The category of goods we actually sell, and how we will move forward in 2022

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you had pleasant holidays and feel refreshed to begin a new and exciting year ahead.

As Trish and I reflected back on 2021, we considered what kind of work we actually would find most fruitful and rewarding in the new year. Being a new handmade business with little to no footprint, it is easier to pivot and adjust our branding without confusing our audience. Actually, since there is no real audience yet to confuse, we are grateful if you took the time to read about our soul-searching adventure.

Our initial branding was as follows: Trisha's Wares: Creativity, Passion, Craft. Although this seemed a bit ambiguous if not true to our values, it was by design a bit generic. We really didn't know what direction or pathway to follow. All the online advice says to find your niche and stick to it. Diversification is apparently not a great asset in a handmade business. But we felt it was not so much about the actual products we create as much as it was about the category we felt comfortable being known for. What did we actually sell, what was its purpose, who would purchase it, and does it match our skill sets and heartfelt interests?

It became clear that we created and sold Home Decor. Our items are for your living space, and these products will either sit on a shelf or table, or they will hang on a wall. We are interested in the topics of family, faithfulness, children, grandparents, and holidays. We have a special interest in Christmas, Halloween, Fall/harvest creations, and that "country" feel. I, myself, have specific passions for coffee and tennis. I love to work on the computer with typography (as a former professional graphic designer), and signs of various types and styles are of special interest. Trish is more excited about the assembly of various 3-dimensional elements that combine color, shape, texture, and theme. But at the end of the day, we are really about Home Decor in whatever shape, size, or form that inspires us. Therefore, we have added the verbiage of "Home Decor" to our brand. We hope this will help customers better find us, and we will use it as our compass in pursuing genuine projects reflecting who we are as individuals in 2022.