Coming Soon to a Market Near You

 Now that the deep freeze is almost over, for the next week or two anyway, I am in the process of taking inventory. Yay (she says unenthusiastically). But there is a bright side to this year’s inventory process. This year, as the yarn is counted, it is being loaded into packing containers and clear display bags. Why, you ask? Because it is getting ready to go on the road!

IKEA has the Parkla storage line which includes a 7”x19”x22” zippered, virtually indestructible polypropylene ‘cube’ that I learned this weekend will hold approximately 50 skeins of yarn! These will act as my warehouse on the road.

I am also using IKEA’s Skubb shoe boxes and 12”x13” boxes in the cabinets above the yarn display for more immediate access to the more commonly used yarns. Pictures to come later when I do the final reveal. ;) 

All of this will make the mobile store much more manageable this year, and since I have my regular display cubes in the van, you may be asking why I need clear display bags. Not all markets are outdoors. And the indoor markets (and some outdoor ones too) have different requirements.

Farmer’s markets have an 80/20 rule where 20% of the vendors may be retail vendors. 80% must be created/grown by the vendor. Non-Farmer’s markets are quite often 100% vendor-made and, in order to sell in those markets, I have created knit/crochet kits using Crafty Lady exclusive patterns.

So for those markets, all the guesswork is done for you. You want a One Seam Sweater in an 18 month size?  Just choose the package with the colour you want. If the combination you want isn’t there one week, go online and order a custom kit (order all the individual components) to be hand delivered at the following market.

The kits come in a variety of patterns from headwear, neckwear, footwear, sweaters and gloves using a variety of fibers (wool, alpaca, cotton, hemp, ...). Still working on whether or not needles and hooks can be sold separately or if I have to specify kit prices as with or with out tools.

So now, you can look forward to The Crafty Lady serving you in even more ways! Yay!

written by Lori, determined TCL owner, who is making the best of the icky weather.