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| Walmart Photo Mug, 15 oz. $16 with s/tax. |
But, having recently opened an online Etsy shop--specializing in photographic-related gifts--I decided to shop the competition and answer to people's comments about why VerlinStudios charged more for similar products.
I've recently began working with online photo provider, Shutterfly to produce gift items for family, friends and business.
I learned a very valuable lesson years ago when I worked with Danny O'Neill of The Roasterie in Kansas City.
Danny would tell stories of searching all ends of the earth to find the perfect coffee bean. His slogan was "life's too short to have a boring cup of coffee". The Roasterie produces some of the best coffee, coffee beans in the country and it's not cheap--but it's worth it. If you're a coffee lover--the additional cost compared to another "boring" bean makes all the difference.
While I wasn't necessarily a coffee drinker at the time--I am now, and you know what--he's right.
To me--the same can be said when we consider how much time we spend with "images" that form "memories" of our lives.
Specifically now--with digital technology changing how we do business. But somewhere in that change--in the middle of this new science--is art.
It's not just about mass production and numbers and costs all relevant to everything--it's about our "quality of life", how we live our lives and how we share them.
Which brings me to why I started VerlinStudios. Taking my passion of photography since college--and looking back on the "catalogue" of photo's I've collected, I was struck by the beauty and "rarity" of many of them.
For example, how many people get this close to a bison--and live to tell it?
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| Bison feeding outside ranger station, Yellowstone. |
The photographs I took and shared with friends--the more they asked for copies, etc.
Over the years I've been fairly adept at new technologies (I was the audio-visual delivery guy in junior high).
By combining the elements of photography, technologies of production, editing, enlarging, enhancing, etc--with the "eye" of getting a unique artistic (if you will) image and general mood--I've been fortunate to develop (scuse the pun) the artsy/gallery side of the business.
Now by adding these images to products like mugs, iPhone cases, calendars, shirts--items we use everyday--all of us can enjoy the unique beauty these images hold whenever we have a cup of coffee, make a phone call, sit down a drink, etc.
And that's why VerlinStudio's pieces may cost a little more than the box retailers. Just as a coffee bean is harvested in another country, produced and shipped--so too is a product that contains some of our original images.
For example--imagine having a cup of coffee and actually seeing the coffee (Jamaican Blue to be exact) being roasted in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica amidst the beauty of the area.
Well--now you can:
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| Jamaican Blue Beans Roasting |
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| Scene from Blue Mountains, Jamaica |
We liked the idea of providing these types of photographs and enhanced images on everyday products because more and more people would find them unique.
Thus we call our pieces, "artisan photo gifts". Artisan what? Artisan--PhotoGifts.
It basically means we approach each product--whether it be a print, mug, iPhone case, decor pillow, table runner--whatever with the "eye of an artist and the heart of a poet".
That may sound a little flowery--but we want our customers to know that what you're paying a little "extra" for--isn't to be normal. It's to give you something of value--a piece that you'll treasure for a lifetime.
It's to make you feel special, unique--owning something that no one else (or few) have.
It may just be a ceramic mug to most--but to you--it's a work of art. It's having images that no one else has produced.
A great example of this is this mug on our VerlinStudios Kitty Coasters:
I bought it in 2007 at Yellowstone. The images on it are not just logo's, etc. They're drawings and text taken from Journals of Lewis & Clark--describing seeing a huge grizzly and the paw print on their trek out west.
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| Mug with images/script from Journals of Lewis & Clark purchased at Yellowstone National Park, 2007. |
This is what I'm referring to as an artisan photo gift.
Somebody at the National Park service or ad agency was very creative to use this. I'm sure I paid a premium for this mug--but I love history and particularly Lewis & Clark.
But guess what? Seven years later--I'm still drinking from it...admiring it and telling you about it!
We're wanting to provide our customers with this same kind of experience--enjoying a unique photograph that can be framed in your home or office...
And now have it also available on your favorite calendar, coffee mug, quilt, wood wall art, etc.
In fact--we will soon be offering FREE 8x10 prints of any of the photographs you see on our site (we own all of them--as we've taken all of them).
When you order a certain amount of product--we'll include a signed and numbered print that will look great in your office or home as part of our agreement.
Why would we do this? Because we want you to enjoy that image--much like I've enjoyed this mug throughout the rest of your life--and not just on a wall--but in your home, kitchen, bedroom, car--where ever you take your product.
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| John D. Verlin hard at work on his next masterpiece! |
I hope I've helped give you a better understanding of why that mug, or iPad case may cost a few dollars more than similar items at a box retailer.
In our world of sameness--it's that extra special value or bonus that makes a difference!
Feel free to check out all of our product line at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/VerlinStudios?ref=si_shop
Please "like" us on Facebook--and if your business would like proven strategies and idea's on your advertising, check out my ad agency at:
www.ondemandadvertisingsolutions.com.
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