Business Opportunities Weblog

July 25, 2008 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

Desert Dispatch:

When the commissary at Fort Irwin started pushing people to go green and use reusable grocery bags, Genevieve Campbell came up with an idea.

This Fort Irwin mother of two started making custom bags as an alternative to the plain cloth ones sold by the commissary. She opened a store, SweetGroceryBags, online last May to sell bags made out of vintage and recycled cloth she often finds at thrift stores.

As a stay-at-home mom, Campbell says her children are her full time job. She usually sews her bags while her children are asleep and can complete a bag in a couple of hours. Her bags range in cost between $25 and $80, and she has made 24 online sales so far.

“I’ve had to stop marketing myself on post because I can’t keep up with orders,” she said.

Tiffany Johnson is an entrepreneur who sells paper crafts online and has a home business selling scrap booking and stamping supplies. As a self proclaimed Army wife, she said she enjoys helping out other Army families.

“You could say that the one thing I learned from being an Army brat is how to be an Army wife,” her online profile states.

Johnson and Fleischman run their online stores through the Etsy Web site . The site allows users to sell their handmade items and artwork through their own online shops. Both are members of the Homefront Etsy Team, a group that gives support and networking to military spouses who use the Web site to buy or sell.

Photo by Genevieve Campbell.

In Ecommerce, Military, Work at Home | 1 Comment