FOOT FALL FOOL

I never realised or appreciated that the simple concept of foot fall was taken seriously in the business world. Take a look at this marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/footfall-definition/ Of course this is pretty much irrelevant unless you are in the retail business. I suppose I am or was or maybe I have a foot in both camps. Are craft fayres retail? Is an art exhibitions retail outlets? Whatever, knowing the market is key and here’s my take on things.

In 1990 I bought a small workshop to make wonderful glass art. I know they were wonderful because all my friends and family told me. The first day of setting up my business, various people popped in to wish me luck and wondered why I hadn’t open a shop before since of course my work is so wonderful and therefore following logic people would rush and buy from me. My workshop wasn’t just a place where I made my glass art but a showroom where I had displays of finished work ready to show to every visitor passing by. I was right on a main road so there were bound to be hundreds of people wandering up and down the road and loads surely would look through the window and be enticed to enter and wouldn’t leave until they bought something.

It was meant to be the perfect set up. Visitors could come in one door and then watch me work away on some fantastically looking glass animals and I would tell stories. Then they would retreat to the showroom to buy a copy of what I had just made. Nothing better than getting something made local and not machine made. A little piece of artistic Thurso. Trouble is hundreds did pass by but in cars and didn’t stop. They didn’t even slow down when speed bumps were installed.

For the first few years of trading, I was doing about four of five hours a day working. That was on top of my routine 9 to 5 job. I thought in the evenings in the summer people out for a walk in the sunshine would gladly pop in. Trick was not to have the shop door closed. No one wants to enter a place if the welcome is attractive and closed doors do put people off. So, with an open door and mind I was ready. I reckon that any more than ten people in the shop would test the floorboards to breaking so braced myself to act as door man. I think the most entering the shop was five at a time. Even had a coach stop out side with forty people on and four got off to spend fifty pence between them. To add insult to injury the bus driver popped in for a tip. I gave him one – don’t come back!

Many roads lead to market and its surely not the road that my workshop is on. I renamed my place a studio. Not any old studio but Thurso Glass Studio. I thought this poncy enough to attract the discerning glass art collector and it did. Of course, most were watching me work glass in the flame, a big flame at that. This was a magnet to cameras and for a while I had lots of photographers snapping away. I should have sold myself to them if I wanted to make money. Of course, that wasn’t what drove me.

Last week I was showing at an art/craft sale, and it was a bit quiet, so I popped out int the street to encourage people to enter the fayre. There was no one to be seen so no one passing by. The foot fall was zero and a percentage of that is pretty small. Even being placed in a crowd one will experience zero sales if it’s the wrong place and at the wrong time. Glass is perceived as fragile and thus it deters people form buying if they lead shall we say a robust lifestyle. I had a craft stall at my local highland games event and also at my local county show. Both events attract the outdoor types and the last thing they wanted was so called items made of a fragile nature. Hence loads of people but no sales. Foot fall high but the wrong type of feet. All hidden in Barbour wellies!

I found advertising far better although one has to fine tune where to advertise. Also selling to retail outlets were and still are good. A few years ago, I was approached by a business owner in Nairn. He had a garage and car showroom that was not giving him enough returns, so he decided to turn his business into an arts centre. Complete with café as people will always found money for a cup of tea if not interested in art. This guy told me that every year ten million cars pass his property and if only one percent stopped and out of that if only one percent came into his café and if only one percent of them looked around his art centre and if only one percent bought something then he would be a millionaire in a year. Of course, no one stopped. Oh, actually one person did stop I remember and came in to buy some petrol as they thought the garage was still open! Who knows where this business is now.

So, in my experience foot fall is a tricky concept to deal with. In my travels to Aberdeen doing craft fayres then I think big fayres are good and work but only if the doors of the venue are shut after people have entered restricting their getaways! Trade fairs can be good as usually visitors are there by invitation. Predicting foot falls is like thinking how to spend your profits in ten years’ time. Pure fantasy.

It is obvious that the traditional high street is no longer how it was years ago. Things change and peoples taste change. A recent empty shop in my home town was taken offer by a mobile phone repair service. They are situated next to a vape shop. We are all fickle and as a creative person I see that, so I just got to be more creative and leave my door open for opportunities.