Out of Our Hands Gallery - fine handcrafted creations

The latest edition of Lehigh Valley Style, a gorgeous and always beautifully designed magazine, has given props to our little town of Emmaus. Though there have been numerous blurbs in the past mentioning us in the past (usually highlighting a specialty shop in town), this time we’ve got a FULL ARTICLE! My heart swells with pride like a proud parent. Give it a quick read, go ahead (starts on page 45 on the Ezine)!

Though written to be informational and to comment on the town as a whole, I wish they would have gone into all the wonderful businesses we have to offer. People JUST. DON’T. KNOW. It boggles my mind when a customer comes in and says, “I’ve lived in Emmaus for X-amount of years, and never stepped foot in any of the shops.” Sometimes they live a block away! It makes me cry at night. Okay, that’s a little dramatic.

But still…residents of the Valley often go to Bethlehem for the specialty shops they love to browse and purchase in, when really what they are looking for may be right in their backyard (literally). Even if a store doesn’t carry the things you need and just gotta have at that very moment, please do yourself a favor and just go to look. Meet the owners and sales associates. You probably know them. Or if you don’t actually know them, you’ll leave the store feeling like you just chatted with a friend. We’re very welcoming here in this little charming town.

Thank you, Lehigh Valley Style, for giving us that shout-out. We really appreciate your kind words encouraging readers to check it out!

And please keep ALL of our businesses in mind when you’re gearing up for the holidays. I promise you’ll enjoy discovering what we have to offer.

As a person who has dedicated quite some time to an education degree, as well as a daughter of a retired teacher, I’m quite aware of the pure dedication every type of teacher puts into their job. Even with a tiny little peanut of my own, who is really only in a pre-toddler class **insert Mommy gush here**, I’m incredibly thankful to her teachers that give her love and guidance every single day.  They often go un-thanked. Don’t forget them at the end of the school year!

Since your kid’s teacher has put a handmade touch on your child’s education, why not go with a handcrafted gift to show him/her your appreciation? (more…)

We love pottery.  Our customers love it too.

Although, it’s a fact (at least here at OOOH) that pottery sells WAY better in the fall/winter.  Customers picture wrapping their hands around a beautifully-glazed mug of cocoa.  They imagine a bubbling hot pie coming out of the oven in a vibrant pie plate.  They smell the stick-to-your-ribs mac n’ cheese baking in their uniquely designed casserole dish.  It’s not often that the average customer decides to purchase pottery in the blazing hot summer.

Well!  I’m here to tell you that our pottery, especially our traditional glazed stoneware by Monica and Ray Sommerville (the artisans that we’re featuring), most certainly has a use for many of your spring and summer needs.  Here are some (exquisite, if I do say so myself) photos of how to put your pottery to good use during these seasons.  Please enjoy…I’ve taken time to let you know exactly how I envisioned each piece being used.  Maybe it will inspire some pottery sales for us. (more…)

As a gallery manager I have many hats each day…the “face” of the store, the customer service expert, the display and decorating whiz, the engaging and charming blogger *sarcasm*…but many of our customers do not know a huge perk to my job description, and that is to build wonderful relationships with the artisans.  I must say that our group of talent continually surprises me with their inventiveness, but it’s astounding how humble they truly are.  Truly.  And it’s so surprising to find that because they are literally oozing with creativity…they have every right to have big-head syndrome.  I am always in awe.

We have lots of artisans that have been working with their craft for many years, but we have some that do it as a side-passion or have less experience.  Many times pricing comes up as a HUGE question…”Just what do I charge an interested customer for something I put my blood, sweat, and tears into?”  It can be daunting to overcharge for your work…but even scarier to UNDERcharge. (more…)

We like our earth. Therefore, at our gallery we are always making attempts to be more eco-friendly, and this year I’ve made our resolution to be even more proactive at it.

Things we’ve done so far:

• Updated our lighting and are almost all converted over to those funny-looking curvy bulbs that use less energy.  We also turn off lights when customers are not browsing. (more…)

My mom and I agree…yesterday was a good day.  And it had nothing to do with sales.

We had appointments with two wonderful artists scheduled…each had completely different work, but both were a pleasure to meet and to view their wonderful items.  It  got me thinking about all the different types of individuals we have that are interested in our gallery.  Like snowflakes, no two are alike…but I must admit that in my mind I  rank them.  Professionalism and how well they represent themselves do come first…and then I consider their talent. (more…)

It’s a question that we’re asked at least once a day.  Though I feel it’s slightly forward to ask about such things, I have to remind myself that when a customer asks about our sales it is usually because they’re concerned about one of the small-town shops that they know and love.  But just an FYI, it stings a little less when the customer asks about our sales when they are actually buying something.

Though I feel put on the spot a bit when someone is inquiring about the amount of money coming in, I do know it’s probably on everyone person’s mind.  It’s totally normal to be curious.  We’re still not out of these bad economic times yet.  Therefore, when a person enters an independently owned business, it is natural to wonder how they are getting through. (more…)

Hello all, and yes, you are correct in seeing that 4 months have passed without a new blog post.  I am truly sorry.  Let me give you an explanation of why that is (though I agree, it’s inexcusable).

Number One:  Time. You all will nod in agreement when I say, there are just not enough hours in a day.  I wear a lot of hats during my daily routine; I’m a sales associate and manager, an office assistant, a store layout designer, a maid, even a direction-giver and story-listener on some occasions.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it.  Wouldn’t change it for the world, but you can see I lead a busy life.  Thanks for understanding. (more…)

Since one of my newest web obsessions (besides of course Etsy, which provides me that inspirational boost every single day) is the wonderful blogs that I keep uncovering, and so I figured that I should be nice and share the great ones I happen upon.  Though blogs have been around for quite a while, I’ve just noticed the quality increasing and the amount of ideas out there is absolutely incredible.  This first one is in my top five:  Handmade in PA (HIP). (more…)

We thought we’d start to share some of the websites, magazines, articles, and other findings that give us inspiration, and what better to begin with than NICHE magazine, one of our go-to resources for craft retailers.  The magazine (which we have a subscription to) offers advice for the seasons, looks at recent trends in retail, shows popular wholesale craft companies, and even interviews small brick and mortar shop owners.  (more…)