the piece put back on the table carefully like a primed grenade. To answer this question we must first look at our spending habits and attitudes where we currently shop vs where we used to shop. The Death of the Small Shop Firstly, the small corner shop has been replaced by the monster international conglomerate retail company that can buy in bulk, dictating the price they want to pay to manufacturers big and small. We in turn buy these goods at a price that seems less than it is possible to make them, warping our sense of value in each item. The giants can push and undercut wherever they wish and if you are a small business selling to them, god help you. Several big companies operate in this country that sell knock down goods at a price you can't really walk away from. You know who they are and yes, I have used them too and I still do from time to time. I still try to support the small businesses when I can. The big chain stores can offer cheaper prices by buying sometimes millions of units at a time direct from the manufacturer. A small store has limited budgets for bulk buying and limited shelf and storage space. A small crafter on the other hand can only create a handful of items per day or week. Which do you think is more special? The small retail shop would have offered you a more local choices but at a higher price. It is this margin that we have been uncomfortable with long enough to go to the giant stores more & more and support them instead of the local shop. That has backfired against us all by the way. Delayed Consequences from the 2007 Recession Secondly, the recession from 2007 was a major kick in the teeth for all of us in Ireland and the hurt is still there today in 2019 Tralee. I have seen people walk away from my table (back when I was selling at markets) over the last few years when the cheapest item was €5. They love the look of the products but just don't have the disposable income to justify even €5. Everything has gone up in price in Ireland except peoples wages and there's a tax on everything. The only thing the Irish government haven't come up with is a tax that we would continually pay as a corpse........yet. So here we have a change in attitude about spending and spending only where we get the cheapest deal (even without quality or guarantee) and a lack of disposable income. Two big issues. Think back to every item you bought on the cheap that broke within a short space of time. You didn't care enough to take it back to the shop because you paid so little for it that it now isn't worth your time and effort to return it and look for a refund. Is this a good thing or a bad thing in your opinion? The Effect on a Small Craft Business Now the Craftsperson (someone like me) is working in this economy where everything is at a higher price (from insurance costs, tools, materials all the way down to petrol for the chainsaw) and is up against prices from the far east. One cannot lower the price to compete and probably cannot create more product because of how time consuming the work is. The shops also take their cut from you which is when starting out, an unfortunate and necessary evil. From my own point of view, for my business I have never worked so long and so hard for very little reward. In any job I had previously I would have walked away after a few weeks of no wages but I persist here out of a love for what I do. Each piece I make has to be sourced at source (where the tree fell) and had to be cut up and each log dragged back to my van and then on to my workshop to process without the aid of any heavy lifting equipment. Rough processed, sealed and then dried over many months. Finally ready to finish, only 2 or 3 more hours to go. Finished now, inventoried, stored and then finally brought onto the market table only to hear "I'm not paying that....." A Happier Ending Note To move away from the bleakness of that last bit, Viking bowls that are 1,000 years old have been unearthed, cleaned and are now displayed in a museum in Dublin. They are far from perfect condition but they give a clear indication of how they were made and what they were possibly used for. My own hope is that at least one of my pieces makes it in good enough condition to be discovered several hundred or even 1,000 years from now and someone from that future date marvels at it's creation, by hand, by an Irish craftsman. As I've said on my other posts, Buy smart, buy local!

OP Note: It used to be €3 when I wrote this article but is now €10 when revisiting in Jan 2023. You now also get a little certificate with your purchase. They now have the facility to buy up to 100 Native Trees in a single order. New note for 2024. The cost of planting a single tree is now €15 and 5 native trees is now €55; both options with posted Certificate. They have a variety of options these days including one-off donations of any amount. Give what you can if you have the means, it's for a good cause! Original Article Did you know that you can plant a Hardwood tree in the West of Ireland from as little as €3? More would be better though. If you live in and love the West of Ireland or are concerned about the environment please read on.... I have worked with wood for more than half of my life and to be honest for years it never bothered me about where it came from or if someone was cutting the wood sustainably or not. Like most people I was oblivious and did not appreciate the real value of trees and wood. Steep Learning Curve Since starting my Woodturning business I was suddenly thrust into a world I did not really know about and as a result, a new found respect for trees started to emerge. I was looking around me on a daily basis for hardwood trees for my business and found very few, which bothered me immensely. Ireland used to be covered in hardwood trees once upon a time, over 90% coverage in fact. Granted, this was 10,000 years ago. Our current tree coverage is estimated at around 10% and we are supposed to have a government organization in charge of replanting 4 trees planted for every 1 cut down. What you see out there is mostly forests of planted softwoods which are cut when the trees mature (5 to 10 years) leaving an ugly landscape full of stumps. These are cash crops, used for firewood, fencing, non structural wood etc. In comes hometree.ie ..... Hometree Hometree is a volunteer organization that grows a variety of trees from seeds and once old enough are transplanted wherever a permanent position can be found. To date they have expanded from their original site and even bought small areas of land for the express purpose of growing new trees. Donations are used to buy new seeds and land suitable for tree planting. My explanation of what they do would not be as effective as theirs so go visit their website today and check out their message. Links at the bottom of this post. Donation For my part, I now donate a portion of each sale in support of this great endeavor and as of today I have 18 trees planted on my behalf and many more to come. Matt Smith from Hometree has kindly given me access to some pictures below. Takeaway The moral of the story here is that trees mean life for more than just our species and what we do now determines the state of our country and the world for the future. Don't leave it to the Irish government to take the initiative here, donate and become part of the solution!!! Hometree Donation Hometree About If you would like to see what I make out of hardwood, please visit my shop #madeintralee #lovetralee Update in 2024 I thought people might appreciate a look at a Tree Planting Certificate from Hometree. I believe I have donated somewhere in the region of 30 to 40 trees at this stage but I can't remember exactly. This is bigger than the one I got last year and again I think it is a very nice touch. I share not for ego but hopefully to lead as an example to others.

On the 31st of March I attended a Food and Craft Fair in Manor West Shopping Centre in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland where I was given space for a 6 foot table to show my products. I met loads of people who told me that my work was beautiful and some who picked up bowls recognizing how special and unique they looked. Their look of wonder evaporated when I told them the price of the bowl they were holding. I tried to explain how much work goes into each individual piece, how rare the wood is and that if anything I am not charging enough for my work but the damage was already done. They thanked me for my time and moved on. The reality was they couldn't put the bowl down fast enough and leg it. A side effect of importing cheap goods The above attitude is not unique and I can't say that I actually blamed that person. Sure, it hurt a little to have my work knocked back like that. I suspect that it is a side effect of importing cheap goods into Ireland all the time which is ultimately damaging our sense of value. Perceived Value Versus Market Reality I can see why someone would baulk initially at the idea of paying €100 for a Salad Bowl, it is a lot of money for a simple hardwood bowl after all and you can find cheaper alternatives. I myself would probably hesitate to hand over that kind of money without an explanation of it's history. It seems most of the people I meet at various fairs have funny ideas about time and cost. Every one without fail would refuse point blank to cut their wages in half but feel justified calling something a Craftsperson has made expensive without hearing how it was made and how long it took. Where does this attitude stem from? My previous blog post wood doesn't Grow on Trees has one part of the answer where wood is perceived to be less valuable than other materials (it's not). The other answer I believe is the effect of mass production and importation of ultra cheap products from a country I don't need to mention. In the interest of higher profits, companies source foreign factories to mass produce their products at a much lower rate than if their goods were made in factories in Europe. This was fine when it was only a few companies doing it but now we see many more following suit. The negative results are already visible in many countries but does not really concern the people because they are buying cheaper products. You've lost your long term job and your children will find it hard to find work but that's ok because you only paid €600 for an Ipad. Local businesses are suffering as a result. I don't even need to name any city, town or village specifically as it is happening everywhere. Throwaway Economy Nowadays, people are also buying with the knowledge that the item may break quickly but "that's ok because it was very cheap and I'll just bin it and buy another". Whatever happened to the old way of buying something that's made to last? This attitude is contributing to oceans full of plastic waste. When will we learn? How do you change what is happening without costing you a fortune? It's quite simple. Spend €5 to €10 a week in a local business that you wouldn't normally go to. If everyone did this, your town would flourish and businesses would in turn put that back into the local economy. Shortsighted Spending Patterns Buying cheap and/or throwaway goods is a false economy and very shortsighted spending. I am one of those small businesses out there and small purchases allow me to make a small living wage. Bigger purchases allow me to live a bit. Going back to that €100 Salad Bowl from earlier, which took about 8 months to dry, 4 hours of work to process start to finish, 3 years of learning to dry wood, on top of 15 years of general woodwork experience, not including overhead charges and VAT. €100 doesn't sound like a lot for something that could last forever. What can you do about it? It's a bit on the nose but you can visit my online shop today for real, quality Irish made products or book a private viewing of my stock. All pieces are environmentally sound. Update in 2023; In the last 2 years I have added retail products to sell on my website. This is not a cop out but an attempt at survival. The only reason my business has survived Covid and the inflation of 2022 is by selling goods for a small profit. Have a look around my website, you might be surprised at the variation of products I have in stock. Look for these Hashtags on Facebook and Instagram #MadeinTralee #LoveTralee

We've all been there at one time or another. A leisurely trip to the local Farmer's Market suddenly turns sour and brings you to the point of panic. Unexpectedly, a Market Trader and your good self have made brief eye contact. He/she has smiled pleasantly with a hopeful look that you will come over and look at their goods on display and possibly make a purchase. Your heart beat increases exponentially and in your 'fight or flight' state your eyes dart around left and right looking for that distraction that will get you off the hook. You only came down for a loaf of bread and some small cake goodies, you never expected to be caught in the gaze of someone who wants you to buy from them. Never fear, this blog post will give you four quick and easy guides on walking through a market unscathed while keeping your dignity intact. Continues below. How to avoid a Market Trader's imploring gaze Hold onto your horses. Here is your 4 method guide to avoid a Market Trader's needy, hopeful and imploring gaze! ( 1 ) The Uncompromising approach. You arrive at the Farmer's Market and focus solely on the stall that you want to buy from. Your eyes never stray from your direct path and you don't even bat an eye as you walk over, benches, children and animals to get to your ultimate goal. Just make sure that you don't have to cross a busy road too, that can get messy. Upon reaching your destination stall, make your purchases quickly with direct eye fixation and avoid the temptation to turn your head at all costs. Repeat at any stall you visit as necessary until you have finished your shopping and return to your vehicle with all haste, again making no eye contact along your escape route. Guilt Level, Zero! (2) The abstract approach. You walk through the market with eyes fixed on the ground as if you are carrying the gravity of the world on your shoulders only deviating at the last second to dart to the stall you actually buy from. It is very important that you don't look up at any stage. The invention of the smartphone has made this process much easier as you can be pretend scrolling as you go. Once at the desired stall and the purchase has been made it's back to eyes on the ground again until you are in the clear. Again, you may repeat this process at any number of stalls and complete your shopping mission without any pangs of remorse. Guilt Level, Zero! ( 3 ) The stealth approach. This method requires a small bit more planning and can even take you off your intended path. Careful study of the best and most direct route to the stall you want to get to is absolutely vital. You may even squeeze between 2 stalls from the rear close to your intended target. Check how many stall owners may see you walking by and wait for them to turn away to chat to someone else or drink from their coffee cup before moving. Quickly dart over to your destination. If you are seen, don't worry. Just wave to an invisible entity in the direction you are going as if it is one of your friends and leg it. Guilt Level, Zero! ( 4 ) The preemptive approach. Instead of being caught in a gaze, bulldoze straight to each stall in the Market and have a nose. Pick up pieces of Craft or point in the direction of various edible goodies, it doesn't really matter with this method. Pass a comment or two sporadically as required and then move on. You can put the icing on the cake here by promising to come back or saying that you will 'keep them in mind' to the stall owner. This approach gets you off the hook on the day but may cause trouble at a later date when you are recognized. You may then revert to one of the other 3 approaches as you see fit. Guilt Level, Zero! Choosing the right approach is entirely up to you so weigh up the pros and cons wisely. Insert Smiley Face Emoji Here. Conclusion This has been a 'tongue in cheek' post but there is a more serious note behind it. Market Traders like Teachers and Police get very good at spotting behaviours in people walking by them. We often see the thought process behind every 'look' and 'look away' no matter how well you think you disguised it. It is not our intention to goad you into a sale and we don't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way. None of us like to part with money we don't have but people forget that small business owners struggle to make ends meet each week. Money you spend in a small business goes towards that person's family and generally stays in the local community. You can still do your big shopping in one of the big multinational stores (where the money goes abroad) but give a small thought for the small market trader and your locality. Even €5 spent every now and again could make a huge difference to their lives and won't kill you in the process. If everyone did this regularly, small businesses would thrive. Go to a different stall every week and at least have a chat with the foodies/crafters. You might even be surprised that you will find the perfect gift for someone to mark a special occasion on the day or in the future. A locally handmade product is far more special than some imported plastic rubbish. Buy smart, buy local. Support local businesses today! Look for these Hashtags on Facebook and Instagram #MadeinTralee #LoveTralee Visit my Website Shop Here

OP Note Feb 2024; I have checked this post for relevancy, performed some edits and I believe it is still good in 2024. Original Post I first came up with the idea for this post because of some worrying attitudes I have seen in people where wood is concerned. To some, wood is only a resource for burning and has no other value. To others, it is a cheap replaceable material with a 'why should I pay for it' attitude. To a few; wood is a valuable commodity which must be protected, used responsibly and replenished in greater number than the quantity that is cut down. I fall into the last category by the way, in case you are wondering. I see it all the time now and I'm even more conscious of it as a Woodturner than I was as a Carpenter; fallen or cut hardwood trees are cut up solely for the purpose of generating revenue as firewood. This in my opinion is absolutely criminal. While I understand the need to take advantage or profit from the wood, what I don't understand is why the shortage of trees is never even considered. I have yet to meet a tree surgeon who donates money to the planting of new trees as they cut older ones down. I am willing and hoping to be corrected here. Hardwood trees take decades to mature and once burned are gone forever. Conifers are much better suited as firewood as they grow very fast in the Irish climate and are already largely grown for it here as cash crops. There is currently a shortage of hardwood trees, especially mature trees all over this country and it only seems to be getting worse. Secondly, I wanted to mention how hard it is to source hardwood trees for my craft. Most people who work around trees and have a fallen tree on hand want a firewood rate before selling it to me, even if they do none of the work to get it into my van. Trees also never seem to grow next to a road with easy access for a van but quite often in boggy fields in the middle of nowhere or in gardens where you can't drive on the grass. I have often arrived too late to the site of a fallen tree which was cut into firewood logs. Too often I hear a phrase like, 'pity you didn't call last week, I already cut up that big tree for firewood'. The Value of Wood I have had a very small percentage of customers who can't figure out why I charge €20 for a small item or €120 for a Bowl and I get the 'Sure 'tis only wood' comment. The view here I think is that certain people have been brought up to believe that wood is almost worthless in value outside of heating a sitting room. Nothing could be further from the truth. It can take decades for a tree to grow and mature and then months or years to dry pieces before working on them. Add in the time it takes to create a beautiful wooden piece and you are looking at something that is almost priceless (I wish). Wood is very heavy & full of water and needs great care and skill to get from raw material to finished piece. I wish people would see the value like I do. I am afraid that trees will have to nearly die out before people will start doing something about it. Ireland of the Past When human beings first stepped on this island approximately 9,000 years ago it was covered in lush forests of Oak and Elm with Conifers growing on areas of poor soil. Ash trees arrived 500 years after that and again a new batch 2,000 years later. The entire island of Ireland was once covered in woodland accounting for over 90% land coverage. Years of subsequent increased population and farming ate into this vast woodland without too much damage to the overall coverage. Man Versus Nature Closer to the modern age, the explosive rise in population, shipbuilding and the onset of the Industrial Revolution saw huge areas of this country deforested. This behaviour increased rapidly from the 16th Century onward until woodland accounted for just 1.5% of the island. Forestry preservation initiatives from the 1700s created a modest comeback from that low percentage and right up to today the effort is very small. Government initiatives are focused mainly on harvesting cash crops of fast growing conifers and very little hardwood planting is carried out. This is why you see acres of unsightly stumps dotted around the beautiful Irish countryside. Today forestry coverage stands around 10% and doesn't show signs of improving. The image below is computer generated and not accurate but you get the idea. The Future, why aren't we Planting More Trees???? I believe the Irish government should subsidize farmers (and other large landowners) to plant hardwood trees in fields all over their properties. Hardwood trees are not profitable due to the time it takes to mature so would be considered a future investment on behalf of the Irish people and mankind in general. If every Farmer planted 10 - 20 hardwood trees per year it would be an incredible gesture and wouldn't cost a great deal. Since farming is another reason for deforestation in the past I think it would be fitting to put some trees back on the land. These trees would offer protection for animals against storms and would put some beauty back into the landscape while benefiting future generations. When the trees finally fall due to storm, disease or old age they can become a source for crafters, wood for decoration and last of all firewood without too much damage to the environment. New Technology for Planting Trees I recently learned of a new development in drone technology which can shoot seeds into the soil from above and is capable of planting 100,000 seeds a day in largely inaccessible areas. See Drones Planting Seeds on National Geographic Here This could be an extremely valuable tool for the Irish Government to invest in. With an estimated 15 billion trees cut down each year worldwide it's high time something serious is done to reverse years of mass deforestation. With the rise in forest fires in hot countries over the last few years, the planting of new trees should be spread out instead of planting in close rows and this would help stop fires from spreading so quickly. This is where drones would excel because their software can plot tree planting sites quite easily to allow distances between trees. Give Something to Future Generations! Since I have worked with wood for over half my life I wanted to plant hardwood trees myself to preserve the future. Unfortunately I do not own any land where trees can be planted. Matt Jones, another Woodturner from Sligo mentioned an organization to me called Hometree where he donated money to help plant new hardwood trees on the west coast of Ireland. I thought it was a brilliant idea and I have since made my first donation for 2017 and plan to donate a small portion from each bowl sale going forward. OP Note 2024; to date I have donated to plant nearly 40 hardwood trees. More wood than I would ever use in my lifetime and I plan on donating more. Living Outside of Ireland? I realize now that people from outside of Ireland may stumble on this post so I have added this paragraph to be inclusive. No matter where you live in the world, tree planting is just as important. If you are able to plant a tree, please do so. Planting trees far enough apart so that they don't present a fire risk and are able to grow without losing sunlight. Trees come with biodiversity too. Insects, birds and animals come to areas with trees so help the local wildlife if you can. Huge wildfires in places like California in the US and New South Wales in Australia teach us that fire prevention and proper planting & maintenance of these areas are absolutely vital. Quite often, these woodland areas are forgotten about until fires start but by then it is too late. Responsible tree management is vital so always check with the local authorities before planting. In Conclusion Going back to the start of this post, it might sound like an obvious title 'why are we not planting more trees?' with everyone already asking that question these days but I wanted to share that I see wood as rare, precious & useful and to point out that many people would not consider giving the wood away to a woodworker as their first thought is to go for financial gain rather than supporting the Arts. If a hardwood tree falls on your property, think about a Woodturner like me who will cut useful sections out of the tree and make you something in return. You will still get loads of firewood out of the tree but you may also get a Bowl, Ornament or other turned piece to display in your home. The woodturner will also get some wood to work with as a fee, everybody wins! Plant a tree today if you have the space or alternatively support Hometree Future generations will thank you! You can visit my Homepage and see how these trees end up Look for these Hashtags on Facebook and Instagram #MadeinTralee #LoveTralee