Photo courtesy of We Craft Box: Betsy and the boys getting busy with the craft box.

When Betsy Wild answers the phone on a Tuesday afternoon, she is at home with her two boys, three and five years old. She was in a meeting all morning, wheeling and dealing from her home on behalf of her company, We Craft Box. With the pandemic and its fallout, the summer has been crazy, but for her subscription craft kit operation, it’s been crazy good. “We’ve been experiencing a surge similar to our holiday buying season,” says Wild, “and I’ve been really grateful for it, but it was definitely not in our projections.”

To keep up with the increased workload, she squeezes in some work before her boys’ naptime, which means answering calls, responding to emails, ordering supplies or managing any number of logistical considerations for her national operation. “We had some supply chain interruptions,” says Wild, “but we thought quickly and ordered for multiple months in advance.” Those extra supplies mean that her outfit can keep pace with the recent spike in its sales, which are themselves propelled largely by lingering concerns over in-person contact. “We’re typically slower in the summer, but we’ve seen another rise. I don’t know if it’s the mask ordinances hitting some places.”

Though the company was already enjoying national press from USA Today, Buzzfeed and Huffpost, the mask and stay-at-home ordinances scattered around the country seem like a plausible explanation for the bump in sales. “A lot of people are incorporating it into their home schooling,” says Wild, “and we just launched a superhero, DIY face mask kit so we can maybe make the idea of a mask more positive for the kids.” One review on Cratejoy says, “Thank you for enriching my daughter’s homeschool pre-K years,” while another explicitly cites the pandemic—“Especially during this time of COVID-19, it gives [my kids and me] a chance to bond more with art projects than electronics.”

“I feel for parents right now,” says Wild. When Florida experienced its shut down in March, Wild shipped all orders priority with USPS, which meant Florida families were getting their subscription and one-time box purchases in just 1-2 days. With Sarasota County schools still in limbo and the recent spike in positive cases within the state, Wild might see her operation flourish right through to the holiday season when her Halloween, Thanksgiving and winter-themed boxes historically thrive. “We make a lot of sales up North during the colder months because people have to stay indoors more,” says Wild, “but now, even in Florida where we’re used to being outside almost year round, I think people are going to continue seeing the value of the product.” For Wild and We Craft Box, it’s an all-too-rare intersection of profits and a higher purpose. “It’s great to be able to be there for parents and kids with something I’m really proud of.”

Photo courtesy of We Craft Box: Betsy and the boys getting busy with the craft box.

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