Supply Chain Woes & Workarounds

All we are hearing about this Fall is the defects in our supply chain, delays, shortages and price increases due to demand. It all sounds like zero fun, for everyone, like seriously, no one is winning here. As a designer and a new business owner, the supply chain defects are backing up business and making it nearly impossible to share completed projects with my five followers. Even the most simple projects are taking up months on the calendar due to a single backordered object, in this case a custom command center calendar.

I’ve come up with some workarounds and want to share with you how you can still complete a project with little sacrifice and a lot less waiting around.

Shop Local 

This is always important and always something that becomes a topic of conversation around the holiday shopping time… which as you may have heard… is starting a lot earlier this year, like a month ago. By shopping local you are not only supporting your neighbors, but you are likely getting a quality, handmade product that you can see and touch.

How do you find the locals who are doing the things? Same way you find anyone these days… social media.

Instagram is used by over 1 billion people every month, 140 million in the US alone and the kicker stat for this blog, 81% of people use Instagram to research products and services.. because that’s where we market them. It is, quite honestly, the bane of my existence as a small business owner, but you can’t fight facts. Instagram is where it is at. Search some local hashtags or see who your friends are following, for me and my hood, I start with #williamsburgvasmallbusiness

The Facebook (Meta) Marketplace is an amazing source for local artists to sell goods to you, set-up your search for your zip code and the distance around that you are willing to go and search for your missing gem. If that isn’t working, don’t give up on Facebook just yet, try searching for “Groups,” that specialize in the category that you feigning for. There are likely pages dedicated to shops from your neighborhood on Facebook as well, just spend a little bit of time searching! Here is an example of a local store, The Lazy Daisy that hosts local artists in my area.

Etsy is also a great source for the homemade goodies and assuming you have an account set-up, it will automatically show you the local finds shipping from your state. So, that’s super easy, thank you Etsy.

Filtering Finds

The options for shopping online are certainly not at any shortage, even if the products are. And, online shopping is certainly our trending favorite for browsing the variety of whatsitcalled and thingamabobs. One of the best things about online shopping, in my opinion, is the filtering feature, and if a website has poor filtering options, I’m likely to not even shop on it. As a designer, these options can save me time, money and some aggravation - because there is nothing worse than scrolling through all the results to fall in love with something that is OUT OF STOCK. So, head over to your favorite online shopping store and filter away all of the negatives and hopefully, only find exactly what you are looking for.

Hit the Streets

I feel like I am probably in the minority when it comes to the task of shopping. I hate it. There is literally nothing I enjoy about shopping. Now… shopping for home goods, décor and furniture is a little different, and I like it better, albeit only slightly. In the current state of the marketplace, hitting the streets and actually going to stores is really the most reliable way to see, touch and witness what is actually available.

If you are able to find what you are looking for and pull it from the shelf, well, bravo to you. I suggest doing a little pre-shopping recon and doing some research first. Find out who is carrying what you are looking for and make sure that your local store has it available and in-stock. If you are visiting the site before going into the store, you may also be able to check out what discounts they are offering or pull coupons that might not be available in the store.

In Conclusion

There are several pieces of advice that I’d like to offer, in addition to these wonderful and not-so-secret methods of modern day shopping and procuring. And they are: shop early and wear your patient panties. If you have a deadline that you need to meet, it is your job to do the homework and find the needle in the haystack of availability. If you are having guests over and you need somewhere for them to sleep, get your mattress on order. The only way to not have to sacrifice on your number one picks is to order early. That’s just the way it is gonna be for a hot minute.