100% agree with what iab said. I build custom live edge coffee tables (http://www.lowedesignco.com) as a hobby and did my first show in December of last year at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. The show was huge (600+ vendors) and I didn’t really know what to expect going in. I brought three coffee tables with prices between $1800 and $2500 and 20x machined stainless steel bottle openers retailing for $30. Sold out of bottle openers; didn’t sell a coffee table. I did give out several hundred business cards and got tons of positive feedback, but still took a big loss on the show.
I’ve since designed and sold smaller pieces, like side tables and serving tables. I realize now that I had a more diverse offering of products at different prices points, I would have done far better. People are far more willing to spend $200 on a live edge serving platter than $2000 on a custom coffee table. At least that was my experience with this particular show. The live edge market is also extremely saturated, and I don’t know how much my differentiation (machined aluminum legs/ bases that you can flat pack) ultimately mattered to potential buyers of live edge pieces.