VGCC to offer Craft Artists Entrepreneurship program at Farmers Market


Vance-Granville Community College is offering a new course designed specifically to help creative local residents with skills in arts and crafts to succeed as entrepreneurs.

The “NC REAL Professional Craft Artists Entrepreneurship” program will be conducted at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson, on Tuesdays from 6 until 9 p.m., June 9 through July 21, 2015.

This is the second class offered by the college at the Farmers Market, which opened in 2014. Last year, the Farmers Market hosted the first NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship class. Both that course and the new offering are variations on the “Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning” (REAL) programs that the VGCC Small Business Center has offered in the past.

“If you are considering starting your own business selling your handmade items, then the NC REAL Professional Craft Artists Entrepreneurship program is just for you,” said Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center. “This is a seven-week educational experience that equips creative people with the knowledge and skills to start a small business and earn supplemental income through their craft. We will have hands-on activities that have been specifically designed to address needs and challenges faced by craft artists.”

Topics that are particularly important to artists will be addressed, including guild membership, production, reaching a target market and participating in craft fairs and special events.

Weary invites not only those who are just starting out, but also entrepreneurs who have had a business for up to three years. “This course will provide value to craft artists interested in turning their talents into profitable business ventures,” she said.

The instructor will be M. Theresa Brown of Franklinton, a visual artist, small business owner and instructor for VGCC Personal Enrichment art classes.

Each participant will receive free, one-on-one counseling as a client of the Small Business Center, which will help them take their ideas to the next level of business planning.

Tuition for the course is $70, and the cost of the textbook is $25. The deadline to register is June 5.

For more information and to register, contact Emily McCormick at (252) 738-3385 or ped@vgcc.edu or Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.