VALUE, WORTH, AND PRICE

WHY SUPPORT OUR SMALL, HANDMADE BUSINESS?

Part of what makes handmade goods special is the magic and love they are imbued with by the maker. As cliche as it might sound, the individuals skillfully building these products do put a little of ourselves into each one. We are passionate about what we make and devoted to ensuring your have a fantastic experience with our products. We take care of you like our jobs depend on it!

Handmade products are often higher quality, made with better ingredients, superior craftsmanship, intention, and concern for each individual piece. For example, our watercolor paint has incredibly high pigment levels and we don’t add junk to bulk it up - you’re getting a purer product that goes further and works better. It’s really neat, both in terms of attention to detail and its cool factor. Read more about our paint here.

Handmade items are cherished more by their owners, with deeper engagement. You buy our paint and art supplies because you delight in getting to know each color; you are very nerdy about materials; you feel a connection to our art community; it helps you become who want to be.

Your purchase of a handcrafted good reflects a little about you - the things and experiences that bring you joy as well as your respect for individual creativity, your appreciation of high quality and unique goods, and your belief in us and our work.

From our team, thank you so much for being a part of Limn Colors!

WHAT DO YOU VALUE?

I have saved up for a fountain pen that was a significant investment. Most people would think it a crazy amount to spend on a pen when they could get a 12-pack at the dollar store. The pen is beautifully made with shell inlay and laquered by hand; it did and continues to write smoothly and pleasurably; I enjoy filling it with different inks and how it feels to hold; and it makes me happy to use whether I am making a shopping list, signing an important document, journaling, or strategizing for my business. The price matched what I valued. 

We make these kinds of value-vs-price decisions each time we make a purchase, particularly when it’s not a commodity or table stakes for survival: a special meal or night out with friends, a high-quality fishing pole, travel or a family vacation, a great set of kitchen knives, that coveted addition to your collection of movies/tchotchkes/antiques/etc, a newly released video game, the comfiest recliner. 

For many of our customers, art supplies and the items related to their creative work are an important personal, as well as professional, choice. Artists and craftspeople become enamored with certain pottery glazes, remain loyal to a particular paper that fits their painting style, seek out tools that feel perfect in their hand, and find a yarn that feels as amazing running through their fingers as they work as it does to wear the finished product. If what we are making aligns with what you value, we would be honored to have you as a customer, supporter, and part of our community!

WHY DOES HANDCRAFTED SEEM EXPENSIVE?

People ask for more durable, higher quality goods, desire unique, beautiful items, and commend the ideal of American manufacturing or shopping at small businesses, but there can still be a disconnect between requested value, assessment of worth, and expected price.

Sometimes the knee-jerk reaction to the pricetag on handmade goods is an assumption that it is overpriced, when in fact it might be a fair, or even low, price to pay when you look deeper. When compared to mass-market goods, items imported from areas that don’t pay a fair living wage, and low-quality products from discount retailers, artisan goods are more expensive. 

The following does not, and can not, address your individual budget or what you are willing to pay for something, but provides a big picture view of what factors into pricing. Directly, there are the cost of raw materials and the cost of labor (payroll, workmans comp, benefits, taxes) for manufacturing products, packing and shipping, customer service, bookkeeping, etc). There’s overhead for having a business: studio rent, utilities, equipment, tools, furniture, and operations supplies. Add in the costs for licenses and fees to do business, legal, accounting, and insurance. Plus, costs for product development and R&D. To delivery to customers, there are costs related to packaging, 3d printing, and printing, along with technology expenditures like website costs, software, and payment processing. The company must turn some profit, not only to stay in business, but to reinvest, grow the available offerings, and continue improving products and service. All of those are rolled into the wholesale price, which is either marked up by a retail shop or used to directly invest in finding and connecting with customers, including marketing, advertising, demoing, and selling at or hosting events. 

All that being said, the bottom line is that our prices reflect the work, materials, expertise, and time that goes into both the products that we produce in-house and the pieces made by our artist and maker partners. We work at Limn Colors because we love what we do, care deeply about the products we create, and want to make a living by being a small part of your creative endeavors.