Well-Crafted Malls : Artisans Say Renting Space to Sell Their Work Saves Time, Money
Talk about a hard sell.
When Mary Ann Barela of Santa Ana hawks her handmade crafts at outdoor fairs, she has to load the pickup, drive for miles, assemble her booth and deal with the public all day. After that, she has to tear down, pack up, drive home and unpack before tumbling into bed.
“It’s a big hassle,” Barela said. “And God forbid you forget anything.”
Now, however, Barela has a hassle-free alternative: She rents space at craft malls, where she can let somebody else sell the children’s clothes and wooden knickknacks that she makes. She hasn’t given up the one-day fairs, but malls mean more exposure, more time at the workbench and the potential for consistent income without extra exertion and long hours.
“It’s great,” she said. “I have someplace to show my crafts every day, and I know there’s going to be some (revenue) coming in every month.”
More than two dozen such craft malls have opened recently in Southern California, nearly a third of them in Orange County. The trend has outlasted its first Christmas--peak season for artisans--and many mall owners have expansion plans.
“We’ll have five malls in the next two months,” said Martha Jean of Northridge, who already has three bearing her name, including one in Buena Park near Knott’s Berry Farm.
Not malls in the usual sense, the outlets are actually individual stores that showcase handmade crafts from pottery to hooked rugs to jewelry.
Rents range from $50 to $250 a month. Craft Fair USA, a Mission Viejo mall where Barela does business, charges from $40 a month for an 18-inch by 18-inch shelf to display jewelry to $170 a month for a booth four feet wide by three feet deep. The mall can accommodate the wares of as many as 500 artisans.
Like many craft malls, it charges no commissions. It has a sales license and pays sales taxes, so crafters don’t have to bother with either. And it has a paid staff, though crafters must volunteer six hours a month assisting customers. The mall screens goods before accepting vendors.
Shoppers are enthusiastic. Sharon Sage, a Mission Viejo surgical technician, said she is at the craft mall almost every week. “They carry a big variety, and you can see it all in one place at one time. I think it’s a great idea.”
The mall boom appears to be nationwide, reflecting an expansion of the craft industry that began in the early 1980s, those in the industry say.
Home Spun Crafters Mall, a chain based in Oregon, has 20 outlets, most of them in the West. Coomers Craft Malls, a Texas-based chain considered the granddaddy of them all, has 22 stores from Phoenix to Atlanta and plans to at least double that number by the end of 1994.
“We’ll do $25 million in sales this year,” said Rufus Coomer, founder and president. He estimates that at least 1,000 similar enterprises have sprung up since he converted a saw shed into his first mall five years ago.
Further evidence of the business boom in handmade goods is rising revenue at companies that sell craft supplies.
Michaels Stores Inc. in Dallas, a chain that sells such materials across the country, hit $493 million in 1992, up 20% from the previous year, said Dennis Telzrow, a Dallas retail analyst. “The malls are clearly helping fuel those sales because craft vendors are buying supplies to make their product,” said Telzrow, who is research director at Eppler Guerin and Turner, an investment bank.
Driving the trend in Southern California are high unemployment and low rents for retail space standing empty because of overdevelopment and the recession.
The jobless are “looking for a way to make money while they’re collecting unemployment insurance or looking for a new field to go into,” said Marsha Reed, editor of Craftmaster News. The publication, based in Downey, has nearly doubled its circulation to 3,000 in the past two months, she said.
“Lots of people (who lost jobs) in the aerospace industry are very creative,” Reed said. “They just didn’t know it because they had been in a corporate structure.”
Some crafters are raking it in. Mall operator Jean said the average take for an artisan is $500 a month, “but a few are making $2,000 to $3,000 a month.” Besides the Buena Park location, she has malls in Northridge and Glendale.
As for consumer appeal, crafters generally keep prices low because there’s no middleman. At Craft Fair USA, prices range from $4 for a pair of earrings to $40 for a photo album trimmed in lace and fake pearls.
Another factor, Reed of Craftmaster News said, is that handmade, one-of-a-kind items are attractive to shoppers burned out on mass-produced, mass-marketed goods.
“They aren’t commercial and they’re something you can hand down from generation to generation,” she said. Particularly now, when many consumers see their discretionary income shrinking, “people are thinking: ‘If I’m going to spend money on something that’s not really necessary, I want it to have meaning.’ ”
Finally, observers say, shoppers are plunking down their dollars because of three words: Made in America.
“I don’t mean to sound like I’m flag-waving,” said Renee Holmgren, co-owner of Craft Fair USA, “but people want to support America right now. I’m seeing it.”
That craft malls are popping up all over probably won’t hurt business at shows and fairs, said Reed, who estimates that there are 2,500 such events annually just in California.
“You’ve got different types of vendors,” she said. “The mall is real good for the person who’s not able to go out on the weekends or who has to work full time or manage a family. And it’s a second source for somebody who continues to do shows.”
Many craft people say they’re doing both.
That doesn’t mean opening a craft mall is a guarantee of success. A few in Los Angeles and Orange counties have already closed. Craft Fair USA, for instance, shut its Anaheim store because of poor foot traffic, Holmgren said.
Consumers may ultimately decide that they prefer the fairs, said Richard E. Giss, a retail analyst with the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles.
“The festivals and swap meets are a form of entertainment,” Giss said. But “to the extent that the malls can keep the bargain atmosphere and the feeling of finding a hidden talent, if you will, then I think consumers have got to like them. The shopping experience has to be a little more dependable and even a little nicer.”
Others are more optimistic. Reed cites the longevity of Coomer’s malls. And the artisans themselves foresee a rosy future.
“They’re definitely here to stay,” Jean said of the malls. “They’d better be. I’ve signed 15-year leases on all my places, with options for more.”
Cornering Crafts Craft fans are not without resources in Orange County. Major local craft malls: Heartland Crafters Junction 6036 Ball Road, Buena Park (714) 761-7026 Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Christmas items, ceramics, jewelry Martha Jean’s Crafters City 300 Beach Blvd., Buena Park (714) 952-8655 Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Country general store, dried flowers, woodwork, handmade clothing Ivy’s 162 N. Raymond Ave., Fullerton (714) 447-1514 Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Ceramics, soft sculpture, antiques, collectibles Crafters Guild 15315 Culver Drive, Irvine (714) 551-2121 Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends Specialties: Children’s clothes, antique jewelry, porcelain dolls Billy Dee’s Gift Emporium 518 W. Katella Ave., Orange (714) 532-1999 Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Woodwork, quilts, clothing, jewelry Craft Fair USA 25320 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo (714) 707-5900 Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Demonstrations, wearable art, pottery Features: Has a children’s play area, cappuccino/gourmet food bar Windsor Cottage and Company 2235 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana (714) 835-0992 Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Gourmet coffees and teas, full bridal salon, bedding/bath section, florist The Craft Show 2866 El Camino Real, Tustin (714) 730-3531 Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Specialties: Handwoven arts, collectibles Features: Has a children’s play area, cappuccino/gourmet food bar and English tea garden Source: Craftmaster News; Researched by APRIL JACKSON and ZAN DUBIN / Los Angeles Times
