I have thought about this business idea for a couple of years now.
I first discovered play silks when I was researching some information on silk dyeing. And the site I found had the most gorgeous children’s play silks in wonderful dyed patterns and colors.
Unfortunately I can’t find that site anymore, and the play silks that I have found online now, while beautiful, are pretty much solids and one striped option.
I really think there would be a niche here for someone who likes to experiment with dye and dye patterns such as tie dyeing and other surface design techniques.
Or you could be willing to learn too. It’s not that hard, it just takes some level of experimentation.
Now if you are not familiar with play silks, they are one of the best imagination inspiring toys ever for children.
A play silk is a large square or rectangle of silk material that has been dyed a beautiful color and it provides children endless opportunities for imaginative play.
Play silks have been used in Waldorf kindergartens for years. Children use them draped over play stands as make believe houses, forts, castles and more.
Or they drape, swish and dance with them, using them to adopt a multitude of different characters through dress-up. Perhaps fairy wings, a ballet dress or a wizards cape.
Play silks can also become landscapes, water, boats and even a magic carpet. They really are limitless.
Young children will use sheets, towels, old tablecloths, or whatever they can find to bring the creations in their imagination to life. Play silks can increase the pleasure of dress up and creative play because of their beauty and the quality energy of real silk.
Do you remember having blankets as a child that had a silky feeling edge on them? How I loved running my fingers over that silky strip on my blanket every night as I feel asleep.
Children are very tactile, and the feel of silk is calming and soothing, an added bonus for overactive or hyper children.
Many people might think that silk is too impractical for children’s play, but surprisingly silk can be a very sturdy material, and can be washed and dried easily. I have washed silk goods in my washing machine on the gentle cycle for years. A quick air fluff in the dryer and hang up to dry and it’s that easy.
And giving children quality playthings can help them be more appreciative of handcrafted goods and quality play experience.
Silk also dyes very easily. You can find a lot of info on the web about parents making their own play silks with Koolaid dye.
Now I think this would be a great business idea for anyone wanting to start a home based business and work from home.
If you are interested in this idea at all I feel the best way to go would be to target local boutiques and small local stores such as bookstores, art & craft galleries and clothing stores.
You would also want to look into exhibiting at art and craft fairs and perhaps even flea markets.
And if you really got into this idea big, you might even want to check out Renaissance Fairs.
Play silks would make a very attractive display and a very tactile and inviting purchase.
I would think that parents walking by a booth of beautifully colored play silks would be sure to stop and investigate, even more so if they have young children with them.
Now if you want to know more about play silks, a quick online search will give you plenty of info and ideas about sizes, colors and more.
Then I would hop over to
Dharma Trading.
They are the absolutely best place to buy silk yardage and whatever types of dyes you would decide to use. They also have numerous dyeing tutorials, books and DVDs.
I have purchased from them for years and they are wonderful to do business with!
As I said at the beginning of this article, I think that targeting a niche with this idea of beautifully dyed patterns would make your play silks stand out.
You could also provide some of the single color silks, but even then provide some variation in the coloring so it’s not just a solid color, but perhaps beautiful shadings and variations of a color such as green to inspire a rolling hillside, or beautiful blues to inspire a summer sky.
Packaging your silks would be very simple.
I would just fold nicely and have a printed wrapper to wrap around the middle, like the wrappers you see on a stack of dollar bills (only larger of course.)
This way the silk can still be touched and people can see much of the coloring. You can see an example of what I mean on the
Sarah's Silks
website.
Of course you risk them getting handled too much and perhaps getting damaged, but I think having them available to touch and hold is more likely to result in a sale and will offset the possibility of having some of your silks being damaged.
You could probably get this idea started for around a $100 to $200 investment in silk yardage and dyes.
You could design your own logo and info for your wrapper, and print them easily on colored paper on your own computer.
First I would prepare some play silk samples and then take them around to the different stores you want to target in your town.
Offer display samples that can be hung or draped as a focal point to attract the store’s customers to your silks. The silks themselves can easily be displayed in baskets or other containers, or set on tables or counters.
You would have to work out payment with the store owner either as an outright purchase of inventory or on a commission basis.
You could also start by preparing enough stock to display at a local arts and crafts fair. Choose a small booth to get started; you can always go bigger if you find there is enough interest and profit in this business idea for you.
And if you find that your home based business really takes off, you can always consider
building a website
to market your silks online. There are a few already online but I don’t feel the niche is over-satured.
