I’m a middle-aged fiber artist who took time off from my craft business for the last four years due to a family illness. I would like to get back into the shows and sales aspect of my craft, but it looks like my old contacts have either forgotten me or have been replaced with new people. It’s like I’m starting all over again! How can I start my business back up where I left off? I don’t have the money to market myself as aggressively as in the past, but I don’t know what else to do. How can I remind people what I do and get back into the scene?
Unfortunately I can’t give you the answer you want. Retailers and retail customers continue to have the need to fill shelves and gift boxes whether we are there for them or not. So while you were doing the right family things other craftspeople have filled your shoes. So now you do have to repay some dues and work your way back into the marketplace. Let’s think of ways to do this in the most efficient way. You might begin by printing a nice color sheet showing your new work, mail this to all your old accounts as a way of reintroducing your work. You’ll find out for sure which accounts are still in business. This would be a good time to put together a great simple website for your work. Maybe creating your own site is more than you can take on now so how about looking into some of the group sites. Check out Etsy.com, TheGuild.com and WholesaleCrafts.com, one or all of these may be a perfect and easy way to get your work in front of potential buyers and customers all over the planet. You will probably find yourself back on the show circuit and will no doubt make useful contacts on the show floor. Read the periodicals that have information pertaining to your media and be sure to send your information to any galleries/shops that look like good prospects. If it’s any help I’m sure it’s easier the second time around.