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Highland County Crafts cuts hours, needs support
BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER
 | | Highland County Crafts in Monterey provides a retail outlet for local crafters and those with ties to Highland. The store has brought in many new consigners, upgraded the value and quality of the products it sells while continuing its support of traditional handmade crafts. The non-profit organization needs volunteers and cash support to stay in business. (Recorder photo by James Jacenich) |
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MONTEREY - "The margin of available funds to keep Highland County Crafts Cooperative going is narrowing," said Marianne Wilson. "We've had to go into our reserves to keep the place going."
Highland County Crafts, on Main Street in Monterey, is a nonprofit cooperative that provides space for craft and artisan consigners. It will be 40 years old in 2009, the same year the building turns 100.
"It's been a benefit to the community," said Wilson. "If people in the community want it to be here, they need to help.
"In our annual letter to the membership, we asked people to volunteer eight hours a month. It could be done in one or two days a month or however they preferred," said Wilson. "We have one paid volunteer. We can't afford anyone else."
The letter generated some volunteer interest, but scheduling is difficult and few people are willing to designate an entire day to volunteer at the shop.
Besides volunteers, the shop needs money. Highland Crafts' board came up with a raffle. The drawing will be held this weekend during the Hands and Harvest Festival. A quilt, gun rack, chimes, a horseshoe coat rack, and vintage child's rocker are being raffled off. Tickets can still be purchased at the shop and a person need not be present at the drawing to win.
The board is also considering renting the upstairs of the shop for meetings and other gatherings.
One proposal on the table, which the board will consider later this month, is from someone in the community who would like to use the space to display local art.
A grant writer is on the wish list of money-making ideas. "We need someone capable of writing grants who would do the service at a reasonable fee," said Wilson.
The cooperative also needs to have an online presence, and that takes the right equipment and a person to manage the software and Web site once it's up and running. "We need to do an inventory online," said Wilson. "But that is more involved than any of us are able to do."
The good news is the consigner base has increased. "We are attracting more and more people and displaying more and more things," said Wilson.
But due to a lack of personnel, store hours have been curtailed. "We are now down to five days a week, with a Sunday possible once in a while."
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Wilson, volunteer manager for the cooperative, minds the store three days a week.
The craft store will be open during the Hands and Harvest Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Highland SPCA sweater sale is being held upstairs at the craft store Friday and Saturday.
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