My first craft show was a success! I had no idea what to expect, but people were definitely in the mood to buy aprons and baby hats this year! I had to stop taking Christmas orders by the end of the first day. WOW!! That completely exceeded my hopes for the show. I already have a page of ideas for next year!
And other big news...10 1/2 weeks into this business, I have officially started making a profit! I have done other businesses before, and fully expected that it would take a while to build it up, because I had no supplies other than my sewing machine and my brain when I started. I was shooting to break even by the end of the year. So I met my goal early and am completely thrilled. Now I am starting to put the leftover inventory from the craft show up on etsy (see the widget at right), so hopefully that will generate even more!
Some goals for next year include: making up more Christmas-themed merchandise for the Christmas craft shows, placing some product in local storefronts, and saving up enough to buy a dress form. A long term goal is to purchase a monogramming machine and offer personalization.
The biggest necessity I have right now is better storage in my office, so probably that will take some precedence in January (Christmas money may help with this!) It looks like I will be filling more orders for my specialty pathology smocks as well, and perhaps that will involve some medical trade shows...well, I'm just brimming with ideas!
But for now, lots o' knitting and sewing to finish existing orders, and making up some handmade gifts for my super-supportive family!
