I was listening to the news the other day and the announcer was reporting on "retail sales" and whether they were up or down. I don't recall exactly what he said, but it's a safe bet he was saying that they were down. And in the same breath he said something about "fewer people going to the malls" as if that were related to the lower retail numbers. Well this got me thinking, and it gets me thinking every time I hear it. When these numbers are cited, it seems like it's always based on the shopping malls or the big chain stores. I always wonder how accurate those numbers are, since I almost never shop at the stores they talk about. I try, whenever possible, to buy local. Is it possible that things are going better here in our own little universe?

The frame shop down the street is doing better than he did last year. And there are other local shops that are doing just fine, too. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, except to say that maybe we should not listen to those gloomy news stories all the time. They might not be right. We still have to buy things, and when times are tight, very many of us take our precious dollars to the guy we know down the street rather than to a horrid chain store managed by people from very far away, selling things from other people very far away.

As for those of us who are trying to keep our neighborhoods alive by buying local....are they counting us?

Donut Cafe II - Worcester, Mass. - "the real thing"

I had driven by this place a hundred times--no, maybe a thousand times--before ever stopping in. To me, it looked brown and dingy, like maybe they were out of business or seriously thinking about it. But one day I went inside and discovered how wrong I was. This place is great!! Imagine a long lunch counter, with "regulars" sitting around it, insulting each other good-naturedly and sharing the day's news with the waitstaff. Coats slumped onto tall coat stands in the corner. Newspapers that have been read and re-read, lying around on the counter, waiting for the next customer to pick them up. This is the kind of place where the line between customer and employee is so blurred that the other day when I needed a refill on my coffee, the customer next to me got up and retrieved it for me. (It was clear she was a good friend of the waitress.) The signs are old fashioned; the place hasn't been decorated in decades....and I love it! It reminds me of donut shops of my childhood, smelling of hash browns with onion and cheesy omelets. And donuts to die for.

I had a glazed donut the other day which was quite the experience. I had been having a bad day up until that point, but when the waitress brought a little saucer bearing the fluffy donut, glistening with sugar, and a thick brown ceramic mug of coffee, with cream in a little glass, I could not bring myself to eat it at first. I just looked at it as the little work of art that it was. So simple, so basic. Nothing disposable, no styrofoam, no logos on anything. My donut was on a PLATE for heaven's sakes! Being an artist, I did the only reasonable thing. I drew my breakfast. Thank goodness that did not take long, as the donut and coffee were so good, I felt transported to heaven.

I like Dunkin Donuts for the iced coffee and the drive-thru, but if you want a REAL donut and some real people to go with it, try Donut Cafe II.

414 Chandler St
Worcester, MA 01602
(508) 752-0653

Judy Tonelli-Brown, Worcester, Mass.

I just wanted to mention a local shop run by a fellow artist, Judy Tonelli Brown. Judy's a talented and versatile artist, who does beautiful watercolors including commissioned house (and people) portraits. Not only that she's a graphic designer. She's one of the many brave souls who's stuck their neck out to have a brick and mortar shop, so let's support her. You will love the beautiful beaded gift items she makes! Here is the web site:

http://www.tonellibrownart.com

Judy Tonelli-Brown
1062 Pleasant Street
Worcester, MA 01602
ph 508-304-1887
jutb@charter.net

No shows for me this year

Those of you who visit my web site will see that it's not a "commerce site." No buttons to click and buy things. That is because this year, I am focusing on wholesale. I've joined www.wholesalecrafts.com, and am getting my art (mainly my cards) into stores across the country.

I do have an Etsy site which is very small, and I am careful NOT to duplicate what I sell to my stores. What you see on Etsy is, for the time being, not available in stores, and vice versa. I don't want to compete with my retailers on the same items. In this economy, I want as many customers to buy my art through stores as possible, as it would be a terrible loss to Main Streets everywhere if the shops and galleries were to go away. So support your local store! And while you're there, why not ask them to visit WholesaleCrafts.com so they can start to carry my cards.

Etsy's a good spot for me to try out new products and see if people like them. If they become insanely popular, I will offer them wholesale.

So, for 2009, I don't plan on doing any retail art fairs. Maybe just one or two if the mood strikes me, because some shows are too fun to resist. But by & large, I will be focusing on wholesale this year. So if you have a local art shop that you absolutely LOVE and you think would do well with my cards, do let me know! I need eyes & ears all around the country on this one.

stART at the Station - Worcester, MA art fair

It's that time of year again! Time for the indoor, wintry version of stART on the Street known as stART at the Station (Worcester's Union Station, that is).

As they say on their web site:
A premiere holiday arts event with over 80 artists and crafters, food and more, just in time for all your holiday festivities! Hosted at historical Union Station, Worcester's renovated train station boasting soaring ceilings and marble floors. Click here for their site. Right now, as I write this, there is a minimum of information up about this show, but at some point they will put up artist "thumbnail images" and information about those of us taking part.
I will be there selling my paintings and cards. In fact, it's my last show (until further notice), because as I said in my previous post, I am now concentrating on wholesaling (and some consignment through several wonderful stores that currently carry my work). So if you like Jen Niles Art and you can get to Worcester on December 7th, I hope to see you there!

Heartfelt Designs by Trish - Paxton, MA

I wanted to let you know about my friend Trish and her business, Heartfelt Designs by Trish. She does great work, with lots of heart (no pun intended); her crafts really have a nice spirit to them. Click here for her web site.

In addition to all the great wool crafts on her web site, I have to put in a "plug" for her tiny wool animals. Trish hasn't photographed any of these yet (or should I say we've tried to photo them and our skills are somewhat lacking), but they are the cutest things! These tiny little fuzzy sheep, dogs, and more are tiny enough to fit in your hand and they're light as air, because they are made from something called "wool roving." Be sure to ask Trish about them. I know she takes custom orders...imagine giving someone a gift of a tiny wool version of their pet. To honor pets who have passed away, Trish can add little wings to the animal.

I've been away too long

It has happened again! Life has gotten in the way of blogging. So sorry for my prolonged absence. This is the time of year where buying local and handmade is the most important, so I really feel I've dropped the ball!

Some changes: I have had to pare down my Etsy site, which had gotten quite large, actually. That's because I joined www.WholesaleCrafts.com and I am focusing on selling to retailers now. That's not to say I don't sell to individual humans any more, but it just means I have less time to work on getting my work "out there". Wholesaling makes the most sense at this time of my life. And I've found out that retailers don't much care for competing with artists' Etsy sites for retail business! So I removed (from Etsy) all items that I'm selling wholesale through Wholesale Crafts.com.

Any people who would like to buy Jen Niles Art cards (individual or boxed), can do so by emailing me directly. Shopping this way is still easy, because once your order is totaled up, I can send you a PayPal invoice for the total....you can click and pay the total with credit card, even if you are not a PayPal member. Not bad!