Every year it seems the major retail holiday, aka Christmas, is migrating closer to the middle of the year. We now enjoy “Christmas in July” options, which were unheard of years ago. This poses some interesting challenges to crafters that are not selling “personal items”. Do we go with Fall and Thanksgiving themed crafts? On the other hand, do we face the situation, bring in the holidays, and call it good?
Our company exhibited at a craft show this past weekend and I had the luxury to speak with a number of crafters about their feelings on craft shows. They have seen a shift with more people purchasing “personal” items such as bath and body products, jewelry, scarves and handbags. There seems to be less interest in home décor items. From personal experience at this show, we did well with our bath products and hand-painted/crafted ornaments, but also did manage to sell in all of our other product lines. The question is, when do people buy home decorating items, if at all, and where? I would love to hear your thoughts.