Historic Workshop Questions

[vandy]

I am trying to funnel some more energy into the business, so am looking for feedback. I am trying to get a feel for what sorts of things you all would be interested in purchasing so I can narrow down what products to work on. If you have a chance, please reply to any of the below queries that you have opinions about.

What things would you be interested in purchasing from historicworkshop.com or another web based medieval stuff business that we don't currently carry? We have facilities for various jewelry, fiber arts, resale, book arts, woodworking, glass blowing types of production.

Would you be interested in purchasing different varieties/sizes/lengths of knitting needles? If so, what in particular would interest you? How about a specific type of yarn? Hand made sewing needles? Other fiber arts supplies?

Glass: if you were to purchase glass from our website, what time period and style would you be most interested in? Here are some options/examples: basic flared-mouth beakers, prunted drinking glasses, claw beakers, palm cups, goblets, drinking horns and cones, glass lamps (hanging or table top), bowls, bottles and flasks, other things like ink wells, things for grinding paint, etc.

Wood and furniture: Would you be interested in more complex and expensive furniture items like medieval style chairs? How about longer benches, boxes, tables? Are there any time periods in particular that would interest you? What about un-finished kits for building benches and boxes rather than well finished complete pieces?

Toys and games: We could do more bored games, different sorts of leather or cloth balls for ball games and juggling, glass gaming pieces, whistles, puppets, dolls, have more types of coins available for gambling, more silly-people-trick toys like slack rope kits and glass juggling balls. Anything for fun and games that you would like to see us carry?

Cooking: We have considered carrying things like hand made ladles, flesh hooks, graters, and various other cooking equiptment. We could also have more feast gear items like pewter spoons, and things. I am also interested in the possibility of carrying someones ceramics so we could have cooking pots, pipkins, mugs, etc, if anyone wants to discuss this with me.

Other iron work: Is there a type of hinge, clasp, lock, stake, portable hole, banner stands, or some other iron thing you would be interested in seeing us carry?

Jewelry: We have been considering having less expensive pewter versions of our dress mounts made. Woudl you be interested in purchasing these? If so, what would the price range need to be? If they were comparable to buttons, for example, would you be interested ($1 to $3 range)? Is there another specific period and culture you have a hard time finding good swag for? Would you be interested in seeing more glass beads, and if so, of what sort? Individuals, or sets?

Books Arts: would you be interested in less expensive but slightly less authentic hand-sewn books? More elaborate books like girdle books? A girdle book type holder with removeable/replaceable book inserts? Book making tools, materials, or kits?

Feel free to share any ideas, thoughts, etc...

Thanks!

Comments

[sablebadger.livejournal.com]

If you have any interest in turned items, maybe we can talk.

badger

[aelfgyfu.livejournal.com]

can you email me? i seem to have lost your address. Mine is vandy (at) vandybennett. com

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

Glass: 16th century, anything accurate I can drink out of. Inkwells also sound awesome.

Wood and Furniture: Would be THRILLED by boxes built specifically for carrying scribal supplies. Historically accurate is very secondary to useful in this case. So little fold-out trays and compartments and space for larger tools would all be nifty. Bonus if it has a lid that can be tilted up and used as a surface for calligraphy, but that might be a bit insane. I'm still trying to figure out how the Ultimate Scribal Box would work. Also, tablet-weaving looms! 16th-century-accurate corset busks (plain or decorative!).

Resale: Pre-16th century (or close) maiolica designs, hopefully for a price comparable to ordinary maiolica. Basically, I think it would be nice if someone else picked out the most accurate stuff and put it all in one place. Also, naturally-dyed silk for embroidery is always good. Metal spangles, especially the kind that are made from metal ribbon rather than hammered wire.

Iron work: Hinges for boxes/furniture always good to have.

Jewelry: Buttons! And specifically, the simple shank button with the glass stone in the Museum of London's Dress Accessories book (I think it's glass--it might have been amber). I have been looking ALL OVER for buttons like this that aren't plastic--simple, round shank buttons with a colored cabochon in the middle. I can scan a picture and email it to you if you want. I would pay up to $1/each for these buttons (more if my budget allows). I would love to see Tudor/Elizabethan repro jewelry done with something other than cheap-ass plastic stones and fake pearls--semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls. Preferably affordable. Mongol reproduction stuff is ALWAYS exciting, and the only place that does any is Raymond's Quiet Press, in a limited (and, IMO, disappointing) way.

Books: A girdle book type holder with removeable/replaceable book inserts? Book making tools, materials, or kits? YES. Especially kits for girdle books.

Handmade sewing needles and pins would be awesome--preferably metal, mid- to late 16th century (harder to find than bone, I find). Tablet-weaving supplies/period-accurate tablets.

16th century scissors, of any size, but fabric shears in particular would be amazing. I haven't found anywhere that sells 16th century repro scissors anymore, which is rather frustrating for assembling my period sewing kit.

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, always pro-period games, especially if they are collapsible and portable. I am especially interested in a small, portable, pretty, reasonably period-looking backgammon/draughts set.

(P.S. Any chance you might be interested in adding people to the company in the future? I have been considering investing in an embroidery machine and seriously digitizing 16th century embroidery patterns, but it's not a business by itself. And I've been thinking about embroidery kits, too.)

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

...even though machine embroidery is cheating. :/

[chemicallace]

I've had people up here clamoring for glass paint and ink tools. I was planning to start flameworking them this summer along with starting renting studio time for 16th century stuff, but I haven't heard much of a demand for that (perhaps due to price, as the nice Venetian-style stuff gets pricey).

Also, I think kits rock.

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the nice stuff is pricey. But I'd go for just basic drinking vessels of an accurate shape, personally.

Glass mullers are neat.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

"Here are some options/examples: basic flared-mouth beakers, prunted drinking glasses, claw beakers, palm cups, goblets"

Oh yes!

"Wood and furniture: ......., boxes, tables"
yes again,
You've seen my work, if you are interested let me know.

[aelfgyfu.livejournal.com]

Hey, It took me a long time to get around to replying, but I seem to have mislayed your email address again and would like to talk to you about possibly selling some of your ceramics on the website... could you shoot me an email? vandy (at) vandybennett. com

[gargoyal3.livejournal.com]

Okay, got a long list :)

Glass: I waaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnttttt a little bag beaker. WANT.
Drinking cones would be good.
I would LOVE a glass marver for paint :)

Wood: Viking boxes would be nice, buckets would be better, grin. There is no reliable cooper at the moment. Do you guys ever do steamed wood? The bentwood tine boxes are uber-uber-uber cool, and you could make mint off them modernly as well.

Games: The boys LOVE gambling games and cards. LOVE. The coins are great. I really LIKE the idea of glass gaming pieces. I've seen some really cool glass Viking age ones, can't remember off the top of my head if they are from a chess or a knaftafl set. Either would be awesome. How about dice?

Iron: COOKING POTS!!!! Riveted ones? Pllleaase??
Hinges for boxes would be awesome.
Hooks for hanging pots over the fire.
Smallish meat-forks for turning steaks.

Other metalwork: I want a period-ish looking bottle opener :) Little, so I can hang it from my pins or belt.
BUCKLES! And clothes hooks. EVERYONE needs these. Currently there are only a few cheap-ish early medieval ones available in Kingdom.

Beads: More yes!!! Individual, please! I can't afford sets :(

Have you considered card-weaving cards? Naalbinding needles? Small fibula and penanulars? Turned wood items? I also badly want a little turned deep-bowl/cup for beer. Not as breakable, you see :)

OH, and ceramics. Someday. Someday again, someday.

[rectangularcat]

I echo the cooper sentiment - if somebody could make buckets, those shallow washbasins, half-barrels - heck find a source of second hand barrels and rehabilitate them. A lot of distilleries sells their seconds cheap. The trick is to get them before they leak!

Baskets - big armour carrying ones

Definitely brazier cooking utensils - flesh hooks for sure

Tables!

[aelfgyfu.livejournal.com]

Do you have docs or references for docs on some specific riveted iron cooking pots? I am interested in making one to see how much of a pain they are to do.

[nobu.livejournal.com]

don't you guys already sell hinges?

[freewaydiva.livejournal.com]

Longer knitting needles, for sure. Like, in the 10-12" range, especially in the skinner sizes. And maybe with little hooks on one end. :)

[young-raven.livejournal.com]

The things I've been drooling at lately are buckles and belt findings, particularly the 13th-14th century variety. In fact, anything you could produce appropriate to that time period would be awesome, since my list is relatively short of sources for such goods. Ooh, plain silk banners ready for painting would be awesome. I'd love to see a potter join the company. And Dmitri would love to see more period cooking utensils and accessories.

As we've discussed before, it shouldn't be problematic to have some overlap with similar merchants - like many, I'd prefer to keep my

[ursula]

Well, the coins & cards are your top sellers, so maybe you should do dice, too? We could write up a little flier on medieval dice games . . .

[p1kap1ka.livejournal.com]

buttons.

all findings (buckles, belt ends) are hard to ... find...

There is a resurgence of Norman stuff running around. All those people need buttons and belts.

but mostly, buttons.