Craft Shop

domestic_goddess

I am thinking of opening a small craft supply shop in my local area as there is nothing like that round here. Since coming on here I have learnt that loads of people enjoy crafts but can sometimes have difficulty buying their supplies. What sort of things do you think I should stock in my old style craft shop???

Any advice would be great as I am seriously considering this>

Thanks

xx

Blairweech

'Fraid I haven't got any advice for you, but just wanted to wish you luck if you do go ahead and do it! I love craft shops

melancholly

things i really struggle to find are big eye needles (where the whole needle opens up rather than having an eye at the end) and selections of seed beads in size 8.... probably quite specific for what i do though!!

newlywed

Real silver earring posts and clasps! I love beading but due to skin allergies need real silver and have to buy them online.

newlywed

Oh and a selection of proper delica beads if you want the beaders. Another thing hard to find in shops here (and I live in a "city") too!

melancholly

newlywed wrote:

Real silver earring posts and clasps! I love beading but due to skin allergies need real silver and have to buy them online.

yes completely!!
and bead caps that are nice.... i can't them in shops at all and have to go online for them too. and a variety of clasps......

newlywed

Oh and I love Schwarfsky-thingy-me-bob crystal beads too. It's not the same buying them online as you don't get the proper colour and sparkle idea from a photo.

benji173

It depends whether you want to specialise in a certain area of crafts (jewellery, scrapbooking, cardmaking, dressmaking, etc). If you're doing a general craft shop though then you'll need different beads that come in tubes, a range of card (different colours, textures, sizes), basic equipment like pens, pencils, coloured pencils, a range of scissors, probably a small selection of yarns (all craft shops seem to have them for some reason), feathers, erm, stamp sets with ink pads, can't think of much else at the moment. If you don't know what people in your area want it's probably best starting with a small range of basics and asking people if there are any other products they need when they come in. Anyway good luck with the shop.

Biddyrolo

I think someone in another thread mentioned not being able to buy felt in non day-glo colours.

tra_2

Wool. I don't knit myself but everyone I know who does is always complaining that no-one sells wool anymore.

Princess_Cinderella_2

In my local town we have just had a new craft shop open :T and they went around all the local crafty groups from card makers to quilters to general craft groups and then asked them what items they use, how much they pay if there was anything specific that they would like to see but also if the items were stocked in the shop would they consider using the shop for supplies. this meant that when the shop opened they stocked things that the groups needed but also stocked other items that they thought would appeal to general shoppers. our craft shop also runs classes in the back which are very popular and have grown in a few months from 1 class a week to 3.

personally i love card making which seems to be very poular at the moment but i can never find wood mounted rubber stamps that have nice words on the or verses they all just have pictures on them. this however i think is quite specialised.

hope this helps and good luck if you do decide to open your shop