Positive Yarn

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.

Online handcrafted retail giant Etsy.com was a focus of an article today in the New York Times ("Hobbyists Use Etsy to Trade Day Job for Hard Work"). As someone who quit an office job for the trifecta of being home for the kids/being my own boss/setting my own hours, I can sympathize with many of those interviewed for the story — the sometimes 18-hour days, the challenge of work/life balance. I can also see the critics’ point that the whole quitting-a-day-job-and-livin’-the-dream scenario is more fantasy than fact for the majority of crafters on the site, and to promise them anything that gets their hopes up without arming them with some major small business knowledge is simply cruel.

I am curious, however, about what my readers think of Etsy (and similar sites like Indiepublic and American Craft Guide Community, all three of which I actually belong to, but am not very active in). Is it something that your customers love to discuss, or even buy or sell from? Is it something that you use yourself, to unload old inventory, to buy great deals on supplies, to sell your own creative offerings or just to peruse to get ideas and inspiration? Is it passe at this point, or even something that has never really touched you or your customers? Please let me know by dropping me a line in the comments below or email positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

And in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out Regretsy.com, the site that cheekily rounds up the somewhat eccentric (and let me warn you, often mature content) items available on Etsy. It is quick to point out that art is subjective, and that it’s just having a good time poking fun at some of the more offbeat offerings (and perhaps justifiably so, copyright infringement!). There is even a page that shows items that people have purchased from the respective shop owners as a result, lending credence to the old adage there is no such thing as bad publicity. Unless, of course, you’re a respected sports figure…

I drove home from The National NeedleArts Association Summer Market in Columbus this week in my husband’s car. His CDs were scratched beyond belief, so I was stuck with the radio tuner scanning furiously for a station as I drove through traffic. I decided I had had enough and locked in on National Public Radio. NPR is not always my first choice, but the “All Things Considered” program often has interesting information to share.

I was not disappointed. One of the stories discussed the release of a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts. The biggest finding by this government agency seems to be that while attendance at concerts, art galleries, craft festivals and other cultural events is taking a hit, participation in arts and crafts is still going strong — even if it is being done by less people. (Listen to the package here.)

When viewed through the lens of the recession and the fact less consumers have disposable income, the numbers make sense. After all, it’s what you probably already know about your customers: Their projects are a form of entertainment that have a practical side benefit of becoming clothing, décor or gifts for their friends and family. You have something to show for your time investment, more than just a ticket stub. That said, it should be interesting to see whether the numbers will tell a different story the next time the NEA does the survey, after we’ve perhaps turned a corner on the economy.

According to a press release, “the 2008 survey was the NEA’s first attempt to measure attendance at performing arts festivals, use of community venues, and attendance at Latin/Spanish/salsa concerts. This fall, the NEA will release a full summary report of survey findings, including regional data on arts participation. In the next year, the NEA will release more topic-specific reports on the roles of age, race and ethnicity, arts learning, Internet use, and arts creation and performance. In advance of those reports, the NEA is making raw data and detailed statistical tables available to researchers and the public. The tables highlight demographic factors affecting adult participation in a variety of art forms. Another table ranking types of music preferred by adults is also included. The entire survey questionnaire and the raw data and user’s guide are available both on the NEA website and on CPANDA, Princeton University’s Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive.”

Here are some results highlights, with my comments in italics. I’d love to hear your thoughts on them, as well, if you’d care to comment below or email me directly at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com:

• Attendance at the most popular types of arts events — such as art museums and craft/visual arts festivals — saw notable declines. The U.S. rate of attendance for art museums fell from a high of 26 percent in 1992-2002 to 23 percent in 2008, comparable to the 1982 level. (It’s interesting that they lump the events together, as my personal experience is that recent trips to museums have not been crowded, but craft-oriented festivals always seem to be jam-packed. Whether those visitors are there to browse or spend is a study in itself.)
• Fewer adults are creating and performing art. For example, the percentage of adults performing dance has lost six points since 1992. “Weaving, crochet, quilting, needlepoint and sewing” remain popular as crafts, but the percentage of adults who do those activities has declined by 12 points. Only the share of adults doing photography has increased — from 12 percent in 1992 to 15 percent in 2008. (This number just underscores the need to reach a broader audience. People still enjoy hobbies, but perhaps haven’t thought of needlework as a viable option.)
• Aging audiences are a long-term trend. Performing arts attendees are increasingly older than the average U.S. adult (45). The aging of the baby boom generation does not appear to account for the overall increase in age. (Older consumers still seem to be needlework’s bread-and-butter, as well. But does that bode well for the industry in the coming years?)
• Forty-five to 54-year-olds — historically dependable arts participants — showed the steepest declines in attendance for most art events, compared with other age groups. (Let’s hope they’re home working on their latest projects instead!)
• The Internet and mass media are reaching substantial audiences for the arts. About 70 percent of U.S. adults went online for any purpose in 2008 survey, and of those adults, nearly 40 percent used the Internet to view, listen to, download, or post artworks or performances. (This is probably the most important information, as it shows that consumers who are interested in the arts are also Web-savvy. Are they able to find you online, and if they can, will they like what they see?)