Buttons & Pears

You may be wondering why there haven’t been any new products posted recently. Well, it’s because I’m working to make durable beautiful aprons on a larger scale. That means meeting with a pattern maker, local manufacturers, talking to fabric reps, learning the ins and outs of the garment industry, picking out buttons and working on setting up my own E-Commerce website (Etsy rules say only I or someone in my shop can make things to sell there).

I’m very excited about the new designs, the new fabrics, the new website and the new products. Yes, yes. I’ve been busy!

If you’re tired of checking back to see when I’m going to relaunch, “like” Buttons and Pears on Facebook or sign up for the newsletter.

I just received the woven B&P labels in the mail on Saturday. What did I spend my Saturday evening doing? Yup, that’s right! Sewing one into an apron.

So very exciting!

B&P has seemed pretty quiet lately, I know. After spending January developing a few new products (book weights! cozies!), I have been using February to figure out how to make this a financially sustainable creative enterprise. I opened Excel and started plugging in a few numbers. I wrote down my ideas for products, target market, strategy, and a few other elements that make up a thoughtful and helpful business plan. I went to a few workshops put on by the very helpful SF Made.

What’s cooking this week? I’m starting to fill out the costs side of what it takes to manufacture a high quality, attractive, cross-back apron here in San Francisco. I’m learning so much, and am grateful for the helpful patience of the various vendors whom I’ve spoken with so far. I am hoping to set up meetings with factories for next week, I just need to bring *final* perfect samples with me when I go (and, by the way, I had lots of fun picking the fabric for this small and special run). Yesterday I met with a fabric broker, and mmm MMM, there’s some yummy stuff out there!

The other piece that I’m working on is understanding demand. Do stores want to sell these aprons that are practical and comfortable AND beautiful? Do people want to buy them? And how much are they willing to pay? How funky can I get? Friends and family have been extremely supportive so far, but it’s time to go beyond what’s comfortable and see what’s possible!

And finally: finding advisors, 2011 taxes, branding, website work, e-commerce transition, photography, research, and drafting new apron designs.