Change for the Better

The Crafts Report has become the all-new Handmade Business! I could not be more excited to present this change to you. This name-change to Handmade Business from The Crafts Report has truly been several years in the making.

When I came on board with the magazine in early 2012, it was as the Advertising/Marketing director. Some of you may have had dealings with me in that capacity. What I noticed right away was that our name, The Crafts Report, did not properly convey to you, our reader, what it was that we do. From an outsider’s perspective, there was a strong sense that we were a “crafty” kind of magazine; the kind that is filled with how-to’s and crafty projects. This was never as apparent as when we hired an outside firm for our website re-design, and they returned a site to us that looked more suited for Martha Stewart. Obviously, that is not our niche… at all.

At that time, Jones Publishing President Ryan Jones (who was acting as Publisher of The Crafts Report in 2012) and I began tossing around ideas on a name-change for the magazine that would better describe who we are and what we are about. A dozen or so ideas were kicked around before we eventually decided to keep The Crafts Report name out of a fear of losing name recognition (The Crafts Report is a well-respected name that goes back 40 years) and/or alienating our long-term readers.

In early 2014, however, we revisited the idea when the name Handmade Business hit us both like a ton of bricks. All of sudden, a name-change seemed like a no-brainer. Teaching the business of handmade is what we do! So here we are, presenting you Handmade Business—with a whole new style, flair, and attitude that I hope conveys to you my personal belief and dedication to the business of handmade in the U.S.

Learn. Discuss. Get Inspired. Subscribe to the all-new Handmade Business magazine now!

Diana Jones
Publisher