make my day.

I’d like to do more DIY projects around the house–that is, once I have a house. At this point I’m satisfied with painting my apartment, and my recent art project. But if I DID have a house, one of the first things I’d want to do is reupholster my couch. It’s something I’d just like to know how to do for the fun of it, and in general I like giving old, ugly things a new life. And then the other day I came across these pictures from an old woodworking book, and I thought, hey, I wonder if there’s a market for a DIY helper business. I think there are a lot of people out there that like working with their hands and doing cool stuff in their homes, but have little experience and no idea where to turn. So instead of spending a lot of time and money to, say, reupholster my couch (rather poorly) myself, or paying a lot of money to get someone else to do it (whilst depriving myself of the learning and sense of accomplishment), what if I could call a local artisan to come to my house with their tools and teach me how to do it? I could save money on the tools I’ll have little need for in the future, but I’d be able to learn a new skill, and then execute it under the guidance of a professional. I like the idea of individual people helping people, and I think it could be a win-win for crafty people who love what they do but perhaps have no good market in which to sell their skills, and busy people who would like to learn these extra skills but the opportunity costs are currently too high. What do you think–is it a winner?

Tagged: ideas