Positive Yarn

The girls and their grandma pause for a pose at Lots of Knots. Debbie Gruber is in the background in the red shirt — caught in mid-stride as she's off to accomplish another task.

I knew I liked Debbie Gruber from the moment I met her. The owner of Lots of Knots Ceramics, which is tucked inside the Lodi, OH, outlet mall, exudes friendliness and fun. My two daughters and I had gone into her shop several weeks ago, on a quiet weeknight, to look at all the neat works of art in progress and to inquire about birthday parties.

“Birthdays? Oh yes, we’ve done ‘em, from 2 to 92,” Gruber said with a laugh.

I explained that I needed separate, but concurrent celebrations, because my younger daughter’s birthday is Aug. 6 and my older daughter’s birthday is Aug. 11 — but with my husband out of town, I personally was only up for one outing with their respective friends! No problem, Gruber said.

Gruber did not disappoint on Saturday, when I came to her door laden with a crock pot of sloppy joes, as well as bags filled with hamburger buns, chips, soda, cake, ice cream and an assortment of plates, cups and plasticware. There were balloons on the door, a designated gift/food table and pretty tablecloths on the guest tables (under less-pretty tablecloths for the girls to paint on first). Each of my kids was allowed to invite three friends, all of whom showed up eager to make their own ceramic dinosaur, kitty, puppy or other bisque knickknack.

As soon as she met me at the door, Gruber helped me unpack, took the ice cream back to her own shop freezer, and appeared with a wooden spoon in hand before I had a chance to realize mine was left at home. She and her assistants immediately engaged all of the girls, so there was no time to be bored or left wondering what was to come next. They were too busy picking out their selection from the “party table” and then deciding upon just the right colors to use.

For my part, I sank into a chair across from a couple other moms and let the party play out for a bit in front of Lots of Knots’ big glass window (where, I noticed, the merry-making caught the eye of more than one child as he or she passed in front of the store).

Gruber is sweet as can be, but she was also no-nonsense when needed. She made sure there wasn’t any fighting over paint, for example, and also swiftly recognized when attention spans were spent and it was time to eat and open presents. It definitely wasn’t her first rodeo. With my oldest turning 11, it’s not mine, either, but it was a relief to turn much of the responsibility over to Gruber and her team. In fact, she told me when I first booked the event, “We welcome other parents to stay, but to be honest, it’s almost easier when we’re allowed to do what we do without interference.”

Her shop was large enough to host what looked to be a few regular customers, as well as a young family who came to sit and paint and enjoy one another’s company. Things went smoothly to the end, at which time the older girls were anxious to explore the mall’s other stores in the hopes of buying matching T-shirts for the first day of school. (Ah, sixth grade!)

I panicked a bit, because I hadn’t thought things through: Did I really want half a pan of sloppy joe sauce simmering in my car trunk on a hot August evening? Once again, it was Gruber to the rescue: “Go ahead and shop, I’ll put everything up for you in the fridge.”

I told her to have as many sandwiches as she liked and, forever grateful, I was then pulled down the alley to a tween clothing store. An hour later, we all returned to Lots of Knots to pick up our respective sprayed ceramic pieces, which were individually wrapped in scrap fabric and plastic bags for a safe ride home. As we said our goodbyes, the moms all murmured how they “didn’t know this was here” and “what a great concept” and “the girls really had fun.”

I tipped Gruber about 15% of the bill, and her surprise led me to believe that she doesn’t receive that very often. I’m hoping my group’s positive feelings about the event truly lead back to return business to Gruber and her crew.

Over the years, I have been to many birthday parties in a variety of venues — including my own wonderful grownups-only one at Potomac Bead Shop. Still, Lots of Knots was special to me for two reasons in particular:

1. The shop accommodated my needs: From really having two parties in one to allowing me to store the food and gifts while I shopped nearby, I can’t say enough about the great way I was treated.
2. The enthusiasm was contagious: Gruber in particular never lost her upbeat attitude. When she announced that there was a choice of either glitter or glow-in-the-dark paint to be had, she sounded as excited as the kids did. We all left with smiles.

So now it’s your turn: What has been your experience with hosting parties at your shop? Is it worth the effort? If not, what needs to change to make a good return on your investment? Share your insights below or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

A friend of mine is in charge of her needlework guild’s membership address book. Her responsibilities include calling local shops to see whether they will offer a member discount through the year. If they do, they receive a free mention in the book.

As in past years, this was mostly just a courtesy call — the majority of shops welcomed the free exposure. But this year, she encountered two shop owners who verbally took her to task for members not coming in.

One just vented her frustration, which, while perhaps unprofessional, was at least understandable.

The other told her, “Forget it. No one came in, and maybe they’ll notice if I don’t give a discount this year.”

My friend was not asking for a paid renewal, in which case I could see the owner declining. She was asking to rerun a free ad in a local guild membership address book — a highly targeted market. The owner didn’t even have to submit anything; her ad was already on file.

When my friend told me about this, she also noted that she knew of at least four of her fellow members who had been in that particular shop in recent months. When she mentioned that to the owner during their conversation, the woman sniffed, “Two, maybe.”

Whether it was four, two or one, doesn’t every customer count? And if “no one” was coming in, what was it costing her? The 10% discount she wasn’t giving to anyone?

I see four ways where wine could have been made with these sour grapes, if only the owner could get past her pride:

1. She was missing an opportunity to get valuable feedback, to ask my friend, “Do you know why more members aren’t coming in?” It could have less to do with price and more to do with shop hours or parking availability. While these may not be easily fixed, they’re at least tangible issues to address.
2. Had she attended a guild function as a guest, to mix with members and build relationships, she might have garnered some interest. Think of how many networking event converations end in “Send me your email address” or “Stop by the shop” or “Let me call you next week.”
3. Had she offered to speak to the guild about an area of expertise, she could have positioned herself as a local expert and thus the “go-to” person when a member was looking for what her shop offers.
4. If a discount program wasn’t bringing them in, perhaps a frequent shopper program would. Maybe a referral program would grab attention (Forbes recently published a great article about this). I guess you could say she was “switching strategies” by dropping the free ad, but her abrupt manner sabotaged any customer relations she was looking to build. Bottom line: If one method isn’t working, switch gears gracefully. Don’t just grab your marbles and go home.

By the actions she did take, the owner ended up getting brand exposure — just not the kind any business owner wants. My friend has told her story to all her local and non-local friends, and inevitably receives the same surprised reaction.

“Maybe they’ll notice if I don’t give a discount this year”? How self-defeating. Why would they notice, when they’re going to the competitors who appear in the book and whose shops are top of mind?

Grass-roots charitable programs have been with us a long time, but they seemed to really come to the forefront this past January when Pepsi announced that it was taking the money it would normally spend on Super Bowl ads and putting it behind the Pepsi Refresh Project, where it’s literally giving away millions of dollars monthly to deserving organizations in grant form. (In its blog post “The Democratization of Corporate Philanthropy,” Forbes.com points out that the American Express Members Project actually came first.)

It’s a bit of cheer in a crummy economy: A deserving group gets cash from a corporate giant, who in turn gets great PR and the group’s undying loyalty.

How can this translate to you and your small business? One way is to team with GoodShop.com and GoodSearch.com (and no, I’m not affiliated with either). I’ll let GoodSearch’s “About us” copy do the talking here:

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50 percent of its sponsored search revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it’s powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!

In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user’s designated charity or school – averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more.

Still, it doesn’t have to be about giving away cash, purchasing online ads or encouraging customers and employees to click on a link. These are all great things, but look at Appalachian Baby, whose handmade gifts and knit and crochet kits are put together by Appalachian workers as a way to both express their artistry and make a living in an impoverished community. Be Sweet lives up to its mission of being a “company with a conscience,” working with job creations programs in South Africa to give a fair wage and stable environment to women who find such opportunities to be few and far between. It also donates a portion of its profits to the Shaw Park School, “a primary and secondary school in the Eastern Cape where many of the participants’ children attend,” according to Founder Nadine Curtis.

Naturally, I understand someone’s preference to give anonymously, as well, but sometimes the spirit of giving can be contagious among customers and co-workers alike. Deborah Crawford’s article Six Reasons Your Small Business Should Support a Charity sums things up nicely. David Frey, president of Marketing Best Practices Inc., focuses on choosing the right charity for your business in his article Charity Marketing: Growing Your Business Through Charitable Giving.

But let me turn the tables here: How are you supporting charities through your business? What initiatives have been a win-win for your company? I want to know! Please comment below or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

In my July “Links I Love” (didn’t get this e-newsletter? Email me!), I posted how Quilter’s Garden in Princeton, IL, has turned an above-shop apartment into a revenue-generating Retreat Center by installing great lighting, equipment and a friendly price tag to rent to customers looking for a weekend quilting getaway.

This week, I came across the blog for Global Retail Trends, which recently highlighted the 6,000-sq.-ft. M.A.C Pro space in New York. 

This particular store for the cosmetics giant is unlike any other, the blog reports. Instead, it “is a full-blown retail/studio and experimentation facility for make-up artists and beauty professionals. With its dramatic open layout, the space is a true feast for the eyes.”

Among its standout features, per the blog post:

• “At the mixing station, they can hone their skills, test samples and experiment with the product with all of the tools of the trade nearby.”

How this might translate to your shop: If you’ve attended The National NeedleArts Association’s winter or summer markets, you’ve no doubt seen the Great Wall of Yarn & Thread. Conference attendees are welcome to feel the fibers, ooh and ahh over designer-created swatches and even snip off a strand from the hanks on display. It’s a great introduction to the new products that are making their debut. Why not set up a mini-wall in your shop for customers to touch, see up close and even take home small samples of the new items you have in stock? If you’re concerned about the moochers among your clientele who only like to get something for nothing, the display could be portable (samples hung on a simple room divider unit, for example) so that it’s only up for an open house, during certain classes or under direct supervision!

• “The reference library is stocked with books, magazines and other reference materials for those who want to learn more or do research.”

How this might translate to your shop: Obviously, you’re trying to sell instructional materials, not be a lending library. On the other hand, try placing a shelf or two of old favorites in the classroom area or employee room. Encourage employees to sign out a book or DVD that could broaden their areas of expertise. They can train on their own time, and make your shop’s knowledge base that much more well-rounded. And hey, money talks: Put a $25 gift card on the line to reward any staffer who shows initiative and completes a project from one of the books in a technique he or she didn’t know before. Before long, a first-person book review could well become a staple of your shop’s e-newsletter.

Another variation on the book theme: I assume you have the pattern close by to the samples you have around the shop. Do you also have related technique guides on display? Beginners in particular might want to purchase everything they can to make sure they get a technique right the first time. Show them that you have all their bases covered.

• “At the photography studio, they can record their processes and their results.”

How this might translate to your shop: Think of how proud your students would be to not only complete a project in your class, but have it nicely photographed in a corner of your shop. With a minimal investment of a digital camera, a lightbox and an employee with a steady hand, you not only have a happy customer but consistent, professional-grade samples to showcase on  your website  — and even as part of a slide show in digital frames sprinkled  throughout the shop. Make sure you have customers sign a document that states they are aware that, for the privilege of getting a beautiful, free photo of their project that they can use as they wish, they are also allowing you to use it in your marketing efforts.

• “A separate training area, a kitchenette and bathrooms with showers make this an ideal space for some serious learning.”

How this might translate to your shop: While I’m sure you want customers to take their time in your shop, you’re probably not willing to have them set up housekeeping. However, now may be a good time to take a look at your classroom area, your employee area and your restroom. Are these places clean and uncluttered? Are they projecting the hospitality that the rest of your shop is claiming to offer, or are they areas for which you tend to put off doing upgrades (or maintenance)? Believe it or not, this a great place to build staff morale and leadership. Focus on an area — the public restroom, for example — and get input from employees on what changes they’d like to see implemented. Remember, they’re on the front lines and may have insights into some great ideas. For example, maybe a customer has just started selling her handmade soaps locally, and could use the exposure at your register as well as your sink.

I should note that Global Retail Trends’ site is Retail-is-Detail.org, and I’d have to say its URL’s cutesy concept does ring true. What “details” are working in your shop? Wanna share? Drop me a line in the comments section  below or email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

"Lefty" finds that the Easter egg dipping tool works just fine.

As I attempted to teach my 7-year-old how to crochet recently, I quickly realized that her stubbornness and her left-handedness were going to be pretty big obstacles. I tried all the tricks: We looked in a mirror as I held the hook; we faced each other so she could try to duplicate my actions that way. Both strategies just added to her — to our — frustration. (Perhaps like shouldn’t be teaching like.)

My 10-year-old strolled by and said, “Maybe she’ll just have to learn to do it the normal way.”

Cutting words, indeed.

An estimated 7% to 13% of the U.S. population are lefties. Stores like UK’s Anything Lefthanded cater to this group and offer such diverse merchandise as scissors and watches, golf clubs and guitars.

While it’s definitely a niche, it’s one to take note of — especially for would-be crafters who don’t want to even bother because of all the transposing and inevitable frustration involved. Some learn to adapt to the “normal” way without difficulty; some end up teaching themselves through trial, error and perserverance. Still others thrive under the instruction of a left-handed instructor or a right-handed instructor who is knowledgeable about left-handed technique. I firmly believe that it’s getting them to start that is the biggest obstacle to overcome.

My daughter does needlepoint very well for her age. She’s mastered the tent stitch and the French knot; basketweave might be a different story. Right now, her hands are small enough that “grownup” sized scissors don’t affect her comfort while cutting. I’m glad we’re at least exposing her to different forms of needlework as a kid, so as she looks for a pastime as a teen and adult, there’s a level of comfort and familiarity with it.

In the lazy days of summer, perhaps it’s a good time to poll your customers to see who among them are southpaws, and of them, what they’d like to see in your inventory to make their hobby easier and more relaxing. Perhaps they are just fine with what you already have, but it’s worth it to give them a chance to have their say. (August 13 is International Lefthanded Day — a great excuse for a sale!)

Here are a few examples of acknowledging this group:

• Needlepoint For Fun devotes a page on its website with great links simply on “How To Needlepoint Left Handed.”
• Diane Thorton calls herself the “Left Out Knitter” and has an informative website with videos for sale regarding good technique.
• The Needle and I specifically includes left-handed scissors in its online sales inventory.
• Carol Ventura offers both right- and left-handed instructions for patterns and tutorials at her Tapestry Crochet site.
• Any shop near Left Hand, WV, is bound to have a lot of “Left Handers” as customers!

Want to add to this list? Comment below or send me an email at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

A new study finds that the current college population, defined as ages 18 to 34, has jumped 6% to be the biggest class in history. An estimated 16 million students nationwide are preparing for their fall classes.

Alloy Media + Marketing’s 10th Annual College Explorer Study, powered by Harris Interactive, also estimates that this group has $306 billion in projected spending power.

“And, while overall non-discretionary expenses are on the rise, it’s this consumer group’s discretionary spend that is particularly revealing,” the press release continues. “Showing a projected 10% increase since last year, the 18-34 year old college set continues to display a penchant for what they deem ‘must-haves,’ with annual discretionary spending figures rising to an estimated $69 billion, representing a substantial hike from 2009.”

Those must-haves include cell phones and other technology gadgets, as well as entertainment like movies and restaurants. These are just the preliminary results — Alloy Media + Marketing will release its full findings later this month. But what it’s already released does set up an interesting topic: How do you capture the college student’s heart and mind (and wallet)?

1. Hire ‘em. I’ve banged the drum before about The National NeedleArts Association’s wonderful Pathways into Professional Needlearts (PiPN) internship program, but this year the association has expanded it to include an apprentice program. I’ve witnessed firsthand the college students who have completely embraced needlearts as a result of this program, students who would otherwise have dismissed the pursuits as something their grandmas would do. Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, cross-stitching and needlepointing opened up new creative doors for these students, and in turn, many are putting a youthful, modern turn on stitch interpretation and design. I guarantee they have shared their passion with their friends, and word of mouth gets spread quickly.

2. Help them accessorize. Beaded cell phone charms, crocheted cell phone covers, quilted iPad cases… on campus, it’s all about expressing your individualism (even if you doublecheck that everyone else is doing it first). MAKE magazine and its very popular Maker Faire events are great examples of blending the worlds of technology and handmade.

3. Keep them from getting lonely. If you’re based near a college, hold weekend classes for kids who might be homesick, stressed, and in need of something fun to pass the time until their friends get back on Sunday. Participate in on-campus community events with a booth and an easy make-and-take — if nothing else, it’s a great way to unload old inventory! There are also plenty of campus outreach groups that would love a place for its members to hang out on a Saturday night, doing something fun for themselves or for charity.

Do you have the college set in your customer database? Please share your tips for building their loyalty, either in the comments below or emailing me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

One thing I really loved about The National Needlework Association’s (TNNA’s) Summer Market in Columbus, OH, this year was the series of free mini-seminars held right on the show floor. Even exhibitors like myself — once I plied my husband with the promise of a lunch break as soon as I returned — could slip away from the booth to attend at least one of the one-hour events. In fact, because it took place in the middle of the convention center at the TNNA “lounge” area, folks could casually come and go as they pleased. If they found that a seminar wasn’t hitting the right notes for them, they could just walk away without the frustration we’ve all felt at one time or another of sitting though a class just because it’s paid for (and because tongues might wag if we just got up and left the room).

I was lucky enough to attend two seminars, both by Jaime Guthals, director of public relations for Interweave. One was for Facebook, which I’ll discuss in an upcoming column, and the other was for Twitter, which I’ll discuss below.

Social media in the needlework world is becoming big business. Ravelry.com is leading the way (Jessica and Casey, if you’re reading, I’d love to see the stash database in a sister product for needlepoint and cross-stitch!), of course, but shop owners and designers alike are finding that their Facebook friends and Twitter followers like to get announcements from them in the daily data stream. And not just announcements — retweets of items of interest, insights into the people behind the yarn or pattern, and best of all, the chance to “converse” on their own timetables, either privately or publicly.

Guthals packed a lot of information into her one-hour time slot. The majority of her audience was comprised of Twitter newbies, sprinkled with more experienced folks. While she tried to keep the information at an introductory level, I did pick up a few things. For example, she quoted a 2009 survey done over a two-week period by Pear Analytics that found tweets fell into one of six categories (percentages are rounded here):

• pointless babble: 41%
• conversational: 38%
• pass-along value (retweet): 9%
• self-promotion: 6%
• spam: 4%
• news: 4%

She also noted that there are an estimated 500 million Facebook users, vs. approximately 100 million Twitter users. Theories vary, but she agrees with the thought that while Facebook is a platform where people can reconnect with one another at their own pace — checking their messages and their wall, for example — Twitter is very much in the moment. When you’re on Twitter, chances are (unless it was directly messaged to you or otherwise called to your attention) you’re only looking at things written in the past few minutes. Something posted an hour ago could well be ancient history, since so much has transpired since then.

In her presentation, Guthals spelled out four specific goals that every business tweeter should have:

• Drive traffic to your website.
• Generate exposure and personalize your brand.
• Raise your profile on a personal level.
• Build relationships and allow you to interact with customers in new ways, not possible in the shop or site.

Surveys, announcements, links to photos, retweets… there’s a lot you can do. Guthals admits that in her role as publicist, she follows more than 1,000 people (including me! Thanks, Jaime!) and that the steady stream of information can be daunting, to say the least. To keep your sanity, she says, try using TweetDeck to track who’s saying what on which subject. She also recommends HootSuite to track the clickthroughs of URLs you tweet, to see what return on investment you can gain. And really, with Twitter being a free platform, the only investments are time and a bit of effort.

So let’s keep the conversation going. Has Twitter had an impact on YOUR business? I want to know! Comment below, email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com, or simply direct message me on Twitter @PositiveYarn. Heck, you can even leave me note on my Facebook page.

This, according an official press release from the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-small-business-week. (Thank you, Terri Mason, for bringing it to my attention!)

There are a whole lot of events going on to celebrate, including streaming live Webcasts that can be found at the official site, NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com. I’ll be back mid-week for more to report on all the hoopla. In the meantime, feel free to sound off below if your local business community is doing anything to mark this special week — as well as ideas on how you can “celebrate” in your own business.

When you started your business, it’s likely that you chose your unique selling point (USP): Why you felt you deserved to be out there among the competition, and how you were going to grab your share of the market.

But in the intervening years, is your USP still relevant? Or have you evolved from your starting point so much that something like “We provide a safe haven for beginners” doesn’t make as much sense now that your core customers are typically experienced and looking for more complexity? Are you still offering cappuccinos to your customers for a coffeehouse atmosphere, or have you phased that out in favor of stocking beads and making room for jewelry classes? Did that whole “We’re going to reach out to Gen Yers” really work out, or is your customer’s median age closer to retirement than to college?

In her article “Develop your USP,” Jacqui Howard Bear offers a battery of questions to examine in relation to your business:

• What do you do? If you have a broad offering, can you focus on one or two key services that are most in demand? List your specialties or niche areas.
• How do you do business? Is there something special, unusual, or significant about the way you do business? Do you offer 24- or 48-hour turnaround? Do you deliver for free?
• Who are your customers? Look at the demographics: age, interests, location (local, all over the world).
• What do your customers want? Is it low price, your personality, your location, your reputation, or something else that attracts customers to your business? List the benefits that customers derive from you.

There’s no shame in tweaking your USP from its original format. In fact, it shows how you’ve grown and met the realistic demands of your customers, rather than staying in some idealized state that doesn’t match what your receipts are recording. When my husband and I started Gooch & Gooch five years ago, we thought our main business was going to be designing brochures. While we’ve done many marketing projects that touch on all sorts of media, the percentage of actual “brochures” we’ve made for our customers vs. press releases, enewsletters, websites, articles, videos, tweets and so on is really small. Besides, the amount of freelance writers and editorial managers is continuing to grow in light of the massive layoffs in journalism — and there are many competent copy producers out there. We’ve had to refocus on what makes us stand out from the crowd. In our case, it’s our ability to bring out the best in our customers, even on a limited budget.

Your USP is a reflection on how you do business. Choose wisely, and it can be the centerpiece of your marketing plan — the cog from which spokes like your tagline, your logo, your shop decor and even your business policies emanate. Stick with an outmoded one, and don’t be surprised when the wheels fall off.

I recently came across a press release touting the results of a brand-new study from the Craft & Hobby Association. (To see the release in its entirety, click here.)

Designer Beth Gantz may be onto something sweet and delicious: combining needlepoint with "cake decor"!

The 2009 Attitude & Usage (A&U) Study surveyed approximately 6,000 households to see how many craft projects they did during the year. Although there was an estimated $27. 4 billion spent on crafting (supplies, classes, etc.), the study found that the percentage of participating households has remained at a steady 56% — the same as in the previous three years, in fact. In 2008, sales were $27.3 billion, so that’s not exactly a huge gain. But on the other hand, there’s something to be said for it not being a loss.

“The A&U Study tracks trends in four broad categories comprised of General Crafts, Needle & Sewing Crafts, Painting & Finishing Crafts, and Floral Crafts,” the release explains. “During 2009, the General Crafts category represented 44% of industry sales and was +18% over the prior year.  Strong category performance was driven by growth in the Woodworking, Cake Decorating, and Jewelry Making segments.”

While the other three categories saw declining sales overall, there were some segments within that did well: “Home Decor Painting/Accessorizing/Finishing, Knitting, and Wedding/Bridal crafts all grew in 2009.”

The study ranked the Top 10 segments, based on sales and participation, and it’s little surprise that scrapbooking remains No. 1. While many of us have all the paper, stamps and stickers we could ever hope to complete albums with to last a couple lifetimes, it seemed that handmade gifts from the heart — like a special memory box for grandma at Christmas, for example — were popular. (For the record, cardmaking is broken out from the scrapbooking category and is ranked at No. 7.)

Because we are taking more “staycations,” it also makes sense that home decor comes in at No. 2. If we’re stuck at home, we might as well spruce it up, right?

I suggest needlepoint businesses in particular take note of what came in after No. 3-ranked woodworking: cake decorating and art/drawing at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Whether you’re talking color, clean lines or overall artistry, there are definite parallels to cake design and needlepoint design. In fact, Medina’s own Sandy Rodgers was a very well respected cake designer before she turned her considerable talents loose on the more permanent medium of fabric — check out her gorgeous work on her “Life Before Embroidery” page here. (And if you’re not familiar with her current needlework, for shame! Click here!)

If your local bakery is offering cake-decorating classes, for example, see whether there’s some synergy to be had with their students. Offer to promote their teaching schedule in your shop if they do the same for yours, with flyers touting something to the effect of “Got cake? Get canvas!” Or perhaps co-sponsor a seminar on color choices.

Similar opportunities may lie with the local community center’s introduction to drawing and painting classes. Offer to be a guest speaker and show in what ways painting on a canvas to be stitched can be similar to and different from just regularly listening to your muse.

I’m actually surprised that jewelry-making came in at No. 6, because it seems so popular with crafters of all ages — and especially working moms. Projects you can do with a glass of wine on your right and a good conversationalist on your left, and still get something beautiful completed in less than three hours, are few and far between. Still, traditional shops take note: Once consumers get the “bead bug,” so to speak, they’re looking to embellish everything they can. Do you have beads on display that can complement certain projects? Selected packets of beads to add sparkle to that shawl they’re currently working on? Quick kits to work up a beaded key fob to go with that new felted purse? Tiny needlepoint frames that can go on a chain and let them show off their work like their Victorian counterparts once did?

Perhaps most important to note is what the study found to be the main motivators for crafting. At No. 1 was a sense of accomplishment. Think about that: Are you letting your customers know that you’re proud of their work? You, the expert, are seeing them transform from novice to skilled artisan with each project they complete? Are you giving encouragement to students who are looking at a mistake or a daunting task, and showing them just how much they have achieved already? When they ask for your input on choosing a project, are you considering how much they can challenge themselves without getting in over their heads?

That final point is important because of Motivator No. 2, relaxation!

I encourage you to read over all the survey’s results, and see how they apply to how you’re currently doing business. The release has a lot of info on its own, but CHA makes a full review of their results available for purchase.

I’d love to keep the conversation going, so please share your questions and insights in the comments section below, or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.