Guides
Part of 4 things to understand about workshop travel supplies
How to run a two-day supply trip before a workshop
A two-day supply trip before a workshop works when you survey and sample first, then buy from a written list and arrange delivery instead of hauling it yourself.
What to take away
- A supply run is a buying trip with a list, a budget and a vehicle, not a morning of browsing.
- Do it before the working stay, in the largest town on the route, where stock and delivery options are deepest.
- Buy samples on day one and test them that evening before committing on day two.
- Ask about delivery, held collection and shipping to the retreat address before you hire a second vehicle.
- Keep every receipt in one envelope. A supply run generates more paperwork than the rest of the trip.
Day one: survey and sample
Walk the largest supplier end to end before buying anything. You are learning what the region actually stocks, which is rarely what you assumed from home.
Day one: survey and sample
- Walk the largest supplier before buying
- Buy small quantities of unfamiliar materials
- Test samples the same evening
- Write tomorrow's list with quantities and total
- Review the total in the morning
Then buy small quantities of anything unfamiliar: a different clay body, a local timber, an unfamiliar pigment brand. Test them the same evening. A sample costs little and stops you committing a whole project to a material that fires, dries or takes finish differently from the one you know.
Close the day with a written list for tomorrow, with quantities and a total. A list reviewed in the morning is reliably shorter, and what falls off overnight is usually what you would have carried home unused.
Day two: buy, arrange delivery, leave
Buy from the list. Additions are the hard part in a good supplier, so decide before you walk in what an addition would have to be worth to earn a place.
Then solve transport before you pay. Ask three questions at the counter:
Day two questions
- Does the supplier deliver to the retreat address, and what does that cost?
- Will they hold goods for collection if you return through town?
- Can they ship, and who signs on arrival?
Builders' merchants and farm suppliers often deliver locally for very little, which usually beats a second day of vehicle hire. Load in reverse order of use: heavy items first and low, anything needed on the first working morning last.
A worked example of the list
A photographer heading to a two-week residency in a town with one camera shop and two hardware stores might write this on the evening of day one:
A worked example
| Item | Quantity | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|
| Spare camera batteries | 2 | Charging points at the residency are shared |
| Gaffer tape | 1 roll | Blackout and cable management in a shared studio |
| Sample paper, two weights | 1 pack each | Test before committing to a print run |
| Extension reel, 10m | 1 | Studio sockets sit behind the work tables |
The quantities are illustrative. Substitute your own figures for the stay length, the studio layout and what the host already supplies.
Open an account if you can
Trade accounts and payment terms are the underused lever on a supply run. The Small Business Administration explains how net 30 accounts help conserve business cash flow: cash coming in covers day-to-day costs, and supplier terms are one way to bridge the gap.
For an artist buying materials before the work sells, terms mean the clay is paid for after the commission clears. Ask what opening an account requires, and expect the first purchase to be paid up front.
Treat it as a business, not an errand
Anyone buying materials to make things for sale is running a small operation, and the ordinary questions apply. The Small Business Administration's guide on how to start a craft business starts with researching whether demand is real before scaling production.
Applied to a supply run: buy for the work you have a reason to make, not the work you might make. A studio of unused material is the most common form of wasted money in this field.
The supplies comparison guide covers the buy-versus-bring decision, and the two-day studio itinerary covers the people-focused version of a short trip.
Common questions
Is a supply run worth two full days?
For a stay of two weeks or more, usually yes. The survey day is what stops day two becoming a series of return trips, and return trips are where the time goes.
Should I hire a vehicle?
For one day, often. For two, price delivery and held collection first, because a second day of hire frequently costs more than having the load brought to the retreat address.
What if the local material behaves differently from home?
Test before committing and adjust the project rather than fighting the material. A clay that fires hotter or a paper that takes wet media badly is a design constraint, not a fault.
Can I ship purchases ahead to the retreat?
Usually, with the host's agreement and a named person to sign. Confirm the delivery window before you buy, and ask the supplier for tracking you can pass on.
