It’s always awkward to start out a blog post when you haven’t
done one in awhile.. you aren’t sure how to be! Like when you’re in the midst
of a breakup and you tiptoe around each other in the house like everything’s
made of glass.. like that. In any case, I’ve been busy. Busy doing what, you
ask?
Launching a legitimate handmade business!
Something that I touch on here and there in my posts is how
I enjoy knitting and doing crafts, just enjoy
creating in general. For years, I’ve been knitting for charity and
for friends, and even selling a piece here and there. I created an
Etsy shop a
few years ago, but haven’t ever made a sale since Etsy is so oversaturated at
this point it isn’t even funny. That wasn’t doing how I thought it would, so I
opted for the next best thing – doing craft shows!
Several years ago, I came up with the moniker Blackheart Knits & Crafts as
kind of a whim. It’s something that I thought of that never really went away
and it has definitely stuck!
The last month has been nothing but stress, hemorrhaging money,
and attempting to create the greatest booth I possibly could. I bought plain
kraft paper bags and hand-stamped each letter on them, bought and painted
fixtures, bought tablecloths, created business cards – the whole shebang. It
all came full circle for me when I applied for a Wisconsin
seller’s permit! We are officially ready to roll!
Of course, my first show (which was this past Sunday) didn’t
go how I would have planned. Organizers poorly promoted the show, which led to
maybe 25 people in the door all day, and it was not the handmade show it was
purported to be. There were maybe three handmade crafts booths, otherwise the
entire show was saturated with home businesses like Pure Romance, Pampered
Chef, and the like. Through no fault of my own, my first show really was not a
success.
Since there are two sides to every coin, I decided to take
my motivation and direct it forward, instead of stewing and being upset about a
show that didn’t go how it should have. So, since Sunday, I have been a busy
bee! I have booked about ten more shows from now until Thanksgiving weekend,
and if anything, I’m just hungry to be successful and continue to grow the
little handmade business that homes itself in my second bedroom when it isn’t
packed up and ready to go.
I will continue to maintain an Etsy shop, which you can
find
here, and if you’re in the Midwest area and want to check out one of my
local shows, or even if you just want to ‘Like’ what I’m doing,
Blackheart Knits & Crafts is now on Facebook. Even if you aren’t in the area, I always
take custom orders and you know.. Christmas is just a stone’s throw away!
Seriously, though – thank you guys for your patience and I
will be happy to continue sharing news and goings-on in my little life with a
bit more frequency from now going forward.
