The idea for the Internet site www.CraftCenter.org arose in the end of 2001 at a meeting between the team of Information Business Center Straldja and the Peace Corps volunteer, working at the Municipality of Straldja. Development of the project started in January 2002 and the official opening took place on November 11^th 2002. The online shop represents the work of more than thirty craftsmen with over three hundred products. The project serves two directions: opening of new work positions and preserving the tradition of Bulgarian Craftswork.

Information Business Center of Straldja is a non-government organization, a part of the Employment Through Business Support (JOBS) project of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and the development program of the United Nations Organization. The Information Business Center Straldja works in support of the micro, small businesses, and agricultural producers. The Center provides them with information and technical services, as well as consultations and trainings. All services are available for marginal groups unemployed, ethnic minorities, people in unequal social positions, young people, etc. Main goals of the Center are to decrease the unemployment in the municipality, to improve the living standard of the population, to encourage the enterprising way of thinking and culture. The Center team consists of marketing consultant and a specialist in information technologies. Collaborators are the Municipality of Straldja, represented by its Mayor; the Bureau of Labor of Straldja; National Saving Bank (DSK); physical persons. With its first steps as a non-profit organization, the Center focused on the craftsmen, since the preparations for the first Christmas Emporium, organized by JOBS, has had begun. People with production responding to the Christmas idea had to be chosen.

In the end of August 2001, the team held a meeting with craftsmen to find out what articles they worked on. Six people answered the invitation; two of them showed their articles, the others presented photographs of products they have had worked on by errand. All the craftsmen experienced similar problems lack of capital for buying materials and no adequate market for the articles. The craftsmen showed a little distrust towards the Center. Some of them shared negative experience of their partnerships with other firms and organizations that promised to find placement of their production but misled them and did not fulfill their expectations. Other problems observed were the articles high prices, which made them impossible to sell. The team created a profile and filled an inquiry for each of the craftsmen.

At the end of September 2001, two Peace Corpse volunteers came to work at the Municipality of Straldja Robert Davis and Edit Swan. The Center team met them in order to explain the development of the idea for the craftsmen of the region. The volunteers showed their will to cooperate.

The next step was to widen the meaning of craft so that it could include more kinds of handmade products, respectively more people could participate in the project. With the cooperation of the Mayor of the Municipality there were numerous meetings held at different places of residence at the municipality, at which the services and possibilities of the Center were presented.

By the end of November, the Center had already approved several people for participation at the Christmas Emporium. Several days after the end of the Emporium, Robert Davis shared the idea for creation of specialized Bulgarian Craftwork Internet shop, as well as local craft center with permanent counters. The Center team accepted the challenge with clear thought that several months of work could be wasted. Marketing specialist of the IBC Dobrina Marinova started a marketing research in Internet about Bulgarian and other handmade articles. The research ended at the end of January 2002. The results pointed great interest towards such products on quite attractive prices. Simultaneously, information technologies specialist Dichko Dichev began developing the site itself.

At the beginning of February 2002, the team had clarified idea that would be the target group of www.CraftCenter.org and defined two main kinds of potential clients:

- foreigners who have visited Bulgaria

- Bulgarians who live abroad

The financial strategy of the project was developed. In order to win the trust of the producers, the team decided not work with commissions, but give to the producer the whole sum he had announced for price of its article. All transportation and presentation expenses would be covered by the Center. That turned possible after analyzing the data of the marketing research:

- Practice shows that the customer buying on the Internet covers the transportation cost of the product. Sometimes this cost could exceed the price of the product itself. There was no such danger in this case since the prices of the Bulgarian Post Services are quite reasonable, so there was no possibility for drastic increase of the product cost.

- Greater part of the foreigners buy craft articles to use them, e.g. except for beautifully looking, the articles had be of practical use, and if those two criteria were present, then the prices at the shop could jump up to 100% over the prices, announced by the producers. This way, all expenses could be covered and the Center would realize a reasonable profit.

After that the team faced the problem how exactly to present the products to the clients. It was decided for each article to be presented with its own history that would include a short explanation of each craft, the traditions related to it, and a profile of the craftsman who had made it.

A few weeks later, the team presented to the craftsmen the whole www.CraftCenter.org project. Irina Stoicheva shared her impression from the Christmas Emporium. Dichko Dichev shortly explained the scheme of the shop, and Robert Davis pointed out his prognosis of the sells at the shop. Additionally, it was decided for the products to be stored at the Center office; this way they could be shipped to the customers without any delay.

March was devoted to individual meetings with craftsmen. The team consulted them about the prices and the design of their articles; got in touch with manufacturers or suppliers of certain materials on very attractive prices.

In April, the project met its first serious obstacle finding an online company, working with credit cards. The only Bulgarian firm (E-pay) turned to be unacceptable due to its difficult for servicing system and lack of English firm site. The team decided to work with American company, but that also turned difficult. Most of the American firms did not service Bulgarian ones. Two months later the problem was solved in cooperation with the local Bureau of Labor, the Center organized and held training Start Your Own Business for part of the unemployed craftsmen. At the same time, Dichko Dichev completed the system for adding the transportation taxes on the Internet site.

In May, new meetings with craftsmen from all over the municipality were held. Mayors and Deputy Mayors helped the project by organizing and supporting the meetings. А lso, several permanent counters with local craftsmen articles opened at the office of the Center and the preparations of their presentation at the Varna Summer Craft Emporium. By request of the Management of the Region of Iambol and with the cooperation of the local Peace Corpse volunteer, the team met with craftsmen from the Municipality of Tundja. Consequently, five of them are now project partners.

In June, a crew of the Bulgarian National Television visited the Center and filmed an extended reportage about the Internet shop. It was broadcast on the Business Breakfast show. At the same time, the Central Coordination Section of the JOBS project approved a budget for the Internet shop project that included purchase of photographic lighting and digital camera. After long efforts, the team managed to find a suitable credit card company and registered an account. Next step was registration of the www.CraftCenter.org domain.

In July - August craftsmen from the Municipalities of Straldja and Tundja sold their articles at the Varna Summer Craft Emporium. In September November. the Internet site was tested. All the articles were pictured and described. The team differentiated the following counter categories: drawn silk, slippers, icons, dolls, candlesticks, wooden miniatures, wooden dishes, knitted articles, ceramics, photography, embroidery, and house decoration. The Center signed an agreement with each of the craftsmen and defined the way of payment. On November 3^rd 2002, the first article was sold. All project partners presented at the official opening of the shop, as well as guests from the Peace Corps, the governor of the Region of Iambol, the Mayor of the Municipality of Straldja, Mayors and Deputy Mayors of neighboring municipalities. The event was covered by the Capital and Trud newspapers and Horizont and Darik radios. Due to their participation, people form all over the country turned to the team with questions and ideas. By request of Mincho Spasov, the project team was at the establishment of the Regional Craftsmen Chamber (region management initiative) where the team had the chance to present the opportunities of the online shop. The Center hopes to work with the new structure, at which more than one hundred and fifty are members in near future.

Information Business Center of Straldja developed the Internet strategy of the Crafts division of the JOBS project. In the beginning of next year, craftsmen from the project regions will be able to present their production at the respective center and then at the online shop. This type of organization guarantees fast and safe transportation of the articles and, at the same time saves money to the producer himself.

The project of the Business Information Center gives a chance to every Bulgarian to earn money from his work by preserving the traditions of the Bulgarian Craftwork. The experience gathered by each of the project participants was enormous. The team started with an idea and reached to establishment of the first Bulgarian online shop, specialized in craftwork sells. Now, thirty craftsmen from Straldja, Iambol, Nova Zagora, Sofia, and Plovdiv participate in the project.

The project could be applied to all Bulgarian regions. Taking into consideration the fact that the Municipality of Straldja has never won recognition in the sphere of crafts, the Center team managed to find, organize, and train great number of people who can produce handmade articles and realize their production through Internet.

Presently, three people service the online shop:

- Dobrina Marinova marketing, work with craftsmen, supplies;

- Robert Davis publicity, online promotion, newsletters

- Dichko Dichev web developments, graphic design, public relations

Technical requirements are a computer (contemporary configuration), a digital camera, a scanner, and a printer.