This is a really weird question - I mean, you’d think it goes without saying, and a post doesn’t really need to be written on it. But actually, when you think about it, it doesn’t go without saying, and it’s not immediately obvious - at least to the general public - where puppet makers work. (In fact, it’s not immediately obvious where puppeteers - the performers - work either, but that’s another post for another day) Also, this topic leads me into a post I’ll be writing later about buying puppets.

Indeed, this very post was inspired by someone doing a search for "where is puppets in melbourne shop". I often find it humourous that when I talk to potential customers/customers, they seem to believe that I have some huge warehouse or workshop somewhere. And likewise, they find it weird to discover that I have none. (This is quite clearly explained on my About page, but evidently, no one really reads that!) Actually, this is a common misconception from the general public of any company that is noticeably online: sure Google and Facebook have hundreds of employees, but actually most dot coms are small: when I worked for Arts Hub it was a group of less than ten people and working from the CEOs’ lounge room. Just because you have a huge presence online doesn’t mean you need a huge space to work from. (Hey, all I need is my laptop and an internet connection to run this site!)

All of this is slightly sidetracking from the real question: where is my shop? Well, if I could afford one, I would definitely have a workshop. But, like most puppet makers, I can’t afford it. A building is too costly; you have rent or mortgages to pay, insurance, upkeep, heat, electricity, water… Heck, I can’t even afford to live on my own, let alone have a separate workshop! There are, of course, a few lucky people in Australia - not toy shop owners, but actual puppet makers - who have their own spaces. I can count them on one hand; and would not be surprised to hear that they are struggling under the current financial crisis. (Actually, on thinking about it, half of these puppet shops do only sell factory-made items or the ‘popular’ stuff; only one immediately comes to mind that sells its own Australian-made and unique-to-the-shop wares)

So where do puppet makers work? 95% (I’m making up stats here, but it would be roughly correct, give or take a few percent) of puppet makers work from home. Independent/fringe/unfunded performing companies may have workspaces separate to their houses, but these are usually performers who double as builders. But puppet makers mostly work out of a space in their home; a guest or second bedroom, a garage or shed. Like many home craftmakers, they work with what they’ve got, and fit the space out to meet their needs. Some install glue ventilation systems, or make their own vacuum-forming machines for plastics; rows of material boxes, containers full of ready-to-use eyes; sturdy desks for cutting objects… All of it compacted into a small room in a house somewhere.

This is why I don’t have my address listed anywhere on this site - just my PO box - and only give out my mobile phone number. My real "shop" is my house! 

As mentioned in my post about how to commission a puppet maker, those who do work from home will gladly take their puppets/portfolio to a neutral setting and discuss their work/sales there. Many also sell at craft markets, or through third-party brick-and-mortar shops; a lucky few who might have funding or a decent enough income may work in ‘artist communes’, a shared building full of other artists. Some even allow potential customers in their own home (unlikely, but possible), so they can view their work. Most puppet makers work on commission, and if they have actual stock (ie. a certain line of puppets), then you’re more likely to find them sold online or through third parties, than see them in their own physical store. In Australia, the majority of puppets being sold in brick-and-mortar shops are factory-made items, or those from sellers that are so popular they have a "syndication" of sorts with shops around the world; don’t forget that most puppets here are sold in toy shops, which means that we’re also probably not talking about products by puppet makers, but rather products by toy makers; which are, of course, more likely to have the money and distribution power to get their wares into the shops in the first place.

So to sum up: puppet makers predominantly work from home. Most of us don’t have workshop spaces - most of us wish we did! Most of us won’t see our puppets in brick-and-mortar shops; a few get their stuff in because they have the ability to factory-make items. Many work in separate spaces to our homes, but only if they are affiliated with a performing group that also has their own space, or if they have funding. As for me, well, you won’t be seeing the inside of my "shop" for a while. I’m just a well-informed person who is building her business as best she can, and using Google to my advantage.

If you would care to step inside my "shop", then please do buy something at my online store; the more you buy, the more likely I can have my own brick-and-mortar place in the future