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Boechout, AntwerpHi everyone,
I was very saddened to read that Diane (Wee Scones) has to give up her bear making, because teddy bear sales are not going very well.
Some of the artists have written that they have the same experience and one artist told me that she thought the Stratford fair had less buyers than last year.
This worries me very much ! 
Therefore I would like to hear from the artists, as well as the collectors, if they feel that the economic and financial crisis is making it more difficult to sell bears or, for the collectors, if they adopt less bears than about a year ago.
As a teddy bear lover, I admit that I often can't resist adopting a bear I really like, though my budget doesn't really permit it and that, unfortunately, I too will have to cut back on adoptions in the future. My -very modest- savings have been definitively lost in the financial crisis (that will teach me to invest in shares of my own employer 
); but now I'm glad that most of my savings were invested in teddies 
; at least they will always keep their value.
If you feel like sharing thoughts on this topic, please do!
Hugs, :hug:
Peterbear
Hi everyone,
I was very saddened to read that Diane (Wee Scones) has to give up her bear making, because teddy bear sales are not going very well.
Some of the artists have written that they have the same experience and one artist told me that she thought the Stratford fair had less buyers than last year.This worries me very much ! :(
Alas, it's nothing new -- a lot of these things come in swings and roundabouts anyway, and I would have expected a decline this year anyway, if only due to the recession.
As a teddy bear lover, I admit that I often can't resist adopting a bear I really like, though my budget doesn't really permit it and that, unfortunately, I too will have to cut back on adoptions in the future. My -very modest- savings have been definitively lost in the financial crisis (that will teach me to invest in shares of my own employer :lol: ); but now I'm glad that most of my savings were invested in teddies :teddybear: ; at least they will always keep their value.
That's true. It's naive to think the recession wouldn't affect teddy bears -- if anything it's bound to, teddy bears are a so-called "luxury" item, most people just don't have the money to spend on such things if it means putting the money towards food and clothing, for instance. When you weigh that up with the perceived cost of teddy bears being high due to the quality, time, and effort, it isn't any wonder.
But that's still a slight over-generalisation. Whilst there might have been less people at Stratford this year than last year, there were still many people selling *out* of bears. :) There will always be people who can afford teddy bears, even during a recession, it just means artists who are selling bears might have to come up with other ways to be inventive, maybe even to lower the price somehow, but then as this is their livelihood as well, I wouldn't recommend it. :P So it might be we see this become niche until the recession starts to disappear and the economy picks up.
-- Thomas Adam
Plum Cottage BearsI'm concerned about the economy and bear sales, too. In less than a month, I am scheduled to do my first bear show in about two years, Teddy's Garden Party in San Jose, California. Mostly I have made moderately priced huggable bears (jointed, of course), but I would like to at least recoup the expenses of my trip to San Jose. Whatever the economy, it is impossible to put a price on the unconditional love transmitted by those stuffed and jointed hug therapists, the Teddy Bears.
Emo BearsAs a budding bear artist, it certainly affects me. The supplies that I buy in are getting dearer and I worry about being able to sell my creations at a fair price in the future.
I do not have a name that is known, or Collectors that I can contact.
As it is, I shall just make for my own pleasure as a hobby,if I can recoup my expenses, all the better - but I doubt i will make more than the cost of my materials back.
THis is my full time job and I lOVe what I do 
So far I'm working very hard and hanging in there. Just recently I received a long letter from one of my largest collectors. I had just finished a new design and asked some of my collectors what they thought of the new guy? She did like the new design but gave me a lot of feedback on what she had been hearing from fellow collectors. Here's some of her key points. At first it made me back up 
, but after I thought about it I realized she was doing me a great favor by telling me these things, THank you!........(Please excuse the flattery in this quote, below)
[There are so many artists now, few in your league. However, there are some that have unbelievably realistic pieces. To me, a domestic cat is probably the most difficult animal to master. The only way to continue selling to your established fan base is to provide something different. Now, many artists go totally different and end out selling nothing because their customers want what they're known for. You have a winning design. Stick with it. But, improve on it as much as possible. I realize that all of these additional features(she supplied me with a list of suggestions) would take more time and money (but mostly time). This is a poor seller's market for everything these days, making it even more difficult to pick-up new customers. I know some buyers are horrible to deal with. But, you have the right to choose who you want to work with. If I was as talented as you and could make these 'Kitties", I'd rather create less cats (high-end) for more money. >^..^< ~~~]
I had been thinking about this for a while and this collector gave me the incentive to go down this path with renewed anticipation 
Karen
KJ Lyons Design
Artist Bears by LesleyHi Peterbear, That's such a shame, I've always admired Wee Scones.
I would love to do my bears full time, but at the moment I am a self-employed dog-walker and pet-sitter and just create when time permits. The dog-walking / pet-sitting business is growing as people are having to work longer hours etc, I guess In a way, i'm lucky I don't rely solely on bear sales to make a living, and i wouldn't give up if sales slowed down as i love creating too much, Hopefully the economy sorts itself out very soon 
Hi Peter,
Despite the bad economy, you've given me a very good laugh! I thought I was the only one feeling smart about putting all my money into bears:) They might not be the ideal retirement plan, but they definitely make me feel better.
Becky
Mutz's Tootsz Bears & BudsHi All,
I think the economy has hit the teddy bear world. This year I am only doing 3 shows. Next year probably 4 (Clarion being one of them). I think there are less shows to participate in, however I feel the quality of the show is better. I did the Spring show in Schaumburg & was expecting it to be slow. I was surprized that it wasn't. ALL of my customers however were repeat customers. I worry that we are not finding new customers.
My online sales (which are not too many because I do not do eBay) are up this year. This is not my full time job so I am pretty much happy if I am at least making a profit. Last year was a Best Year in Business for me. We will have to see about this year but I am still looking to do well. Besides that, I can't go out of business, I have too much mohair!
TTFN
Amy
TeenytinyteddybearsThere are so many good points in this post. And looking forward to others. I am neither a selling artist nor a collector. And I cannot recollect the quote I would love to use here. It goes along the lines of, if you have 1 (insert currency) you should spend half on food and half on flowers..... Pretty much, look after the practical things, but do things that are good for your soul. Teddy bears are. Perhaps sales are down, but I don't believe that the market will stop or trickle out entirely. From personal experience, when times have been very tough, that is when I tried the hardest to have things around me to make me happy. I was almost ready to start selling last year, but held off because of the economy. And decided to use the time to improve on techniques. It is really sad that artists have to leave to find things to make money. I am in the fortunate position that I can do this as a hobby. But I really hope we don't loose too many talented people, it would be such a shame.
Plum Cottage BearsTeddy bears chase away the shadows, watch over us, and make us smile. Whatever the economy, we need those qualities in our lives. Everyone should have their own Teddy Bear hug therapist.
Bears By Laurie BradyI like to think of the glass as 1/2 full.
The economy has definately taken it's tole, but the # of shows and # of attendants (collector) showing up has been on the decline for a few years here in Canada.
Sadly, some of the great artists who were selling a lot of bears are now retirering, as they no longer find it pays -sales are not meeting their expectations. This is a terrible loss to the teddy bear industry.
NOW, as an artist who is fairly new at selling (past 4-5 years), this is were the glass looks 1/2 full for me. Doors are opening more easily. I like to think that it's because of my artistry, but I can't ignor the fact that there is less competion. Please don't misunderstand me - I would rather not see the great artists leaving the scene. They attract many collectors, they are an inspiration and they drive other artists to be the best they can be. They are the industry. But in this time of doom and gloom, I like to see the positive. It keeps me going. So, I'll be hanging in.
Laurie
I dont think there is any doubt about it hitting the teddy world as its hit every other part .100 small businesses are closing every week in the UK.I think luxury items are bound to go first.If I wasnt supporting afamily on the bears alone I would be fine.I still sell almost everything I make.Sadly about half of my regular buyers are in the same boat and have reduced incomes and a lot have lost their jobs.That coupled witha strange rise in non payers and people taking weeks to pay just tipped me very close to the edge.The materials have gone up and ebay is nothing like as busy as it was.I am very grateful to all the people who still buy from me and really dont want to give up.I have had hundreds of e-mails of support and had no idea the effect my bears had had on people.I have been full time supporting a family with the bears for 15 years in which time I have bought a house outright ,put my daughter through school,had many rescued animals and done the most I could for bear charities.I will always feel very lucky and very thankful to the bear world.Its very sad that a handfull of greedy bankers pretty much brought this on and devasted so many lives.I am lucky to have a house to sell and I am optimistic for the sconeys in the future.I am an ex banker myself and have many friends still in the industry.
The bear market has dipped many times in the years I have been a part of it but this is a new low.You only ahve to look at all the red numbers on the completed auctions part of ebay to see that.
The bear world is fickle and many artists have come and gone in that time and I count myself lucky to still be here.I have always believed hard work added to talent is all you need to survive so its very sad to be beaten by something outwith your control.I have never been unemployed and the thought terrifies me.Heres hoping this horrible time is coming to an end .
Diane xx
Yes!
I don't know anyone who has not been affected by this poor economy. Fortunately my bears are still selling but I have slowed my production because many of my collectors who used to pay immediately are now putting their bears on layaway. Since I don't have another job to bring in money I use my time figuring out how to make our small family income stretch as far as it can. I never thought that I would be excited about making my own laundry soap, or bread, or planning meals that stretch into 2 or 3 meals...it's all a new challenge that I've learned to enjoy.
I'm old enough to remember lots of other recessions where we had to "tighten our belts" and, like all the others, we make lifestyle changes and wait for things to get better. Of course, I will keep making my bears regardless of the economy but that just has to do being an artist...I just can't stop making things. I have stayed away from eBay since they made their changes but I've joined many online craft and bear sites and I still try to get published on a regular basis in magazines, so new collectors can find me. As the saying goes: you've got to roll with the punches....tomorrow is another day.
By the way, I even refinanced our house (all by myself). I'm still patting myself on the back for that one!
We all just need to "hang in there"
Kathy
And just like Amy....I can't go out of business either because I've got a room full (really full) of vintage minks waiting to become little teddy bears. LOL!!!
EJ's CraftsI know the economy is bad all over the world but I also think that all the news reporting we get now adds to what people are doing about it. I remember the last big recession in the late 80's, early 90's when unemployment was at 12 and 13% and now it is about 9 or 10%. Foreclosures were bad and businesses closed then too but the news people didn't report it as much. My husband lost his job then and we were doing many craft shows and we didn't make it. Today I am selling more of my crafts but I don't have to rely in them selling as I did then. I am now trying to make things that are lower in price so that people can afford them as they always need a gift or two to give. My bears are selling at a good rate...but not a fast as I can make them My other things, dolls etc. are doing pretty good on the website.
Those of us who have been around many of these recessions know that things will get better in a year or two. I feel for those of you who have to rely on the sale of your bears for every day living expenses. These recessions really knock you down. I hope everyone will be able to make it though and come out the other side to brighter days.
Be positive, list your products on lots of websites, keep plugging away and keep a smile on your face.
