This photo was taken at a Dillard’s in Lewisville, Texas, near Dallas around 2000. It was near the 3 year mark that I had been doing events for ESTEE LAUDER all over Texas and Oklahoma. Here, I’m personalizing one of their jeweled compacts that retailed for around $60.
A year or so after this event I got a call from Estee Lauder corporate in NY. “Where are the other Ken Browns?” the woman asked. As we talked, she told me…not to my great surprise…that every time they booked an engraving event, the sales went through the roof. “We could use others who do what you do!” I was the ONLY engraver in the country doing exactly what I was doing. Corporate asked if I could teach my technique and I told them I could. Had not up to that point but I had been teaching my traditional Calligraphy classes since 1977 when my first instruction book was distributed.
I spent several months putting together an Engraving Workshop and conducted the first one in May, 2001. Now there are scores and scores of us across the planet doing this and there are still more opportunities than engravers. As many of you know, I did around 400 events between 1993 and 2005, when the wine and spirits industry saw the enormous potential for personalized bottles; they now reserve dates months and months in advance of the events.
Each year, beginning in early spring, I get requests to do fragrance events at major department stores. I never have dates available and most of my students are already slotted for events in many of the major cities. Countless opportunities exist for qualified engravers to do these gigs. Most never happen. Every year I’m able to refer a few of my students who stay in touch with me, but most events go unanswered for lack of available engravers.
My most recent in-store event like this one, for compacts and fragrances, was over 7 years ago. At the end of this month I have one! It’s for Ralph Lauren in one of the most prestigious Dallas department stores. I’m looking forward to it so much but it’s probably the only one I’ll have availability for this year.
There is huge earning potential with this skill and you get to work at your own pace and availability. Between in-store events, my students have work coming to them daily that they do at home. The Christmas season is coming fast. By mid-October events begin and by December it’s almost every day of the month.
There are still openings in my September and October Engraving Workshops where you can learn and become available. The deadline is past for September 4, 5, 6 Workshop but we can still squeeze you in if you let us know quickly. Official deadline for enrolling in the October 8, 9, 10 session is September 8.
Details about Workshops.
Would love to teach you this amazing skill and your handwriting doesn’t matter! Calligraphy experience needed? No!
CONSIDER THIS: About 5% of my students never want to do events in stores. They merely want to do the work for individuals who want personalized gifts throughout the year. Every day there are engagements, weddings, new babies, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, new homes, divorces…..the list is endless for reasons people want gift items engraved. If you want to stay at home and never go to the mall, you can still be as busy as you want, in your pajamas, at the kitchen table, engraving away for more $ per hour than you might imagine.
Ken • 214.250.6958
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