Crafting Sells Out

The do-it-yourself craft movement is making money. There are the mainstream shops – like Michaels and Archivers – and the scrapbooking business, which alone is a $2.4 billion dollar industry.

But then there are the hipster crafters; the generation raised on art projects made from pipe cleaners, macaroni and Elmer’s glue. They reject consumer culture in favor of homespun goods often made from recycled materials without the help of computer technology. However, they do use internet sites like Etsy.com to share and sell their work. Last year, shoppers spent $4.3 million dollars at Etsy.com, pushing the once-fringe movement closer to the commercial mainstream and leaving some crafters conflicted.

Tuesday on Word of Mouth, host Virginia Prescott talks about the selling-out of the indie craft movement with Jean Railla, a freelance writer and one of the pioneers of the movement. She founded GetCrafty.com way back in 1997.

(Photo by Motleye/Amanda)