"Creative and Affordable Elegance" should become your crafty mantra as we proceed through 2010!

The current economy is impacting my world.   There have been a new wave of store closures happening in my neck of the woods.... beloved neighborhood restaurants have closed the doors, my favorite boutique is slowly withering as inventory sits and becomes "old news."    A local hair salon is clean, bright, and beautiful.  Yet, the owner struggles to make her rent payment and wonders how much longer she can hold on.  It is no fun for cash strapped shoppers and it sure isn't fun for the entrepreneur.

Daunting?  Don't let it be!  There are indie craft stores out there that are defying the odds and you can join their ranks.  I recently received the current issue of The Trends Journal and there is reason to be optimistic.  The author,  Gerald Celente,  is someone I have learned to take seriously.   He is like a human computer, sifting through facts and historic events to spot future trends. He analyzes data and predicts future events based upon that data.  No histrionics, no  finger pointing, no politics...just the facts, Ma,am.  Dragnet's Joe Friday would be proud.  Mr. Celente has predicted, years ahead of their occurrence, an amazing array of political and economic events.   I have become a believer in his abilities.

There is good news and bad news.  The bad news:  Mr. Celente is adamant:  we are going to experience "the crash of 2010."  He is looking to, among other things, a collapse of the commercial real estate market, which will ultimately lead to what he describes as "the Greatest Depression."  He supports his position with a plethora of factual data and I encourage you to consider it for yourself.

Now for the good news.....

Mr. Celente has identified "the next big thing" and you are a part of it!  People will be looking for something---anything--to make them feel better as the economy wreaks havoc on their lives.  During the Depression of the 1930s folks were able to escape to "the movie cinema" to vicariously experience the glamor and excitement of a distant Hollywood.  Going to a movie was a big event and the messages delivered were hopeful and uplifting.  However, as Mr. Celente notes "movie mania is not what it used to be and neither is Hollywood."

Celente believes that the next escape---and opportunity for big profit---will come as the "depressed and bewildered...fast food fattened downwardly mobile American public" responds to a return to elegance and quality:

 "People will have more time on their hands and less money in their pockets, and an ample opportunity to tap into creative talents formerly submerged beneath the exigencies of the 24/7 job overload.  Self-made style will become the new style.  The design-it-yourself, tailor/sew-it-yourself trend will span the socioeconomic scale and serve as a high-fashion equalizer.  It will take time and talent...not just money...to create great looks."

"The perfect storm of Elegance, quality, individuality, beauty and Depression-need will open new consumer markets for manufacturers, retailers and promoters who see it developing."

It sure makes sense to me.   I see it happening in my own life.  Hard times necessarily bring a concomitant need to enhance the spirit.  Crafting does it for me. My personal budget has been slashed so I am co-opting   my clothing budget/nail budget/hair budget to buy things that really matter....like craft supplies.  Interestingly, I am less inclined to focus on personal adornment when money is tight...somehow it seems too frivolous.   However, I am always willing to spend money to "feather my nest."  While it seems selfish to make yet another beaded necklace, I have no problem using up my bead stash (and buying tons more) to make a beaded table runner! 

After all, it is for the home, the family, THE NEST!   Toward that end, my recent crafty outbursts have resulted in a Nuno felted table runner for my living room...............

...... another Nuno felted table runner...this one for my kitchen....

.....a felted Rooster Pillow in my family room  ('cause everyone needs a rooster pillow) ....

 ...and a new valance for my daughter's bedroom window....

WHEW!  It has been a productive few weeks!  I was willing to spend money (carefully) in order to creatively feather my nest and totally dug the process.   There is a movement happening across the country... lots of like minded crafty types are snipping and weaving and sewing and gluing.   

Get 'em to do it in your store!

The "same old, same old" isn't going to cut it anymore. People need to watch their pennies and will be hesitant to spend them freely.  You are going to have to work hard to capture their dollars.  Leverage the affordable indulgence that crafting can provide. Think of less traditional ways to promote your current inventory.  For example, sponsor a city wide Design Challenge and see what an old sweater can morph into or what can be done with Nana's old jewelry.  Create several categories and offer prizes for the winners.  Better yet...schedule a "gallery night" to showcase the participants and invite the press. Even better...join forces with other crafty stores in your area to cross promote the experience.

You have the store.  You have the merchandise.  You have the chutzpah.  Now leverage your power and make it your mission to cultivate the success you desire!



In other news:

I am packing the boxes and heading to Tucson next week to teach at Swarovski's Create Your Style Event.  Although we will not have a booth this year, we still want to connect with you! 

SPECIAL EVENT FOR CUSTOMERS AND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS:

Please join me on Thursday February 4, 2010 for a FREE WORKSHOP on making Embedded  Felt Jewelry as well as a light lunch of Empanadas and Sangria.  The festivities are scheduled to last from 10:00 am  until 1:00 pm and all materials to the learn the basic technique will be provided ....NO CHARGE!   

Space is limited so reserve your spot NOW! 

Keep it Loose and Keep it Tight ....finding the proper balance in an out of balance world.

Small business owners seem to wear a lot of hats, often all at the same time  It is certainly true for me!  The fourth quarter of every year seems to provide extra challenges for me ...and for most business owners who are also wives, mothers, caretakers, etc.  Family commitments rise during the fall months (school functions, sporting events, extra socializing  and visits from family).  Business commitments also tend to increase.  After all, it is shopping season and you need to "get while the gettins' good"!   I have an added component tossed into the mix....the big industry trade shows happen in January.  Those shows require considerable prep work in the months prior to the actual event, so the holiday season usually finds me tense and distracted too much of the time.

It is during this period that it is easy for me to feel out of control...I pedal faster, then a little faster, and even faster still.  I conduct a Priority Triage so as to take stock and reassess my commitments.  Family priorities trump business priorities almost every single time.  Good for family, but bad for business.  I work hard, in the words of Amos Lee, to "keep it loose and keep it tight" in an effort achieve a successful balance.  It is not always an easy task and I am constantly reassessing---personally and professionally.

What is the Crafty Retailer to do?

Review and refine and then refine some more.

I recently took some time to re-examine something that has become a "this is the way I have always done it" aspect of my life.  Bead store owners all over the United States are gearing up for the Tucson trade show.  It is the biggest trade show in the industry and I have attended, either as a buyer or a vendor, for years.  I went when I did not have the money to go and I went when I did not want to leave my kids.  I went when I was sick as a dog and I went when I was seriously understaffed at work.  I went because it was good for business.    The Tucson show was always the "line in the sand" that I drew between family and work.   My husband and kids could shuffle along in the absence of the head Cook/Chauffeur/Laundress for a week or two and the business needed for me to attend the trade show.  Period.

Traveling to trade shows as a store owner is part work/part play.  Traveling as a vendor is primarily work --- physically and emotionally.  It is also exhilarating --- getting to meet your customers face to face, seeing what the competition is up to, hoping for positive feedback.  I would not miss it!

....Except I made the decision not to go as a vendor this year.  The price is too high.

Not the booth fee, not the hotel fees, not the plane ticket....not any of that stuff.  Mind you....I am aware of those fees and never mind paying them.  We are in a down economy so it is even more important then ever to attend trade shows and industry events.

.......and yet, I am not going.  The price is simply too high.  The price?  Almost two weeks.  Yup....12 days away from my family. 

I am a homebody.  I love my business, but I love my other world, too.  I love my husband, my kids, my animals, my life.  My "baby  girl" is 17... a few blinks away from adulthood.  My eldest graduated from college in December and will soon be moving across the country to follow his dream.  My middle son is a minute away from shadowing his brother's footsteps.  I recently buried two of the pets of my children's youth.  12 days away from home?  I cannot do it this year.  The price is simply too high.
 
I am at peace with the decision but there is a part of me that is still somewhat shocked that I made it.   I always exhibit at Tucson.  While I feel all warm and fuzzy family-wise,  I am cognizant that choices have consequences.  So...I decided to hedge my bets, as it were!

I am delighted to have been asked to teach the Nuno Felt Scarf Workshop at Swarovski's Create Your Style Event on February 3.  I made the decision to do a bit more teaching this year, so the workshop will further my business plans and it should be a heck of a lot of fun.  Register here.    I am also conducting a free Felted Soap demonstration on Friday that could put me in front of potential customers.

Moreover, I will have the opportunity to actually walk the trade show...something that I haven't been able to do in many years since I was the one behind the booth.  Finally, I am planning to invite my customers to a  free Craft Social (details to follow in a future post, but the necklace pictured below will provide a bit of a hint).   Yup,  it seems that I will have an opportunity to do some finely tuned marketing and promotion after all.    Best of all....I will be away from my family for less than 5 full days.

Will there be any fallout?  I am holding my breath....and will let you know in March.  My competition will be out in full force....better staffed and better financed.  It will be interesting  to compare the numbers to years past to determine whether there was a substantive difference to the bottom line.  I will keep you posted!


JUST PUTTIN' IT OUT THERE............So what about you?  What happens when personal and business priorities collide in your crafty world?  Inquisitive minds want to know!



In other news....Two new "Finallys" to announce:

I  finally got the Aussie wholesale shopping cart functional and I finally finished my latest fiber necklace.   It has four very large Swarovski crystal stones embedded in the felt (The drop at the bottom has a 40mm stone!).  The necklace was much more fun....the website damn near killed me.   Thank goodness for free customer support at Volusion.  Please let me know if you encounter any snafus with the computer and we will resolve them as quickly as possible.    Users are required to register in order to access pricing to better protect our customers.  Check it out!

TNNA lessons: Great shop displays will attract attention and increase sales!

The National Needle Arts Trade Show has come and gone...what an incredible learning opportunity! The retail shop attendees were enthusiastic and eager to do business. We had a vendor booth and went with the intent to introduce our latest product line and make some contacts. Order taking was not part of our plan; rather, we envisioned an opportunity to meet and greet while testing the market for our new kits and embellishments. The retail shops would have none of it! They saw innovative product and they were ready to buy.

Those with whom we spoke were excited about the state of their businesses and were weathering the economic storm nicely. They were seeking out new markets and working hard to attract the Cross Over Crafter to their retail establishments. This was our first experience with the TNNA show, and according to show staffers, the numbers were down about 10% from the previous year. Maybe so, but we did not feel the pain! Of course, there were plenty of denim vested, duck appliqued grannies (not that there is anything wrong with that!) who were not interested in anything outside their comfort zone, but there were many others who were eager to learn about a different segment of the DIY market. It was very cool to see, and a heck of a lot of fun!

We recently added a new product line featuring hand dyed luxury wool and silk top for felting and spinning. We had a tiny booth and needed to get some attention directed our way in the midst of some spectacular (and expensive) well established displays. In the days before the show I was out feeding the chickens (who reside in Cluckingham Palace, pictured at left) and pondering the booth dilemma when inspiration struck! Chicken Wire! Yup, chicken wire was the answer to my prayers.

I hit all of the local thrift stores ---and managed to catch two of them on their 50% off day---to stock up on wooden picture frames. I painted them black and replaced the glass with chicken wire. I was able to weave the beautiful roving in and out of the chicken wire to create an eye catching "art gallery" of fiber.It was easy to make, inexpensive to ship, and we did it all for under $30. The same concept would work equally well in a retail store to display a yarn sample, beaded necklace, or fabric.

The always innovative Pick Up Sticks had a spectacularly fun "Bake Shop/Ice Cream Parlor" Theme. It was adorable...beautiful apron adorned attendants serving up ice cream inspired balls of yarn. Cute, cute, cute and most important....MEMORABLE! Even the most exhausted shopper will remember where to go for knitted felt kits!

We were equally inspired by some of the awesome folks that we had an opportunity to meet! It was a personal thrill to have an opportunity to spend some time with my felting hero, Carol Cypher. Carol has written a number of extraordinary books and if you have any desire to learn the ancient craft of felting, you will need to add two of her books to your library: Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads and How We Felt. In addition to serving as an ambassador for Tulip Company, Ltd., Carol was nice enough to take some time to teach me the intricacies of bead crochet.

The Fun Shop Owner Award goes to Steven Berg of The Yarn Garage. We first noticed him at the end of the long first day and watching him was like a breath of fresh air. He was dressed like a rock star and looked like Rod Stewart's cooler younger brother. I had an opportunity to meet Steven and his mother, Christa, on the last day of the show. What a treat! The man is charismatic and passionate about fiber. His enthusiasm is contagious and I can only imagine what fun it is to be a Yarn Garage customer. Steven co-owns the shop with his sister, Monika. His mother was a hoot....as she left the booth she looked back at me and said "I know that you see a lot of people. If you can't remember Steven, you will certainly remember me. I am the old lady who knits." Too funny. Forget Steven? AS IF! Special kudos to The Yarn Garage---those folks know how to use technology and social media to promote their store brand. Check out Steven's Facebook and the store blog to see how it is done!

Cool New Product Update: I couldn't leave the TNNA show without snagging a KNIT KIT. This is one of those items that makes your knitting life so easy that you can't imagine what took so long for someone to invent it! It is the Swiss Army Knife of knitting accessories and retails for $19.95. The product launched in March 2009 and the company has already sold 30,000 units! It has a built in measuring tape, scissors and more....perfect for the cross over crafter!