The do-it-yourself meme that was present this holiday season came as a holiday savior to the crafts industry. An article in the New York Times reports climbing sales for craft supply stores as well as places like Etsy, an online source for handmade products. The Timesstory says that at least for the month of November craft supply sales were up at craft supply retailers like Michaels and Jo-Ann's.
Craft stores, from giant chains like Michaels Stores to small scrapbook supply shops, are reporting that sales are higher compared with the last holiday season, and online marketplaces for handmade goods, like Etsy, are seeing a boom in listings and transactions.
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Jo-Ann Stores, the craft supply leader with a 19 percent market share, has had a similar pattern. Though same-store sales fell 1.5 percent in the quarter ending Nov. 1, sales of sewing and craft supplies, which account for half of revenue, were stable that quarter and have climbed this quarter, said Lisa Greb, a Jo-Ann spokeswoman.
The Times story also said some Etsy merchants ran out of items because the under anticipated demand.
Some Etsy merchants have had such unexpectedly high sales this season that they are shutting down early because they do not have time to make any more gifts.
Dennis Anderson of Citrus Heights, Calif., was prepared for a 50 percent increase in sales of his soaps, which are handmade from ingredients like olive oil, pomegranate and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Instead, orders climbed 300 percent. He said he has sold 6,000 items in the last three months, and he has been working 15 hours a day, seven days a week, to meet the demand.
It's not just that more people have discovered Etsy either because the Times story also said sales of handmade items were up on eBay. Oprah Winfrey didn't do her regular favorite things list this year and instead went with a thrifty do-it-yourself theme. There were also many articles that talked about making your own decorations or giving a handmade gift in replace of a store-bought gift. DIY was a way for consumers to save money on items like gift bags and create personal handmade gifts to give to others. It could help partially explain why holiday sales fell so sharply. (via Crafters Craft)
The do-it-yourself meme that was present this holiday season came as a holiday savior to the crafts industry. An 
The Times story also said some Etsy merchants ran out of items because the under anticipated demand.
