Moved Articles To "A Prim Krafters Journal"

We have moved all articles from Olde Village Depot to "A Prim Krafters Journal" All articles submitted will be placed on A primitive Krafters Journal. If you have an article you would like to submit please email it to us at primhut@cebridge.net or villagedepot@cebridge.net.

Making Plans For The New Year!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!! Now that we are about to start a new year it is time to think about where we would like our business to go in the coming year! We are busy making plans! Have you all started making plans?

If any of you would like to share ideas on growing a craft related business email me and I will post it here on the blog!

A Prim Krafters Journal ~ A Great Source For Free Links

We need more links on "A Prim Krafters Journal." There are several categories to pick from and if you sell supplies, patterns, or business resources check the categories underCraft/Business Supplies. Remember it is completely free to list your site. I would really like to see it full of links!!!

Introducing!! Olde Village Graphics

We began creating graphics for our own websites and received many compliments on our work. So we have decided to try our hand at bringing our primitive and vintage graphic creations to you. Creating websets has become one of our favorite hobbies. Most of our websets are a reflection of our ancestors and our heritage portrayed through old photographs etc. You will also find that our Vintage webset are of the utmost quality. We are striving to bring you new and unique one of a kind graphics at affordable prices.

Click here to visit Olde Village Graphics.

Check back soon we will be adding more websets weekly!!!

Supplementing A Crafters Income

Supplementing A Crafters Income
by Diana Bays

As a crafter one of the greatest achievements is to be able to own and run a craft business. We crafters all know though that there are periods when money is slow coming in. An ideal way to supplement your income is by running a cleaning service. As an owner of a craft business and a former owner of a cleaning service I will tell you they are very compatible businesses. By running a cleaning service you will be your own boss and be able to schedule your work around your craft business. You will be able to keep your cleaning service small with just a few jobs or expand it to as large a business as you would like.

You will have to decide which kinds of cleaning jobs would best suit you. There are several options or you may want to provide a couple different services:

Move In / Move Out - Cleaning rentals or some realtors hire cleaning services to clean houses they are selling
Apartment Complexes - Cleaning apartments before new tenants move in, clean hallways and community building
Student Housing - Cleaning student housing before new students move in
New Construction - Cleaning new construction after the contractor is finished. Usually hired by the contractor.
Commercial - Cleaning offices, banks, churches, daycares, factories
Maid Service - Cleaning individual homes.

My daughter and I chose to do apartments and student housing. We liked being able to clean without anyone around to get in our way or standing over us telling us what to do. A lot of folks prefer to do maid service where you clean individuals homes. Any of the options have their advantages and disadvantages, it mostly comes down to your preference.

Set your prices and stay firm, research and find what the going price is for your area. The small community we live in, the price people want to pay is ridiculously low, so we found if we went to a college town 45 minutes away we could make much more. Provide great service and they will be glad to pay your price. The cleaning business is like any other business, you get what you pay for and people much prefer to pay for top notch services.

The start up cost is minimal, a few of the places you can buy your cleaning supplies are at the Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, or Sam's Club. Sam's Club sells some wonderful cleaners by the gallon. For our rags we bought dish cloths from Wal-Mart and in the automotive section they have mechanics rags that work well. Another cheap cleaning rag is to cut up old t-shirts. You will need a good vacuum cleaner, broom, mop, toilet brush, toothbrush, scrub brush, bucket, caddy and etc. Don't over buy because your goal is to make extra money without having a large overhead. Some companies do require you to have liability insurance, but you can find it at a fairly reasonable rate.

Finding jobs is not hard especially if you live in or close to a city. Run an ad in your local paper, send out letters or flyers to the managers of apartment complexes, student housing, contractors, realtors, or office buildings. We put together a folder with a business letter , list of services provided and business card and drove around to apartment complexes and delivered it in person. We would introduce ourselves and leave our information. We got most of our business this way. Make sure your packet looks professional and that you look and act professional.

There are tons of articles and tips on running a cleaning service to be found on the internet. Do your research, go out and find jobs and you'll be able to earn some cash and still have the time to devote to your real business, your craft business.

Diana Bays is co-owner of Olde Village Depot, Olde Village Graphics, and A Prim Krafters Journal.

50% off our Yearly Membership!!

For a limited time only! We are offering you a One Year Membership for a Shoppes Listing, for only $12.00.

With this offer you are getting:


Listed in up to 6 categories in The Olde Village Depot Shoppes directory, with a banner or text ad and a description of your store up to 100 words.
A text link placed on our Village Press blog.
A text link on our online newsletter.
This offer will expire on January 1, 2007.
If you would like to sign up for a our Shoppes Listing click here..