ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 3, 1996 TAG: 9606030032
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
OK, A SHOP that produces handmade slat-back chairs is no Motorola. But if there are at least 2,000 craftspeople across the state of Virginia - the number collected in a Virginia Cooperative Extension database - it shouldn't require an economic impact study to figure that, combined, their sales boost the commonwealth's economy.
Maybe it does, though. Some craftspeople want the state to do such a study, but their request wasn't funded by the General Assembly. The purpose would be to get statistical data to support their appeals for the state's help in marketing their wares. Judging by the numbers gathered in neighboring states that do regard arts and crafts as an economic asset to be cultivated, such an investment might pay off.
Especially when you consider that sales are only part, and probably not the biggest part, of crafts' value. They can be a cultural asset and attraction as well.
North Carolina found in 1994 that handcrafts accounted for $49 million in sales, not counting sales at retail shops. And that was when the state was just beginning serious marketing efforts. In Kentucky, with a total domestic product less than half of North Carolina's, sales were comparable at more than $24 million in 1993.
If Virginia were willing to assume its artists and craftspeople are making a similar contribution to the Old Dominion's economy, should it make more of an effort to market and publicize what's available? Of course.
Craft shops and art studios generally are the smallest of small businesses. A furniture- or jewelry-maker living on what his or her hands produce doesn't have much time, and likely doesn't have expertise, to devote to marketing. A cooperative effort makes sense - and the state's Division of Tourism is the logical coordinator.
Which brings us back to the value issue. Arts and crafts, especially those native to a region and not mass produced - and, granted, this is a sadly shrinking category - enliven a place and add to its appeal, especially for visitors.
Crafts and tourism have a natural symbiosis. Many tourists enjoy looking at goods at least ostensibly associated with a particular place, and buying something that will carry home memories of their trip. Many enthusiasts of the arts and crafts travel to fairs, or seek out individual studios and workshops, spending money along the way on meals and lodging.
Virginia doesn't even publish a comprehensive guide to finding them, much less help the state's "art-repreneurs" in the unfamiliar territory of business and marketing plans. It can do more to make sure its craft shops are open for business.
Doing so might also help preserve disappearing examples of a rich history and distinctive traditions.
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