Destination of the Month

Becoming a Merchant Artisan

William Morris must have been one of the genuine Renaissance people. During his lifetime, this English poet, artist, craftsman, designer, social reformer, entrepreneur and printer created an enormous body of work. Many of his wallpaper and fabric designs are still produced today, although is work spanned the last half of the 19th century.

So compelled was Morris to create that he often invited other creative types (including many of the artists who came to be known collectively as the Pre-Raphaelites) to his country place, Red House, for weekends devoted to making things. His guests were simply invited to work on any project that caught their fancy. His devotion to artistic creation and handmade objects was also a response to the Industrial Revolution that was sweeping Victorian England. Morris proactively encouraged others to create objects of beauty and value. Such devotion was backed up with great marketing skills, and Morris & Company turned out exquisite carvings, stained glass, tapestries, chintzes and furniture.

The spirit of William Morris remains alive and well today as more and more of us discover the pleasure of surrounding ourselves with the work of artisans. Items plain and fancy, produced in small amounts, are finding eager new markets.

In The Ice Palace That Melted Away, Bill Stumpf writes about exploring the Isle of Skye, where he and his wife came across a sign in front of a house that read, "Woolen Socks for Sale." They knocked on the door of the house and were welcomed by a friendly couple who fed them tea and scones and told them about their business. The husband was a retired Army officer and the wife a part-time artist. They had decided early on that they didn't want to fade into oblivion upon retirement. Eventually, they chose knitting as a business though they were untrained in the craft and technology. "They sold socks in local towns but worked no more than four hours a day and no more than three days a week. In addition, they raised raspberries and Australian shepherds," Stumpf recalls.

After finishing their tea, the couple invited the Stumpfs into their workroom, where their knitting and sewing machines stood alongside their inventory of socks. The author was charmed by the quality of the socks and, also, the quiet way in which this business was run. "In an aging and modest little English car," he writes, "they delivered their weekly inventories, which sometimes reach two hundred pairs. They told how much they enjoyed working with and befriending the local merchants and customers. As Sharon and I left, we talked about what we sensed as a vital way for people to live in retirement. We admired their gusto, their comfort in a reasonable level of prosperity, their real involvement in the community and local economy. We were so impressed that we set about planning a similarly civilized way of retirement for ourselves back home."

Trendspotters agree that the market for unique and customized items is resurging as more and more of us are learning to cherish the work of human hands. Not all artisans are taking advantage of the opportunities, however. Several years ago, I met a man who was a masterful carpenter who loved restoring old houses, flawlessly repairing woodwork and cabinetry. At that time, he had abandoned his craft, believing that no market existed for his services. He had accepted the myth of the starving artist.

Happily, that myth is becoming outmoded as home workshops and studios are popping up all over the place with artisans carving out their own merchandising niche, proving that old-fashioned craftmanship can be profitable. If you want to put your arts or crafts skills to work for you, don't make the mistake of thinking that you're in the business of marketing to everyone. Specialized products will attract a specialized clientele who appreciate and value such craftsmanship. Once you are convinced that you do, indeed, have something to offer the world, you're on your way to creating a profit center that is as unique as you are.

Rena Hedeman is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. When she was pregnant with her first child, she began looking for nursery furniture that was more interesting than the usual offerings. What she discovered was that nursery furniture seemed to fall into two catagories: boring or outrageously expensive. After she painted things for her baby's room, she began thinking that there must be other parents exactly like her who wanted modestly priced, attractive children's things. So her business, Little Kingdoms, was born to fill that niche.

Not all merchant artisans do everything from scratch. Some, like Rachel Ashwell, specialize in rescue and repair. Growing up in London, Ashwell spent her early years tagging along to flea markets with her parents. Her mother restored and sold antique dolls and teddy bears; her father dealt in secondhand books. Today, Ashwell owns the trendy Shabby Chic home furnishings store in Santa Monica, California, and fills her shop with treasures she acquires from flea markets, antique shops and anywhere else that catches her fancy. Her unique approach to decorating with charming objects has spawned a lively business and two popular Shabby Chic books.

There's plenty of evidence that as mass production continues to fill malls and mail order catalogs, those who create and market one-of-a-kind or limited edition products lovingly made will find an eager and appreciative clientele. It isn't only handmade clothing and decorative household items that will find a welcome market: skillful woodworkers and plasterers and other preservationists are finding their special talents in demand by those who long to salvage buildings from the past.

There's no doubt about it — there's a renaissance going on that is bringing a new appreciation and prosperity to those who use old-fashioned skill and patience to create wonderful things. If you have such a talent, take a look at how you might put it to work in a fresh way. Your next profit center may be as close as your hands.

There's more where this came from.
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The seeds of great discoveries are constantly floating around us, but they only take root in minds well prepared to receive them.

~ Joseph Henry

Copyright © 2003-2005, Barbara J. Winter. All rights reserved.