As a small business owner and a supporter of small businesses sometimes I ask myself why people love handmade and why small business? To be honest I have also asked myself why paying extra for handmade items when you can buy mass produced items for less. I guess it's mostly about ethical reasons. I was born in the 1980s and seeing small grocery shops around the corner was pretty common for us and we knew the people who owned the place and they knew us too. It built a small community and with time everything turned into larger scale co- operations and we lost that feeling of small community. There is nothing wrong with building a larger scale business, it is meant to happen with increasing population. But as humans, we urge that sense of connectivity and nostalgic feeling of buying directly from the owners or creators of the product. I think that is the same reason why people like to visit farmers markets even though sometimes they don't buy anything. I'm pretty much introverted myself, but even for me I urge that feeling from time to time.
The feeling of knowing that someone hand crafted a product by themself gives us a feeling of connectivity as human beings. Most of the handmade items in my shop are not necessities, but people love to buy them because they value what I do and I value them for understanding that. I think this is what makes us human and no handmade business will survive if we lose that quality within us. Every time someone purchases something from a small handmade business, it creates a true human connection even though we haven't met directly. Technology plays an important role in connecting people all around the world and I think there is always a place for that human connectivity in this world.
If someone asks me, does everyone have to do their own thing? My answer is no. There are two sides to everything and not everyone has the time, patience and resources to do that. I do not get a huge income by selling these handmade items, because there are only a limited number of items you can make as a one person business and there are no sales periods as well. The reality is, at the end of the day we all have to pay our bills. But I encourage you to hand craft something even in your leisure time and you'll thank me later. The other thing I wont say no to co -operate business is we really need customers with buying power to buy our handmade products, lol.
Inflation is real, but we always prioritize our loved ones over the price tag. This is why holiday seasons are big for small business owners. Gift giving is a loving way of showing our affection for someone. Many people choose handmade small businesses to give gifts to their loved ones. Simply doing so they make that gift extra special, because now they also have a story to tell. Many small business owners have their social media to share their work process and those customers will be able to show those to their loved ones. People love to know how they get their products and see the process of making it. Giving gifts and receiving gifts from people who we really care about is such a blessing. I think going handmade always gives that special touch.
So, whenever you get that question why handmade and why small business lets just say for some things you can't add a price tag. This world is a diverse place and all types of products exist at the same time. It's all about your values as an individual... I take this moment to appreciate all the people who encourage handmade small businesses in any way.
If you want to see some behind the scenes of our small handmade business, the following video is for you. Hope you enjoy it !