Make Wreaths to Make Money
By Steve Gillman
When my wife and I tried making wreaths and selling them,
we didn't have much luck. We received a lot of compliments on
our work, but few sales. Perhaps this was because we were working
the flea market circuit at the time. Sales should be better at
arts and crafts shows, or in gift shops.
Someone did tell us that we were pricing them too low, thus
reducing the perception of value. That's a possibility, given
that we were trying to get $5 and it is tough to find a decent
grapevine wreath online for under $25. In any case, there are
successful sellers of wreaths (se the resource section for examples),
and this can be a fun and artistic way to make some extra cash.
Our first twenty wreaths were made from grapevines collected
off the fence behind our house. After that I had to wander the
woods and fields to gather wild grape vines. Making wreaths of
the vines involved nothing more than making a circle with one
and then winding others around it until it was fuller-looking.
We then took the best of the artificial flower vines we could
buy for around a dollar-per-string, and wove one into each wreath,
creating a grapevine-and-flower decoration. They cost us a dollar
to make.
Of course there are many other design possibilities, and many
other materials you can use to make wreaths.
How Much Can You Make?
At the moment, wreath made of natural materials are selling
for $20 to $80 online. For example, I just saw a "Bear Grass,
Lavender & Wild Rose Wreath" on sale for $46.99, and
a "Mossy Twig Wreath" selling for $38.99. My guess
is that the materials for either one cost less than $10 if purchased,
and some of them could be gathered for free if you like to work
outdoors. Plain grapevine wreaths that are 36 inches in diameter
are selling for $23.99 to $39.95.
You could sell them at craft shows to get top dollar, but
you may see your profits eaten up by the space fee you'll pay,
unless you sell a lot. Another option is to sell by way of a
website, although this requires learning how to promote a site
and get traffic to it. Perhaps the easiest way to make money
with your wreaths is to wholesale them to gift stores, craft
show vendors or online sellers. For example, the plain grapevine
wreaths that retail for $24 online might cost you nothing to
make if you live in an area with a many wild grape vines, and
you should be able to wholesale them to the vendor for $12 each.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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There is a market for the plain grapevines as well. If you
find that you enjoy the outdoor work of gathering the materials
more than the artistic work of making wreaths, you might just
earn some part-time cash collecting and selling the vines.
Qualifications / Requirements
Although results will vary, anyone can do this almost anywhere.
Of course it helps to have two good hands and a bit of creative
spirit.
First Steps
Find some grapevines and start making wreaths. You might want
to give the first few away to friends and family and gage their
response (don't ask -- they'll be too nice and you need to see
that people really like what you have made).
Resources
Great American Wreaths: The Best of Martha Stewart Living,
by Martha Stewart Living Magazine - Clarkson Potter 1996.
http://www.wreathgarden.com
- Example of a seller of wreaths.
http://www.egrapevinestore.com
- Seller of grapevine products of all sorts.
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