This month's APLS carnival is about buying local. Now as a gardening blog, I ought to write about local eating and growing of my veggies. I'm not - though I have a post in mind that some year I'll get to on that subject. Nor am I going to write about personally buying local. This time of the year for me is about selling local. I'm a crafter. More specifically I'm a beadweaver. I take tiny little seed beads and turn them into jewelry and ornaments and sell them in the Boston area where I live.
I belong to the Sign of the Dove, which is an artists' cooperative. We have a year round store that is located in Porter Square, Cambridge, MA. It is a small store. Currently we have 22 artists. We all work the shifts and all pitch in to do the jobs that keep a store running. I love being in this store. It is a treat to meet the people buying your work and it is nice belonging to a community of other artists and crafters.
But this season is all about our holiday store which has about 60 artists. Every year we find an empty store front in the Cambridge area. This year it is in Harvard Square. We work hard to get a new store up and together by our opening day (this year it was November 7th). Our space was not very good to start with. It used to be a theater in the basement. They had painted the walls dark and taken the lighting out. But we all pitch in for all the chores that needed doing and after our Up and Down committee and our Display committee do their work the store is always beautiful.
My job in the coop is sales scheduling. There are day managers and cashiers too, but I only schedule the sales crew. 38 of our members are on sales this year. I hand out a form to all the group and get their schedules. Then I work to make sure we have the correct number of people working each shift. It is a very time consuming puzzle, but I get it done every year.
Being a local crafter is a very low paid job. We do it because we love it, not because we will get rich doing it. We love working with our hands; we love beauty; we love being with our fellow artists; we love seeing the smile on our customers faces when they find the perfect necklace. Above all we love the connection or we wouldn't be part of a cooperative.
And if I haven't been around commenting on your blog recently, now you know why I've been so busy. Life gets kind of crazy for me this time of year.
This is a lovely post Daphne, and is that your jewelery in the picture above? The pieces are gorgeous! You have am immense talent, I didn't even know you did beadweaving. I would be terrible at it, I have perpetually shaky hands when it comes to doing something that requires fine motor skill.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine how good it feels for someone to find the perfect piece of jewelery and it be something you created. That must be quite an honor. Imagine seeing someone around town wearing one of your pieces!
Good luck during this time of year, I hope you all do well!
These are lovely Daphne - it is interesting how many gardeners are also crafts people.
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Yes that is one of my pieces.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful and artistic, love those blue colours. Well done Daphne/ Tyra
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a talent you have there...I think it's good that you can do something that you love for a living, no matter what the pay is.
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I'm really impressed! - both with your jewelry and the description of how you've set up your cooperative. What a great way for artists & crafters to support each other! Wishing you all lots of success this season...
ReplyDeleteI just decided where I'll be doing all my holiday shopping! I heard about your store recently from a co-worker actually. I'm glad you posted so now I have all the info. Maybe I'll run into you there!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you did this post Daphne! Awhile back you mentioned you were a beader and I was always hoping you would explain some more about it one day! I totally empathize with being busy these days. I am a gearing up for something big with my craft and it is all consuming. Like you, I have not been able to comment like I used to but that does not mean I haven't been reading everyone's blogs!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see more of your work it you ever feel like sharing it with all of us! :)
Thanks for all the wonderful comments. I always hesitate to do non-garden related posts. I never know how well they will be received by people that expect gardening from me, but however much I love gardening it is really just one small facet of my life. And getting smaller by the moment as the season winds down. What will I write about in December?
ReplyDeletecrstn85 I'm the Monday morning cashier, so you will see me if you go into the store then. However I'll be traveling with my folks (their 50th wedding anniversary!) in December (8th+16th) so I'm not working then. I traded another member for other days.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I love both your garden and non-garden related posts. This is your blog, so in my mind, that means write about whatever you want. We know there is a lot more to you than gardening and I love learning about it!
ReplyDeleteI echo Jennifer's above comment. It makes the blog all the more interesting. Just wanted to add my 2 cents for what it may be worth. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the insight into the other side of the coin. We appreciate you local artisians - you bring beauty and culture to the world!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very pretty set, Daphne. Love the design and the colour!
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