ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 1997 TAG: 9703120035
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: MARKETPLACE
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
Wanted: Virginia artisans and food makers to sell their wares through a national catalog.
The Virginia Company, a Warrenton-based retailer, is getting ready to publish a gift catalog filled with arts and crafts and food products made in the commonwealth. The catalog is scheduled to be mailed in September and October to 250,000 households nationwide.
"People are looking for really nice, unique products that are made in Virginia," said Pat Nicklin who, with her husband, Walter, started The Virginia Company last spring.
They operate four retail outlets - in Alexandria, Charlottesville, Norfolk and Richmond - and are expanding to other locations, including Washington National Airport and Williamsburg. The stores feature products from 600 Virginia-based vendors.
The Nicklins sent out a test mailing of 75,000 catalogs last fall, Pat Nicklin said, to gauge the demand for a Virginia-only gift book. The test catalog featured Jefferson cups, Williamsburg pottery, goats' milk soap, Smithfield hams and a hundred other state-made items. It also included short profiles of several contributing craftspeople.
The response was strong, she said. So now they want to expand both their mailing list - and their selection of gifts.
The Nicklins already have built up a strong base of artisans who supply the retail shops and whose work was featured in the preliminary catalog. To broaden their base, they've been speaking to state artisans groups, visiting wine festivals and craft shows, and recruiting people through their shops.
For the new catalog, Nicklin said, they're looking for anything that says "Virginia." Based on what sells the best at their stores, they're especially interested in ceramics and glassware, note cards featuring Virginia scenes, and kitchen utensils and fireplace implements made by blacksmiths.
But they're willing to consider just about anything, as long as it's made in Virginia, and as long as the craftsperson can keep up with a potentially demanding production schedule.
Nicklin said they usually start out buying on consignment when they're working with a new craftsperson. Once they discover what sells, they may start a regular pay schedule.
Artisans, craftspeople or food manufacturers who would like to be considered for inclusion in the catalog should call The Virginia Company, (540)341-1951.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Pat and Walker Nicklin are in search of Virginiaby CNBcrafts to 2. feature in a new national catalog they're sending out
this fall. color.