The Shops are open one more weekend, and oh, I am ready for a break. It was a mad rush of production, trying to get enough stuff made to fill the shop — since everything I sell I make, it’s really limited by how much time I can put into it. That’s something I’ll have to think about if I do expand to a bigger shop — I think I’d have three options:
- include work by other local artisans, either in a co-op (which would also help with rent costs), or on consignment, or buying it outright and reselling
- make more myself, or with the help of family / assistants, prioritizing items that we can make fast (I don’t mind doing a little of that, but I definitely want to keep time for doing slow work too — if I want to make a crocheted piece, which I can’t do quickly, I want to have that option)
- sell some items that aren’t handmade (which I’m not completely opposed to, but I’d want them on theme) — that’s a different kind of store, though, and would affect marketing, so a decision would have to be made to go this route. I do often see cute items that I think my customers would love, so there’s a temptation there. Maybe limit it to no more than 10% or 25% of the store’s products? Hmm…
Anyway, I wanted to have a record of what the shop looks like, now that it’s finally full, especially since I’ll be breaking it down next week, eep! If you’d like, come take a tour with me. 🙂