|
Company Backgrounder
The Rosen Group
Making Art Your Business for More Than 25 Years
The Rosen Group is an arts marketing, publishing and advocacy firm based in Baltimore, Md. Founded by Wendy Rosen in 1981, The Rosen Group was created to function as a trade association for American crafts. “At the time, there was no infrastructure for artists, such as trade shows, publications and associations, like other industries had developed.”
The Rosen Group’s central mission is to provide American and Canadian artists with opportunities and guidance to grow their business and compete in the global marketplace. The company accomplishes this mission through its trade show, three arts publications and its non-profit trade association.
The Buyers Market of American Craft (1982) is the nation’s largest wholesale craft trade show. Held semiannually, the Buyers Market offers artists the opportunity to create long-term business relationships with over 3,000 galleries throughout the United States and Canada. NICHE magazine (1988) is a quarterly trade publication for craft retailers. AmericanStyle magazine (1994) is the exclusive arts lifestyle publication for enthusiasts, collectors and travelers. The American Made Alliance (2005), the non-profit arm of The Rosen Group, works with federal legislators and officials to create and enforce laws that promote, protect and preserve the American craft industry.
Rosen says she sees her company more as an economic development organization than an arts organization. “What we’re really doing is helping individual artists and craft retailers succeed in business, which stimulates local, state, regional and even national economies.”
The Rosen Group was named one of the Largest Woman-Owned Businesses in Baltimore by the Baltimore Business Journal in 2003 and 2004. In 2006, The Rosen Group was given the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
American Craft Industry Facts:
$14 billion a year industry
(CODA survey, 2001)
127,000 craft artists
(CODA survey, 2001)
$50,000 average income after expenses (26% above National Income)
(CODA survey, 2001)
About 63% of all artists and related workers are self-employed
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dec. 2005)
30,000 retailers sell American craft in the U.S.
(NICHE magazine retailer survey, 2003)
Craft Economics in Perspective
It’s no secret that small businesses drive prosperity and growth in the United States. Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States, creating more than 50 percent of nonfarm, private gross domestic product (GDP).
Nearly all craft businesses are small, independently owned businesses, generally employing fewer than 10 individuals.
|
