How Buying Handmade Can Help the Economy

     

     Buying handmade means buying from a small business most likely a sole proprietor. The sole proprietor is often a stay at home mom (SAHM) or retired elderly. Both make their products out of love for the craft, but they also rely on selling them to supplement their household income. Your SAHM is trying her best to be able to raise her kids herself instead of relying on daycare or family to take care of them while she works. The benefits to this are a whole other blog post worth of information. She will often be up late to make sure an order goes out in time for a special occasion, she will bend over backward to get the details of a custom order down just right, and she will check up with her customer to make sure they are happy with their purchase. You just don’t get that kind of customer service from Big Box stores. The retired elderly are much the same when it comes to customer service and producing a quality item. The one thing they have in common is that they are both trying to supplement an income for their families. They are trying to make their lives a little better while doing something that helps make yours better too. The bonus is they get to do something they love to accomplish this.

     There are handmade businesses all over the world. Etsy is proof of this. They give handmade businesses a platform to sell on to reach a bigger customer base and providing you, the consumer, access to more handmade options and unique products from all over the world.

     Buying from a handmade business helps the economy by providing income to individuals like SAHM’s, retired elderly, and the disabled. This, in turn, helps them thrive, sometimes to the point of needing to hire help for their business, this, in turn, creates jobs.

     When you buy handmade you are buying a quality product that is made with love and integrity. You are also buying a product that is environmentally friendly by reducing the energy used to make the item and the toxic emissions that often come from factories.

     We here at JB Butterfly Designs do what we do because we love it. I (Juli) chose handmade because creating is a kind of therapy to me and it helps to supplement my income, but I also want to build something of value to pass on to the next generation. My children and my oldest granddaughter have had a part in helping me create. My granddaughter gets more joy out of helping create than she does playing video games or watching TV. I’m creating more than just a handmade product, I’m creating memories and teaching skills to my children and grandchildren.

     Dee Dee, my partner, chose handmade because it is therapy to her as well and being disabled but not qualifying for disability, this gives her a way of supplementing her husband’s income so that they can have a better life as well.

So next time you are looking for something special as a gift or something for a specific purpose try looking to handmade first. I am amazed daily by the variety of things I find in handmade that we use in our everyday lives. Handmade isn’t just about decorations and gifts anymore.