Start-up Spotlight #1: CRAFTS AVENUE

by Clarence Francisco

Garnering over 63% of the votes in the recent #TiangGateElections, today's Start-Up Spotlight goes to CRAFTS AVENUE!

CRAFTS AVENUE, being headed by 6 talented individuals, produces a hat and mask merch kit that can protect you both from the sun and from coronavirus for only ₱289.00. The merch kit, sadly, is exclusive only to students from the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, or CHASS for short. Hence, the merch kit was named CHASSified.

Of course, starting small businesses is not always instant success. Like how a local saying goes, "the only thing instant in this world is a pepper's spice." (Loosely translated, it goes "hindi naman 'yan sili na pagkagat mo ay maanghang kaagad.")

"The first is not always a success," said Crafts Avenue. They added that problems challenged them to test their collective patience. Budget was also a problem for them. Being students to begin with, financing the project was going to be a stretch for them and their savings.

"Looking for [suppliers] of our materials [are] not easy as we thought, we went from one place to another, making sure that we will get the right [materials that can] fit our budget," they said. But thanks to technology and the emergence of online shops, they were able to find a supplier that did not maxed out their savings, and also learned the logistics on how they can ship the needed materials and the finished products to consumers. In creating the product, the team had a problem printing the logo onto the mask, but, thankfully, it was quickly resolved due to the team's planning.

"We also had a little problem when it comes to the print of our face masks but we were able to look for another option for it because my team talked about it right ahead and planned the next step," they said.

"The rest are just part of working with people [and] that's not really hard if you like what you're doing, you'll enjoy at the same time," they added.

Crafts Avenue, of course, are no superheroes. Starting a business can be overwhelming and even draining to an extent. "Starting a business is quite stressful and will make you demotivated from time to time, especially [during] those days where you face trials and situations that may not go as planned. But that is inevitable," they explained. But the harder the tasks, the more dangerous the path is, the sweeter the reward will be.

One of the small achievements that Crafts Avenue considers is their first sales. They mentioned that they were quite nervous and worried, thinking whether their products will be marketable and appreciated by consumers.

"To be honest[,] we're quite nervous and worried if there will be someone who will appreciate and purchase [our] kits. But to our surprise, there are people who really appreciate and actually bought our kits [even] without us reaching out to them first," they explained.

One defining factor for this amazing team is their openness to criticisms, which is a trait that people should have, especially if you are to start a small business. We should always remember that we cater to the customers and our performance will be reflected by the number of patrons we have.

"Our [customers'] positive feedback made us realize that we may not be perfect but at least there are people who believe in us[,] because that's what's important," Crafts Avenue said.

It is true that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And that is a quote that sticks with Crafts Avenue.

"Being a start-up is not as smooth and easy as you think. There are times that things will not go according as you plan but that doesn't mean it will be a failure. Sometimes, you just need to look for alternative solutions right ahead instead of getting stuck on the problem," they said, when asked if there are any tips they can give to those who would like to start a small business.

Being students who are majoring in Communication Arts, of course Crafts Avenue considers communication as a vital instrument in "...connecting each member and in building trust to everyone in your team." In addition, Crafts Avenue urges people who would love to venture into start-ups and small businesses to remember that a team does not consist of you alone.

"...you and the people you work with are the ones who will make your own business a success. So, work together and understand each other while having the same goal in mind," they added as a tip to those who would try to enter the world of start-ups.

Want to read some testimonials about their CHASSified Merch Kit? Read the product review here.

PRODUCT REVIEW

by Janella Sasis

Aside from delving into the story of Crafts Avenue as a start-up, what better way to further feed your interest towards them is to introduce their product, CHASSified, in the perspective of a customer.

Creating a merchandise kit which could serve as a college souvenir of Blue Ravens or students from College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) is at the core of Crafts Avenue. With that, they created a merchandise kit called CHASSified which includes a cap, a mask, and a mask strap — essentials for Blue Ravens to fight the heat, and be safe amidst the pandemic.

Based on my experience as a customer, having an order form in the social media page of Crafts Avenue really made the purchasing experience hassle-free. Also, the waiting game while anticipating the arrival of the product was quite short. Thus, it was not a stressful transaction at all.

Upon receiving the product, the packaging alone screams its premium quality due to its sturdy kraft box, as well as the cute and motivational sticker which secures it. Once opened, you’ll see the products organized inside surrounded with recycled art paper. But THAT’S NOT ALL, freebie stickers were also included in the box!

With regard to the products itself, the print looks high-quality and the color combination of white and blue is indeed refreshing to the eyes. This merchandise kit offers a different type of terno, because now, you can color coordinate your head accessory with your face mask!

Want to have your own CHASSified merchandise kit?

Go to our STORES tab and look for the stall of CRAFTS AVENUE to know more about their socials.

What are your thoughts/reaction to this blog? Drop your emojis or GIF on the comment section below!