I'm forver fascinated with why someone would pay over a $100 for a shirt. Of course this is a gothic lolita brand shirt, and so will go for an outrageous price, but this is just a regular deconstructed sweater, albeit from a good seller.

I found a great blog about small business trends on blog explosion. I hadn't even heard of yahoo local before this(despite using both their webhosting and their 'groups' for my newsletter) and I signed up, even though my business doesn't really have a physical location. While speaking about blogs, here's one good bumblebee, another small crafty business blog. I love her pouches, by the way.

Also, here's a livejournal community for people who love to do DIY and reconstructed items. Of course, I can't leave out my favorite DIY community- DIY marketplace. I always feel like spending buttloads of money when going there.

An awesome club. Maybe I should have a jewelry of the month club, although jewelry is more personal than soap. Maybe button of the month, because buttons are cheap, fun, and great. I'm definitely joining the soap of the month club after the new semester begins, because that's only one month's soap not getting to me.

Here's a great resource for those interested in fair trade. This would be a great place to start for the small business owner who wants to go into the selling of fair trade products. I think I'll use more free trade products in my work. I may say what percentage is fair trade, so that consumers can decide whether it is worth the price(I would say so, but am I the customer? no.)

Here's a site with socially conscious gifts- they even have no sweatshop journals. Also, here's shop that allows you to buy from non profits directly.

I am offering custom chain bracelets on eBay. My favorite thing about these are that they are unisex. The chain's really delicate, but it's not overly fancy which makes it perfectly fine for men.

I have a pair of earrings up at the Velvet Garden.

I have a nice chunky bracelet ending in less than 24 hours!

I simply don't think that black business will solve all our problems. There have been many black businesses since Africans have even been in America. Yes, black business is good, and we should support it, but there are other issues. Some of this stuff is just plain wrong- American Indians and Hispanics, especially non white Hispanics, do not have a good economic base in America, although their political base may not be the strongest either. I also believe that blacks have been pulling themselves up by the bootstraps even when we had no boots. The thing is that without political and social issues, the economic base falls into rumble. If blacks don't have good schools, can't get good jobs and shop at our businesses, well, what good does that do? If they are in jail, and can't buy our products, what good does that do? I think the real problem is focusing on the economic at the expense of other things. Yes, that's one aspect, and we should work hard, but the real problem is seeing things as either/or. Either you totally assimilate and become a white person painted black or you're just a ghetto hoodrat. Either we build black businesses or we fight for justice.

While I understand we don't have all the resources in the world, we do have millions of people. If I build my business, and work on transit issues, my brother can lead the charge for school justice and buy from black businesses. For every kid we rescue, we can have yet another person working for us. And it's not just black people- we have allies of every race who want justice for all.

Man, I wish I could afford a dress like that. $200! I can barely imagine $40 for one. I think I may start to sell some of my clothing. I am selling a rockabilly top because I couldn't wear it. In other auction news, my mystery box has less than a day left. Snag it NOW!

Indie Clothing Designers- I really love it when people make clothing in custom sizes. I want to wear clothes in stores meant for adults, but I don't like things to be too too big, especially in the chest area.

Time for....Indie Stylin'

Today's shop is formula exo. I've ordered once, and would order again.(ok, in fact, I did order again- I didn't want to let that nurse fetish necklace get away.) Another favorite are her pacman earrings. She has a sharp sense of style, and knows what the cult favorites are. Although she would be better served to call her head dress an egl head dress instead of a head band, I'm not too picky, but some might be. There's also a nice edge to her gothic collection- while wearing earrings made of razorblades or dolls' arms with cut here may be too far out for my mild mannered taste, I bet those who love living on the edge(or at least shocking their parents) would love it.

Also, these adorable owl pins apparently go for a good cause. (I say I'm a good cause, but I'm joking- I promise I spend all the money on clothes and food and anime. Oh, and ads, and materials. Let's not forget that. But by good cause, I mean someone needs to raise money for an actual need)

So I've been working hard because I don't have any pressing assignments. So I set my mailing list up. Get great deals weekly. Also, I managed to get one auction up. It's one of my first pairs of stud earrings. Of course, the mystery box is still being offered. Get over $100 of great surprises.

It seems that gothicveils.com is no more. Apparently the business grew too fast and she couldn't keep up with the orders. (I can see why- I bought some hair stuff from her, and it was really cute, and also she uses those clips which work in all types of hair, not just straight hair. My hair is too big and resilient for a scrunchie, but a decorative bow or clip works just fine.) That's an important thing for indie business owners to consider because many of us are working on our own. For example, my business has only one employee. While I hope these mini businesses grow and employ more people, there is also a point where it's too much for one person, but still not money making enough to hire an employee. Just something to think about.

I have an auction for a mystery box up. Over $100 worth of jewelry for cheap

I have an auction for a huge lot of funky bracelets ending within a day. Also I finally got the list of Happily Handmade Link Partners up on the homepage, thus ending my long long stretch as a dead beat.

YES!!!! I got it all done, and today is the grand reopening. Look around, look around. I'm exhausted from school, promoting the opening on livejournal,and just living on this earth, but I am also full of pride.

I'm cranking it out. The jewelry sets page is up, although I forgot to put it on the navigation bar.

It's slow, it's sure, but it's going. The necklaces section was finished today. But soon after that, I'll have to do the dreaded earrings section. I might even have to take new pictures for that.

On Indie Stylin' today, we have Mellifluous Couture. I especially love their heather dress, which is cute and flirty, and the Marisa skirt which would give me a more 'grown' look, I think. Remember to look at the swatches before ordering the clothes, so you can see what fabric you want them in. The clothes seem to all be made to your size which is good whether you are extra petite or extra cuddly. I'm still a poor college student, but I can dream, can't I?

I at least finished the bracelets section.

I made this today as a spring break souvenir- the pendant was bought for me over spring break, and I got some pearls to go with it, since we went to the pearls exhibit at the Milwaukee public museum. It was great.