Have you ever thought about starting your own handicraft business, but worried about a lack of space? After all, you need an area to make your products, and area to store your products, and an area to get items ready for shipping. Or maybe you weren’t sure you could afford the equipment you might need to be a “professional.” Well, I have some encouragement for you. Take a peek at my main working space:
Yes, that’s my crafting area. It’s smaller than I would like, but it’s the space I have right now. Notice my equipment. I have a vintage sewing machine on a plastic folding table. Shipping boxes are stashed underneath the table. Extra items I don’t need on a regular basis are stored on a plastic shelf (the other shelf sneaking into the picture is not part of my area).
When I want to cut fabric, I have to push everything to the edges of the table so I have room to lay out my material. When the pieces are cut, I have to find space to lay them out in the proper order while still having space to sew them. Sometimes things get a bit tricky, but I manage.
My other working space is simply my bedroom. Because the light is better, I often do my crocheting and any hand sewing there. I need this space to live in, so I can’t leave my projects sitting out overnight. Everything has to be put away somewhere and then taken out again every time I want to work.
That’s it for my working areas. So how about all that special equipment for my business? Well, almost every bit of equipment was something I already owned. The only thing I had to buy was a label printer so I could properly tag my products.
So if you want to turn your handicrafts hobby into a business and you’re not sure about space or equipment, stop and think about what you already have. Chances are, you own most, if not all, of the equipment you need to get started. You probably have some sort of a workspace, even if it’s not ideal.
Maybe someday you can upgrade your space and equipment. But for now, use what you have to make something great.