Style for Grace

I started the year filled with optimism and hope. However, today has been filled with frustration, confusion, and sadness. I feel like I'm going through the 7 stages of grief. Why? Because today I discovered that Style for Grace will be unable to keep its doors open if the Consumer Product Safety Commission implements the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in its current form on Feb. 10, 2009.

If you're a crafts person, clothier, or retailer of toys and/or children's clothing, the CPSIA will significantly impact you!

I've conducted research all day and have compiled the following information on the CPSIA:

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008: Passed on July 31, 2008. The CPSIA was signed into law by President Bush on August 14, 2008.

What is the CPSIA?: The CPSIA makes it illegal to manufacture or sell toys, clothing and other items for children that do not meet the testing and labeling requirements.

Cost to test products: Thousands. For a business like Style for Grace or any of your favorite handcrafters on Etsy.com - this can be hundreds to thousands of dollars per item!! For Style for Grace, it is my understanding that the cost to test the item is more than the retail cost of a single dress! Because each dress is custom made, again it is my understanding that I would have to test every single dress design using every single fabric option. Plus, beginning in August 2009, a third-party certification is required as further proof of passing test and labeling requirements.

What are Style for Grace's options if the law takes effect on Feb. 10, 2009?

• Comply (Style for Grace cannot afford the testing requirements and therefore cannot comply.)

• Don't comply (Style for Grace would not break the law, but if we did and were caught, we would face thousands of dollars in fines plus jail time. No thanks!)

• Close Style for Grace (After working hard for 2 years to launch the business, this would be simply heartbreaking. Plus I would lose thousands in start-up expenses that I would never recoup.)

• Become a hard-core activist! (Yes, this sounds like a great option.)

So, I need your help. If you love Style for Grace, or your local crafters at school craft fairs, or sellers on Etsy.com, eBay, or thrift stores, GET INVOLVED! Regardless if you frequent a store for children's products - this will impact you. How?

Thousands of small business will close (Style for Grace is one) or will go bankrupt as they attempt to comply (or decide to close instead of complying) with CPSIA. The livelihoods of these business owners and their employees will vanish as a result of their inability to comply with these new standards and even more Americans will be unemployed. (Note, today the US Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate was 7.2% in December. They also stated that 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, the largest yearly drop in decades.)

The CPSIA in its current form will further paralyze MAIN STREET!!! Yes, Main Street!! That's you and me.

I'm PROUD to be an owner of a small business. Small business owners don't have private corporate jets or make six figure salaries. Small business ARE the foundation of the United States economy. I am an entrepreneur that wanted to share my creative abilities with anyone interested in custom, one-of-kind clothing for the little women in their lives.

The CPSIA impacts the stay at home moms, the artisans, the quilters, the toy makers, the small businesses, the people that want to share the love of their craft. Small business owners are the people who dared to dream and muster the courage to enter into business ownership.

I want to be an example, especially to young women, that when you work hard you can and will succeed. Style for Grace is my proudest professional achievement. Style for Grace launched its Web site in August 2008. Today, almost 5 months later, I fear that my dream and most proudest professional accomplishment will end before it ever really took off.

Here are some other stories of business owners that will be negatively impacted by CPSIA:

• Denise

• Jamie

• Extinction of handmade goods

• The CPSIA is far-reaching and will also cause problems on public libraries.
  
  
• Vote to Amend the CPSIA at Change.org
  
  
• View this video about CPSIA.

How can you help? TAKE ACTION!

• Sign petitions TODAY! It will take only a minute (not even). http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040.html
  

• Call your legislators. Not sure who represents your district - check out this site: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
  

• Call the office of Congressman Bobby Rush. He is the chairman of the Subcommittee of Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection. This is the committee that originated the bill that was signed into law.

Washington Office
2416 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-4372
fax: 202-226-0333

District Office
700-706 E. 79th. St.
Chicago, IL 60619
phone: 773-224-6500
fax: 773-224-9624

What do you say to your representative?

Tell him/her that immediate changes must be made to the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) before it becomes enacted law and enforced on Feb. 10th. Tell them that thousands of business are at risk of closing and will further paralyze the United States economy.

Congress is the only place where the CPSIA changes can be made - this is the government body that passed it!

We need to make those calls, send letters & faxes and write emails to our representatives so they are forced to pay attention to what they signed into law.

Thank you for your help! As this develops, keep watching this blog for additional information!

Labels: closing, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, etsy, styleforgrace