Whether it’s picking up groceries, holiday shopping, or even crafting, when it comes to making decisions for your household, it often comes down to your bottom line. If you’re used to buying your grocery store’s $2 loaf of bread, why on Earth would you buy the locally crafted, whole grain variety for $4.50?
Well just like food and clothing, when it comes to crafting, you get what you pay for. Buying the mass-produced materials from the craft store might be cheap and convenient, but there’s a trickle-down effect to that seemingly harmless decision—for the quality of your project and the industry at large.
Here are 3 huge reasons buying from small operators are worth every penny:
1. Quality Control
You deserve to know what you’re spending your hard-earned money on. And as a beginning crafter, using low-quality materials could actually turn you off from ever picking up your project again!
If you want your projects to look and feel solid, it’s all in the wool! At Bear Creek, we raise our Romney sheep with special attention to how well they felt. And with our on-site dying processes, you never have to worry about scary chemicals or practices.
Simply put, the big distributors of wool have one goal in mind: quantity. If you were paid by the weight of what you produce, you’d probably cut a few corners too!
2. The environment
Processing, packaging, transportation, delivery—a lot of resources go into getting a product on a shelf. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that industrial pollution accounts for 50% of all pollution in the United States!
That means we can carpool, take our bike to work, and even unplug our appliances when they’re not in use, and we still won’t make a dent. With over 250 tons of hazardous waste, the dumping of 3 million tons of toxic waste into our air, land, and waterways, and over 15 million acres of land lost each year, the environmental effects are simply out of control.
3. Our economy
When you purchase from a small business, the community feels the impact. For every $100 spent at a local business, that equates to $68 in local activity compared to big-box retailers who only produce $48 in local activity.
According to the Andersonville Study of Retail Economics, small businesses generate 70% more economic activity per square foot than major retailers.
The numbers are so simple, yet they make such a huge difference. If every American family spent just $10 a month at a local, independent, or small business, over 9.3 billion dollars would return directly to our economy!
Crafting is our calming escape. So you shouldn’t have to worry about how your materials are sourced. And with a few mindful changes in our daily lives, we can create a better ecosystem for crafters and sellers!
We care about the quality of our wool and the success of our crafters. And in our Needle Crafting Academy, you’ll have the opportunity to learn new tips & tricks to save you time and money while you accomplish your crafting goals. If you have any questions about the academy or would like to sign up, click here!
