One of the realizations of running a business such as ours is that the majority of our customers have never really studied any original work and a good percentage don't seem to have an interest in it either. I realize I come to this with an entirely different background, but find this interesting.
I remember Rich mentioning this a while ago and was wondering what others thoughts are? From a personal perspective I would enjoy things more if there was more of an understanding and appreciation for these things, but do understand that everybody has different interests.
So what do you all think? Any ideas to help promote original work?
I think you will find that in any field. Someone with the passion for something to create a successful business is always going to have more appreciation for the inspiration behind the product than a vast majority of those who consume the product. It is no different in my line of work. The architect will always have a greater appreciation for the building than it's owner. It can be a little disheartening and feel thankless when others don't value our work the same way we do, but you can't let that get to you. At the end of the day, what ultimately matters is that the customer has enough appreciation to buy the product, at least from the business man's perspective. The best we can do it to continue to educate and promote. Your website has a blog section, maybe you could expand that to include articles that highlight original work, etc.
Another point to make is that your kits are fantastic, but they make building a gun so much easier than the kits that have been available until now that they are bound to attract those who just want to be able to put together a nice muzzleloader with minimal effort to shoot and hunt with and would otherwise not have the interest or drive to take on building from a blank or even one of the other kits. There are some who might look at Kibler kits as dumbing down gun building, but I do not see it this way. I think your kits are the best thing that has happened to the muzzleloading industry in decades because they are providing entry to the hobby to lots and lots of people who otherwise would not get in. That's not only good for business, but over time there will undoubtedly be many whose "gateway drug" was their first Kibler kit and develop the interest in originals as well as their skills from there.
Here in PA, hunting license sales have been declining for years and the aging population of those who participate in our traditional flintlock hunting season shrinks each year. That is why I love it every time I see someone in their 20s or 30s buy a Kibler kit and get excited about muzzleloading, even if they have no appreciation [yet] for the heritage.
