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Marianne Robilotta | Episode 1185
Originally from New Jersey, Marianne Robilotta moved to Montana in 2015 to pursue pottery full-time. Although she received a degree in Ceramics, Marianne considers herself self-taught. Focusing on production, Marianne strives to produce large quantities of consistent pieces while retaining the craftsmanship and artistic expression of a studio potter.
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What are the biggest challenges you have in selling face to face?
The biggest challenge I would say doesn’t really have anything to do with the customer- I love interacting with customers, I love them asking me about the pottery, telling them about how it’s made… Honestly, and this might not be the answer you’re looking for, but it’s getting all the pottery there and bringing it to them. That is honestly the hardest part. It’s heavy, it takes a lot of time to pack it up, bring it, unpack it, repack it, and get it back on the shelves when I get back to the studio.
How about online… What is the biggest challenge you have with selling online?
Shipping material and having room in the studio storing the boxes. I found really good padding that works really well so I get very little breakage, but I need to use a lot of it. And I have been getting good shipping rates and it can get really pricey and I have to charge for that.
So it sounds like in both events, online or in person, it is the shipping and handling is the most difficult part for you. Is there a way that that could be mitigated for you, like hiring someone?
I have a lot of friends that do the same thing, we go to these shows and some of my friends do hire other people. I’m not at the point where I am willing to give up that much control, and I am not ready to expand. I feel like if I expand and hire someone, then it only goes one way and I am going to expand more. There is a fine line in how big I want this studio to be.
Do you have pieces that sell fast and have a broader appeal?
Yeah. Definitely. I make these shallow bowls, they’re not plates, they’re not bowls and I call them shallow bowls, they’re a big seller. I make olive oil pourers that sell out really quickly. French butter dishes. If I had to pick three that would be them.
If you look at your booth, does display and how it is set up make any difference on how things sell?
I think it does. I used to be really particular about how I would set up my booth and I would bring a lot of furniture with me and a lot of props and I would decorate… And that made everything more difficult. Now I just use three folding tables and nice table cloths and people always comment on how they like my booth and how it looks nice.
What advice would you tell other potters who struggle with charging what their work is worth?
I would say, keep it within your comfort zone. If you’re selling and you are checking someone out and you are cringing by what you are being paid knowing the work you put into it, that is a red flag right there that you need to raise your prices. And I always like to say, you have to research the market. I like to stay in a middle range with the rest of the market.
Book
The Beauty of Everyday Things by Soetsu Yanagi
Contact
Instagram: @basiclai