Independent business co-ops have become a great way for small business owners and artists to network, get the word out about their products, and share advertising expenses. They’ve also become a great one-stop shop for consumers to learn about fantastic indie designers.
The Craft Mafia is one of the largest and most well-known of these indie co-ops. It was first established by the ladies of the Austin Craft Mafia in 2003. The group was born out of mutual respect and their love of crafting and the DIY ethic. They soon realized what a great resource their group could be for networking and promoting their individual businesses…and so did many other groups just like them all around the country. Now there are Craft Mafias in cities all over the U.S. and Canada, including one right here in New Orleans. The girls behind PDX Super Crafty established a group very similar to the Craft Mafia in their own hometown of Portland, Oregon, and have even written their own crafting book called Super Crafty, which includes over 75 how-to projects.
Virtual indie co-ops are on the rise these days…new ones seem to pop up all of the time, so sometimes it’s hard to keep up! Indie Finds is one of the biggest and most well-organized collectives. Founded on The Switchboards, this co-op now boasts over 100 members and has been featured in Bust and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Other virtual indie business co-operatives include the Rising Designers co-op and ishopindie.com.
Perhaps most exciting of all are the brick and mortar retail co-ops. The Beehive Co-Op in Atlanta is one of the best examples of this phenomenon. Established to give budding entrepreneurs a place to sell their designs, the Beehive Co-Op has recently announced that it will launch a franchise program this fall, as well as an online shop, giving people all over the world more chances to buy handmade.
