Lola Nova was just a little twinkle in my eye about 3 years ago. I've been making, planning, designing and working towards starting my own small home business in that time. I was really hoping to get an ETSY shop up by March. I was getting excited for 2009 to be the beginning of a new chapter in my creative life. I was busy with organization and feeling bolder than ever, heading out on a new journey. Now suddenly, I'm at full stop and taken aback.
It's this whole CPSIA business. I touched on it in a previous post, a good summary can be found at http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia and if you are so inclined, you can wade through the actual bill and other info here.
So, it's a complex and confusing situation, I have read what I can from many sources and I'm still baffled. As far as I can gather small businesses that make any children's products are basically up a creek. Yes, this Act includes children's clothing, which was to be the focus of Lola Nova. I mean, that's how this whole thing began for me, designing and sewing clothes for my girl. I absolutely can not afford unit testing on my products so, I can not make these products and sell them to anyone legally. So, now what?
Well, time and activism will tell if this Act will be appropriately amended, I just cannot imagine that handmade children's products will be eradicated completely from the marketplace or made contraband. What a terrible message to send to future generations and what a blow to our already fragile economy. Of course I will continue to sew clothes for my own family and friends but, as far as making for putting up for sale...I don't see the prudence in investing the time and care at this point. I will have to wait and see, ooh I hate that!
In the meantime, although I am a little heart sick and deflated, I am not crawling under any rocks yet. I do make items for grown up folks and I will just have to keep on keepin' on with that. It may take me a little longer to launch a shop, to come up with enough good ideas and to reshape Lola Nova but, I am willing to give it a shot.
I have read about this too, and it saddens me tremendously. I truly hope common sense will prevail. Please don't go under a rock though. I think you have such a multitude of good ideas - your ornaments, your journals, aprons, so many things that you create! Even if you feel that working the clothing angle is too risky right now, surely all those other super ideas could be put into an Etsy shop!
ReplyDeleteI too, was planning to open an ETSY shop, stocked with jewelry, and baby sweaters and hats and toys....The baby things were the fun parts of the store-the things i REALLY wanted to do...We'll just have to wait and see. I signed a few petitions and sent some letters out. If everybody does that it would be hard for the polititians to ignore...
ReplyDeleteThe politicians won't listen to me. I'm Canadian. :-( I can't even vote. If I can't vote, they don't listen. Grumble...
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