Bree, thank you SO much for that cost breakdown and so much more. There's NO way that I could make a mug rug in 7 minutes. I'm just not that fast. It would be fun to see how long it DOES take, excluding the time it takes to shop and buy fabric.
From what I've observed and know about the location, the demographics include lower, middle, and to upper income level shoppers. It's close to both an army base and a golf course community, and between townhouses in the suburbs and waterfront properties on the Chesapeake. The shop owner owns the adjacent two businesses in the 3-store strip mall on a busy highway. One of the stores sells high end consignments clothes, shoes, handbags and jewelry, but the manager says people some of the people from the golf course community will consign but won't buy used goods. The middle shop is a florist who isn't doing well . Her shop is very unappealing with silks and very few cash and carry fresh arrangements. The vintage home dec shop I'm wanting to sell in has a $120 large DOWN-stuffed (why???) decorative sofa pillow in a bird motif that is NOT selling, and smaller (16") pillows at $30 (busy orange/lime paisley) that aren't selling. Owner thinks it's the fabric--too specific. She suggested solids if I wanted to make them.
I do like the idea of selling pairs of mug rugs ("fiber art coasters"--I like that). My problem is I can't stand to make two identical ANYTHING. Boring! I like coordinated but not matchy-matchy (as you say "the artist in me") but I know there are customers who want two of the exact same thing (the business person in me).
At this point, if someone bought my wares, it would be flattering, but probably not profitable. As I said, I'm not speedy fingers. I'm up for the experiment, though. If the things don't sell, I could give them as gifts to my own family and friends.
Last edited by zozee; 09-18-2016 at 07:26 AM.