[Recommendations] Terrarium kit business - Need advice to grow
I posted this in r/terrariums, but I align my business as an art business. My medium is terrariums and illustration.
Hey all! I run a DIY terrarium kit business and I'm looking for advice from other business owners, terrarium or otherwise. My business has been surviving for about 2 years, but thankfully it's a side gig that I'd like to be successful. Photos are of of some of my terrariums and my instructions/journal.
Quick rundown: I source jars from second-hand sources and sell them as part of kits that include everything: substrate, plants, moss, hardscape, and illustrated instructions I made. I'm pretty available for online support since I work from home. I also sell a terrarium tracking journal (I custom made and hand bound), and occasionally isopods and springtails as their numbers spike.
I mostly do a monthly pop-up at a co-op, but I've also done a reptile show this year (made costs and paid my helper) and have been pushing the idea of terrarium parties, which people seemed interested in but nobody's actually booked one yet. I took a break earlier this year due to a move, but I got back into it last weekend and sold a couple kits.
Where I'm stuck: I feel like I'm not finding the right customers. The pop-ups are fine, but I can tell I'm not reaching the people who would actually get what I'm doing. The reptile show didn't really work out as an audience either. I feel like people are interested, but I can't get them to convert. For kit's it's often expressed as hesitancy/fear, but I've done my very best to lower the bar as far as it can go without going insane. (and I personally think terrariums are far easier than houseplants) For the classes, the response from potential customers are so disproportionately large compared to the lack of actual response. I have even told potential customers that fit the type that I'm also happy to do a smoke/sip and build (I live in a legal state) and that response was huge, but no takers still.
I've done one craft show that felt like it was there to make a profit from selling table space, but I'm finding better venues now like the co-op. My pricing is $40 for medium kits and $60 for large, higher at pricier events. I'm phasing out the tiered of kits and just defaulting to large kits as "The terrarium kit". I feel good about it because the sourcing, assembly, and guide actually take real work.
What I'm working on:
-Getting into a local maker's market with a ren faire themed event
-Improving my table presentation
-Making video content without overthinking it
-Possibly selling online through big platform or my own site (Nobody has this specific concept online and I've been afraid to talk about it in online communities for the reason that someone with more business savvy will destroy me, but I need help)
Big picture: I want to eventually leave my day job and move into custom enclosures and larger vivarium installations commercially (In addition to the kits). My artistic goal is to have a large vivarium on display for the public. But first I need to figure out where my actual audience/customer base is. Pie in the sky dream is a shop (but that's a different post)
Any thoughts from people who run terrarium businesses? (or other businesses)
Happy to answer questions about my business and the journey if anyone is interested.