A friend, a crafter of diverse skills — sewing, knitting, quilting, leatherwork, &c. — pointed out to me that the local economy must be healthy, since some of her crafty haunts were closing up. Being nigh on 80 years old, she has some perspective on this, and says its a tried and true pattern that when the local economy skids, craft outlets do well, and when business in general is good, crafting falls out of favor.
My take on it was purely utilitarian, that people did more mending and stretching of their dollars, but her take was that people spend money on entertainment outside the house — movies, concerts, and such — when they have it and sit home by the fireside making stuff when they don’t.
What do you think?
While I certainly don’t have 80 years of experience I will say I find the opposite is true in the business. My sales (and my colleagues say the same) do much better in a good economy. People can spend their extra pocket money on what makes them happy, their hobby - and maybe not worry so much about being able to afford a tank of gas. But the crafts I’m involved in aren’t exactly the stuff of ‘mend your own clothes and save a buck’ - they are more of a luxury item.