Big Money in Crafts?

Thanks to Patti Jensen over at our Chamber of Commerce for sharing a story about our crafts "industry" in Western NC in their recent newsletter! With all the talk about billions and trillions in the news lately, and the visual aids to help us conceive of that amount, I was a little unimpressed reading about the mere 'millions' generated by our little cottage industry. Especially since every other street or road in Mitchell County sports a shingle from some crafter or another. Surely we can do better. Come on people of Craft!

A highlight of the report is the recognition that the number of artisans in our region has increased 198 % since the original study. In the 13 years between 1995 and 2008, the number of professional art and craft producers rose from 739 to 2,200.

Maybe I should get into craft studio real estate?