I'm getting some interesting feedback to the Web posted article on Pay Per Project. The article is about projects that are available online to download at a price per project.

Not surprisingly the designer community is interested in hearing more. The idea that the Web can provide a cost-effective way to self-publish patterns is an enticing one. But not everyone thinks it is a good idea.One designer told me that a retail customer told her that the retailer would drop the designer's patterns from her store if she sold the patterns online. Ouch!

When conducting research on the article I asked all of my contacts- Where does the retailer fit in here? And from what I learned I believe that a retailer can benefit from online project instruction sales.

Our business folllows fashion, whether it is apparel, gift or home decor. Some of those trends are regional, some are seasonal, some last a while. Celebrity-fueled trends get hot overnight and fizzle out just as fast. The problem is that the trend cycle does not always jive with print production cycles. Or, the trend is too regional to publish in a national magazine. And what about those neat niche products that never make it into chain stores or a wide showing of independents? We still need projects that use those products

If you look at it strictly as a pattern sale, I can see where a retailer might be fearful. However, a unique project that may never see the pages of a craft magazine or book could sell a bunch of product. 

Some of the designers offer lesson plans. And most of these sites have some kind of wholesale purchase option for the retailer. So if you have a class you buy the project wholesale and pass it along to the customer at full retail price.

Every time I go to a show I see hundreds of patterns and projects. Not all of these projects sell into the independent store. After all, your display space is finite. Plus, a lot of those patterns aren't carried by distributors. So some stores will never carry those designers' innovative projects. If a consumer could download these projects from the Web, the retailer could still get the sale of supplies.

There is a lot of design talent out there. Not all of the designs are going to sell 1000, much less 10,000 copies. Some will have a limited dedicated audience others will bring their following from books and magazines. My question is: " If more ideas translate into more crafting, isn't there room for everybody?" Let me know what you think- Beth