Abby Glassenberg's journey started as a blogger and dollmaker. The journey then evolved to the business side of the craft industry, eventually launching Craft Industry Alliance, while still running her sewing business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Craft Industry Alliance (CIA) is made up of businesses of all sizes, from small Etsy shop owners to large companies.
• CIA provides Community, News, and Education for their members.
• They have a monthly member roundtable to help members connect and discuss current events and provide a support system.
• There is also a Facebook Group for CIA members to interact and share info together.
• Abby and her team publish a weekly newsletter to share relevant business updates in the craft industry.
• They have a monthly webinar to increase education to share info on key topics relevant to owners of craft related businesses.

Future of the creative industry

• A lot of crafting happening on TikTok, which is inspiring the younger generation of crafters and makers!
• Retailers will offer more experiences, expertise, and community in stores to stay relevant.

Challenges for the creative industry

• Will be important to learn and implement e-commerce online presence to interact with consumers directly

Future of Craft Industry Alliance

• Continue to grow community! (ex. Regional Zoom Meetings)
• Expand news content to help expand membership

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

• For retailers, make brick and mortar stores more experiential and a place to build community
• For retailers and wholesalers, continue to learn and implement e-commerce strategy and increase your online presence
• Go to CraftIndustryAlliance.org to learn more about the association and to see what benefits are available to members.

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𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗬 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗚 co-founded Craft Industry Alliance and now serves as its president. She's a sewing pattern designer, teacher, and journalist. She's dedicated to creating an outstanding trade association for the crafts industry. Abby lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

You can reach Abby Glassenberg on Instagram at @craftindustryalliance or at CraftIndustryAlliance.org.

𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢'𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products.

For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit CreativeRetailTalks.com.

If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O'Rear at [email protected].

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Music:

"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/