Those crafty millennials: Industry looks at how to engage people who want to create by hand

http://www.ocregister.com/2016/01/09/those-crafty-millennials-industry-looks-at-how-to-engage-people-who-want-to-create-by-hand/

Millennials are seeking out handmade products and hands-on hobbies, Fimmano said. They want more and more customization in what they buy, and input in the “making” process.

“(Millennials) like to embrace both old and new in their lives,” Fimmano said, by mixing styles, modifying what they purchase and recycling materials and items into something new.

With millennials’ attention came new websites such as Pinterest in 2010, and the takeoff of Etsy, which logged about $1.93 billion in total sales in 2014, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The influx of new handmade businesses on websites like Etsy has helped a lot of companies in the roughly $27 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry, said Craft and Hobby Association President Mark Hill. The owners of online shops still buy a lot of materials for their projects from brick-and-mortar stores.

“It’s a creative outlet and sometimes a secondary income,” Hill said. “It’s especially true for millennials. (Many people) are looking to express creativity in tactile ways.”