This economy sucks.

I’ve been in retail for… oh wow… 18 years. I have to say, this last holiday and everything that followed was the WORST on record (for me, anyway).

I ordered 1/4 of what I normally order for Halloween/Fall/Christmas and I only ordered from 2 of my favorite vendors. I still have 75% of that inventory from one of those vendors (who is usually quite popular, I might add!). It’s so irritating.

On a normal “slower” year I would just throw that on the Bank of America Business Mastercard and throw the inventory in storage for the next year, but wouldn’t-you-know-it, BofA cut my credit last year. As did Citibank… on both of my accounts.

My credit is excellent, I just bought a house… but my credit limits have been cut, every single minimum payment has gone up and my APR’s have doubled.

And now… I’m inventory poor. That’s right, I’m full of santas, jack o’ lanterns and snowman sh*t, but… I can’t pay for it. The vendor is trying to work with me as we speak… but… it’s June. Very very irritating.

This year I sold at craft shows, on my website, via Amazon, ebay and etsy. I’m paying SO much in store fees on Amazon and ebay… ugh.

So, time to restructure my business. When it started in the late 80′s we mostly did handmade items, then we went to brick and mortar retail and furniture… guess it’s time to get back to handmade? I did dozens and dozens of craft shows every year for almost a decade. Lugging my stuff around in rubbermaid containers from the mountains to the coast to the Masonic Temples on the edge of town. Tagging, putting up and taking down. Wow. Makes me really love the internet* (I’ll revisit this later). In any case, I can use my hands again. But I might need new glasses.

Time to dust off the ol’ glue gun, too.

Jumping back into the world of handmade has been… frustrating. I have experience in SO many mediums, I know my crafting world… but the new world of etsy and those Rock n’ Shops and the Craft Mafias… well, I’m intimidated.

Gorgeous 20 and 30-something moms with their bangs, cat-eyed glasses, handmade smocks and covered in tattoos… I have no idea how to compete.

My usual customer is in her mid to late 40′s or 50′s and loves vintage in a way that her pocketbook can express. These girls that are buying at the “new” craft show want up-cycled, re-cycled, gluten-free, fair-trade, proceeds-given-to-charity, lead-free, baby-proof felted pieces of WONDER for under $15.00. In a perfect world, I would LOVE this idea… but how in the hell will this pay my mortgage?

So… I’m staring into the dawn of a new crafting age. Do I stay-the-course and do what I know, hoping that my 40 and 50-something regulars will find me online (most haven’t heard of etsy), that the 20 and 30-somethings will appreciate AND pay for my offerings… or do I put on the power suit and enter the 9-5 workplace?

I’m a gypsy at heart… I really want to adapt. I’m going to try my hand at evolving… perhaps I’ll start with some gills.