Good news and bad news...

Which would you like first?

Okay, the bad news is that my four little Valentine's bears are still naked, and I still haven't finished the second Valentine's idea I was working on.

The good news is that I have been at work, at the Art & Craft Centre today, and things are certainly looking up, sales-wise!  Two more little bears have found homes this week, and the manufactured toys that I sell are trickling out steadily.

Last year, I found that January and February were particularly good months for me - which always seemed strange, since many of the other sellers at the Centre said that the after-Christmas period was slow.  I reasoned that it's the nature of what I'm selling.  People buy stuff for other people at Christmas, and then come January, they're willing to spend a little money on themselves.  Mohair teddy bears are perhaps the kind of the thing that you have to look in the eye and fall in love with.

Disappointingly though, that particular sales pattern turned out not to be much of a trend.  January this year was terrible.  February has been better, but it still does not match last year.

I have been focusing more on smaller, less expensive bears recently, and although they are what customers at the Centre seem to like, my online customers appear to be not quite so keen!  Last year, in January and February, I sold a lot of big, one-of-a-kind bears via the website, but I haven't made any of those for a while.  Time to start thinking about the big bears again, maybe?  I do miss making them - the realistic bears particularly.

Well, when I finally get these Valentine's bears on their feet, maybe I will revist the big realistic bears.