A Summer in Review
Sometimes I forget that I launched this business formally in June. That might be because I’ve been knitting and selling those knits casually for well over a decade, so the formality of banking, business licensing, sales tax collection and a website didn’t feel like that much of a stretch, or perhaps because I’ve really wanted to develop this for so long and it feels like such worthwhile work that this level of immersion does weird things to the passage of time.
Regardless, it’s been a pretty exciting three months. I’m developing a customer base — thank you, truly, to everyone who has made a purchase online to show their support, shared a social media post, or left an encouraging comment or started some discussion on my platforms. I’m working hard to keep developing my online presence and expand the reach to new audiences.
Simultaneously, I want to develop a local customer base, connect with my community here in Chautauqua County, and of course, whenever possible, source my materials locally too. That’s why I’m so grateful to my new friend Mandy at Green Apple Gifts, who spent a long time at the first session and ribbon cutting at Mayville’s Saturday Evening Market back in June answering my questions about selling at markets… and encouraging me to sign up and come out to the next one.
After all, you can’t develop local relationships until you get out into the community, and I ended up doing three of the Saturday Evening Markets doing just that: chatting with local customers, telling them about my business, answering lots of questions in particular about the corn husk baskets, and getting to know my fellow vendors (as well as the market coordinate Sorena at Inspire Good of WNY).
In retrospect, I had no reason to wait until 2025 to start doing markets, like I had originally planned. I wanted to be part of the local scene, the renaissance that’s taking place in Mayville in particular with community events and a growing network of support and local identity. Much like getting started as a business in the first place, I just had to start — not worry if everything was perfect, if I had all the branded signage, a deep inventory showcasing every skill I have on knitting needles, and so on. I’m really glad I just started.
I’ll be doing at least one holiday market this winter — watch this space for more details!