Hello, fellow Archtophiles!  I have a question for you!  Are you feeling the pinch?  How is the U.S. economic downturn affecting your habit?  Whether you are a bear artist or a collector or both, you are most probably affected in one way or another.  Are you feeling the pinch?  How are you "feeding" your habit?  We would like to know!  Maybe you don't have as much to invest in your business or to feed your collecting habit.  Maybe you just need to "cut back" a little bit for awhile until things calm down. 

Those of you who are bear artists know the addictive drive that pushes you to create that "perfect" bear.  This addiction is bad enough if you're only creating bears.  Couple that with the double whammy of also being a collector and then the addiction becomes overwhelming.  Withdrawal is always painful ...

There are so many new artists on the scene and the competition between them is incredible. As a result, teddy bear art has matured to a level where there has been an amazing evolution in style, quality, and presentation.  This is all wonderful and great for the hobby, but when financial times get tight - what happens to all the creativity?  Do you just bottle it all up and hope it will go away, or are you still creating bears at a feverish pace?  Has the price of mohair and the lack of collectors caused you to reduce your production or even stop it altogether? 

As collectors, what is happening?  Are you still collecting at the same pace as you were?  Are you scaling back on your purchases, perhaps buying less expensive bears or postponing that purchase all together?

Are you in panic mode and trying to sell your collections?  I've heard from many artists and collectors who are doing just that and selling out their collections entirely.  Is this the norm, or the exception?  If you're selling out (or trying to) what venue are you using?  Bear shows, on line auctions, classified ads?

If you are a collector or dealer, this is a great time to pick up some very fine pieces at bargain prices.  Just like the stock market advice - always buy low and sell high.  Some of you I see are doing just the opposite - buying high and selling low!  Perhaps it is time to "hold tight" and not give away those precious collections too quickly.

Part of the problem perhaps is combined with the fact that some of our collectors have become bear artists and shifted their focus.  Perhaps the remainder have so many options and artists to choose from that there just aren't enough collectors to go around.  And then there's the economy going South.  As artists, are you lowering your prices to attract more collectors?  Which is it?  Maybe it's a little bit of everything combined.

We want to know what you think!  Tell us how you are managing!  How have you changed your habits?