News from my brother retiring from bird house making

[reible]

One of my brother has been making bird house and selling them for about 46 years. He was looking for things to keep himself busy as his other business was seasonal. Living in northern WI there is not a lot to do in winter job wise and besides after busting it all summer you need to, well do something else.

First couple of years he make a couple of hundred and my aunt would sell them for him during the summer. Soon the demands for more and more bird houses and well it was time to start selling them as a road side business in his front yard. Since the whole family worked he went with a money box sitting on a table and the honor system.

In a short while he was making from 800 to 1200 birdhouses a year! Before you think he was getting rich at this, he sells most of them for $3.00.

He used free wood so the cost was minimal, so with his time being off time anyway it gave him spending money.

They had down sized their business and then closed down last year. He was 80 last year so he figured enough was enough. He did continue with the bird houses last winter but now he has been having trouble getting free wood and supplies and besides he's 81 now so he like to be more retired and not have to deal with any business related things. Who can blame him.

So he has enough materials to make he figures 500 more birdhouses. A neighbor has agreed to take over the business but the home of the $3 birdhouse if about over.

We figured that the lower volume years and the higher volume years would have him having made somewhere in the neighborhood of 27,000 bird houses!

I ask him what he plans to do this winter...... he has 4 balsa wood model airplanes to build and wants to do some turning on the 10ER I got for him some years back. And well put together that 500 or so bird houses.

My oldest brother started selling birdhouses along our street in the late 1940's He later moved down near Green Bay and did some building and selling down that way. I started selling birdhouses and did so for a number of years until I moved away. I remember doing custom birdhouses and getting up to $12 for them. Martin houses were the big sell at $30 for a two layer house. Most were in the $3 range but it kept me busy on winter nights when it was way below zero outside.

Well another era ends.

Ed

[Mike907]

Nice story, Ed. Thanks

Mike

[BuckeyeDennis]

$3 in the 40's or 50's was a chunk of change. Did your brother ever adjust for inflation?

These days, I'd think that a $5 birdhouse would sell just as well as a $3 birdhouse. Maybe even a $10 or $20 birdhouse, at least here near a big city.

While we're talking business, I'm curious as to what your brother's summer business was. I wouldn't mind making birdhouses all winter myself, if I could afford to. But I'd definitely charge more than $3!

[Gene Howe]

Neat story, Ed. I wish your brother well.

[ERLover]

Great story, and your brother had to have great High Way exposure with easy on and off access!!!LOL. All those FIPers coming to Up North WI

[hdoilcan]

Nice story.

[reible]

Well I thought he might change his mind but it looks like I was wrong. Here is a load off to the new seller.

1ff.jpg (110.73 KiB) Viewed 7502 times

Now I'm wondering what the new price will be. Some regulars are in for sticker shock next summer I'm sure.

Up north this is when the first staying snow comes most years. Ah remember it well.

Ed

[ERLover]

I hope he is pricing for road loss.

[reible]

I hope he is pricing for road loss.

Short drive, automatic door locks will not even lock(less then 15mph). Only 10 or so more loads and that will be it.

Ed

[charlese]

The whole story touches my heart Thanks, Ed!