I know that there are some craft seasons that are better than others, this year has been very different. For those that rely on craft sales to make a living, I hope that you are making enough sales to make it worthwhile to continue. My sales have been very slow this year and I feel it’s because there’s far less money available for niceties. Inflation in the U.S. has been rampant and it takes every spare dollar to make ends meet. There are fewer people searching for crafts for gifts right now than in recent years. I hope that the winter months before Christmas pick up and bring the sales numbers up. Most of my sales now are to other vendors that are trying to make their products stand out with soap trays that I make.
For me, the costs of things has affected me in every way possible. Fuel for my truck is more expensive, so getting to places to buy materials or to sell items costs more. Buying raw materials costs more due to fuel and labor costs rising. Power to run my shop is costing more. And then there’ shipping costs for sending my items out to buyers. Postage has risen twice this year alone, and it’s hard to keep raising my prices to meet those outside increases. Pretty soon we’re priced out of the market, so the only way to make it is to lower my labor profit.
Buying from small shop makers is more important now than ever. There are lots of us that are trying to make a living doing what we love or what we’re good at. When people buy from big box stores or from overseas, we suffer from lack of sales and the competition of those pricing structures. Yes it might be cheaper at Wal-mart, but did you get the same quality from there? Who benefits by purchasing from big box stores and overseas?
If you’re reading this and contemplating going to a local craft show, let me encourage you to go and buy from those vendors. You’re feeding local people that appreciate your business far more than anyone at Wal-mart or Ikea.
You might ask where I get my materials for my crafts. The answer is local retailers that buy from local sawmills as much as possible. I do buy some exotics that come from other countries, but my purchase is benefitting a local employer and his employees more than any Wal-mart purchase would. The point is, there are times when we cannot find what we need locally, but when we do have that option, we should try to benefit our local economy as much as possible.