It's time for a pivot.
Disclaimer: I had to work really, really hard to write this post without a lot of self-pity. Some may have bled through anyway. I mostly apologize if it did.
When I re-launched my business as Charm and Strange Crochet in 2022, my head was buzzing with business advice from a highly successful crochet business owner. Pam Grice of Crochetpreneur went viral overnight back in 2013 and had to hire dozens of crocheters to help her get her orders out. Now she makes high-six figures teaching people how to be successful in their own crochet businesses, whether they focus on selling products like I do or on writing patterns. So she MUST be right.
A huge piece of her advice was to "find your niche." When I first started selling as Kate's Crochets, I sold basically anything I felt like. If I made it for myself or as a gift and I liked it, I'd sell it. Cat hats, nail polish cozies (lol who actually needs that?), crocheted flowers, baby hats and booties, adult hats and scarves, hand warmers, table runners, and plushies. You name it, I'd sell it. Well, of course, my shop was a disorganized mess and I didn't have many sales. As Pam says, you can't sell to everyone, and if you try, you'll be scaring shoppers away because they won't understand what your shop is about. It's like walking into a small store crammed with 80 shelves: it's overwhelming and hard to focus on any one product, so shoppers move along.
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| just some of my expired Etsy listings. |
So I picked my niche. It was so, so easy for me to pick my niche. Plushies, hats, scarves, baby clothes - those markets are oversaturated, you can find those items anywhere. But sustainable crochet? Crocheted items that are sturdy enough to wash and reuse again and again, that serve a functional purpose, that reduce waste and help people save money in the long run? I never saw that anywhere! And I had already made myself most of what I ended up selling: dish cloths, wash cloths, face scrubbies, and Swiffer pads. I liked these things so much better than their popular disposable alternatives. I believed in these products, so I decided to sell them, and I expanded to farmer's market bags, produce bags, super-textured dish scrubbies, and water bottle slings.
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| most of my sustainable living nice offerings! |
Every time I applied to sell at a market, fair, or permanent store, the people reading the applications told me how much they liked my products. At every market and fair I've been to, I've gotten dozens of similar comments. "Such a great idea!" "Wow, I love this!" Even "Oh, but this looks too nice for me to use as a mop!" It was super encouraging. At first.
But my sales have not matched the compliments. I tried lowering my prices from "this is a comfortable profit" to "okay, this is still a decent profit" to "this is the absolute lowest I can go and still profit," and the numbers haven't changed much. Aside from last year's Berkley Art Bash, I have never more than doubled the cost of attending a show. And plenty of shows I've done have cost $75 or less - so yes, my sales have been $100 and under plenty of times. It's been disheartening to say the least.
This year has, unfortunately, been worse. At last weekend's Clawson Fest, I only had 14 sales in 8 hours. It was the first time I ended up losing money on an event, as I sold less than it cost me to be there. It was a beautiful day, hot but breezy and not too humid, and I had a good time overall sitting with my husband who is an absolute champ at sitting through these events with me. I handed out my card to a few people who didn't purchase, and hey, 14 people now have my products in their hands and they might tell their friends about me! As usual, I got tons of compliments on my work - on my ideas and on my craftsmanship. I love talking to people about how many audiobooks I listen to while I build inventory. It would just feel a LOT better if I actually made a decent profit off of these shows!
And I know it's an election year. Everyone's sales are down this year compared to other years. And summer shows are always lower in sales than fall/winter shows. I've gotten feedback from other small business owners, from other handmade sellers in Michigan to fellow crocheters across the country, and most have said the same thing: Their sales are down this year, but by and large, most of them are still making 3-8 times booth fees regularly. One of the other crafters who was at Clawson Fest made more than 11 times their booth fee! Someone who was just in Canterbury Village this weekend said they made 12 times the booth fee, but that was too low compared to how well they usually do!!! And then there's me, struggling through hot days to maybe make 1.2 times booth fees. It doesn't feel good.
So instead of giving up, instead of crying about being a failure and closing up shop, I'm doing what any struggling business should do: I'm pivoting.
obligatory Friends reference, I had to!
I still believe in my original niche. But I'm going to stop wasting space on my tables with items that have literally never sold. Looking at my sales, my best seller all year based on units sold has been my Pride Poos - and I only brought those to two events out of five this year! Placing the Pride Poos on the outside edge of my table has been amazing for business, because the bright colors draw the attention of kids, and their parents step into my booth and end up perusing my reusable products. So for the rest of this year, I'm going to split my business between plushies and sustainable living.
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| Are they Pride Poos? Are they Gay Drops? Are they Unicorn Poos? Yes!!! |
Pride Poos are still going to be June exclusives. But holiday themed poos are certainly going to be a thing! Cat loaves, both in natural kitty colors and in holiday themes, will also be available. I'm also thinking of expanding my selection of bookmarks.
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| Kindle sleeves are online exclusives; Mati and cat bookmarks have been great sellers in person! |
Dish cloths, produce bags, wash cloths, and soap savers will no longer be available at markets. Instead, my signature line of sustainable living items will be limited to dish scrubbies, Swiffer pads, market bags, and water bottle slings. Sunglasses pouches, I've decided, will be kept year-round since they can also double as a phone wristlet!
Don't fret - I'm still keeping all of my sustainable living options on my Etsy shop. After all, those $0.20 listing fees don't hurt anywhere near as badly as an in-person booth fee does, even if they go months without a sale.
It kind of hurts to pivot. I really wanted my brand to be all about sustainability, with just a little splash of whimsy. But a business has to go where the sales are. And thankfully, the name Charm and Strange Crochet leaves me open to selling in any niche I want - in fact, poo plushies and cat loaves are definitely more charming and stranger than a washcloth! 😉
If you are near Metro Detroit, you can find my newly pivoted brand at the following events this year:
Berkley Farmer's Market: September 19th, 9 am - 3 pm
Grand Ledge Fall Festival: October 5th, 10 am - 4 pm
Berkley Farmer's Market/Witches Night Out: October 10th, 9 am - 8 pm
With at least one event each in November and December - event and date TBA.
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| cheers to the Canva designer who happened to use my brand colors!!! |
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