Lori Hammes has been offering art kits that allow customers to make barn quilt designs on wood.
Looking for another potential way to make money during the coronavirus crisis? Here’s an idea from NCA Board Member Lori Hammes of Curtains Up Costumes in Sigourney, Iowa. She is making and selling craft kits, and plans to start making costume kits, too. Here, Hammes shares information about how she’s planning to keep her business profitably afloat until life returns to some sort of post-pandemic normal:
Q: When did you start offering the craft kits? And what is in them?
A: I'm on week 4 of selling mini barn quilt painting kits. They include an 8"x8" board with a stencil applied to them. If people need to purchase paints and brushes there is an additional charge for those items. And then we also charge for shipping if they aren't local or don't want to pick it up curbside at my store.
Q: Have you always offered kits? If not, how did you decide to start?
A: I didn't offer the kits prior to the quarantine. I offer a larger version of the kit in my makerspace, but I knew kids would be going stir crazy and parents were running out of ideas—and patience!— with all of our schools closed in Iowa. So after a few requests from some of my loyal customers, I put the kits together. I've sold almost as many kits to adults as I have to kiddos, so I guess people of all ages are feeling the need to be creative right now.
Q: Tell me about the costume kits you’re planning to make.
A: We haven't started assembling the costume/play/dress up kits yet, but it's something we've been considering. We have an abundance of pretty well-used costume pieces and accessories that would be great for young people that like to play dress-up. With schools being closed statewide and a lot of parents still working or working from home, we thought it would be a good way to have some revenue coming in, while also moving some of those pieces that would otherwise go unused. Our thought was to do some different themes: pirates, princesses, and the like.
Q: How are you promoting the craft kits and costume kits?
A: I'm not entirely sure since we aren't to that point yet. But most likely we will promote them on Facebook as well as in an email blast to our existing customer database.
“I'll just reiterate that I think anything to keep kiddos busy right now is good!” Hammes concludes. “And I think some of us are going back to our roots...I've sewn more in the last two weeks than I have since being involved in 4H (in the early 90's)!”
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