Holiday Craft Supplies: What To Stock in Your Store

The holiday season is busy for most retail stores — but for craft stores, it’s make-or-break time.

Your dedicated crafters spend money year-round, but holiday seasons bring gift-makers, gift-buyers, and newbie crafters looking to make that pine wreath they found on Pinterest. With stakes this high, every stocking decision weighs heavily, and your storage space can become premium real estate overnight.

Getting your holiday craft supplies right can be the difference between a profitable year and a craft store that’s scrambling to make up losses in January. But what holiday craft supplies do you need to keep on your shelves to end the year in the black?

This guide covers the trends and product categories you need to know to protect your cash flow this holiday season. 

Understanding Holiday Craft Supplies Market Dynamics

Before we cover our list of key holiday craft supplies every store should be stocking this year, let’s explore the dynamics of holiday craft shopping.

Craft shoppers are unique because they usually don’t just pick up individual items. Most crafters come to your store looking for entire projects. They’re buying paints, brushes, ribbon, hooks, and protective coating all at once. This dynamic is great for average basket size, but there’s a downside: You can lose the entire sale if you’re missing one component of their supply list. 

Related Read: How To Open a Craft Store: 10 Essential Steps

Another tricky thing about holiday craft supplies is balancing the industry's plan-ahead nature with new and emerging craft industry trends. Your customers start planning their holiday crafts in September, but the hottest trends might not emerge until October. If you want to get your inventory planning right, you need to forecast what people will want to make months before they actually do it.

Craft supplies storage can become a nightmare during the holiday season, too. You still need your regular inventory on hand, but now it’s competing for floor and warehouse space with your holiday items. This puzzle piece is especially challenging in September and October, when you’re investing heavily in inventory you know won’t turn for months, hoping you’ve gotten the trends and quantities right. 

With this context in mind, let's dive into the essential categories that should anchor your holiday inventory strategy.

Essential Decorating Materials

The first category of holiday craft supplies you need to stock in your store is decorating materials. Your customers want to create their own holiday decorations, and you need the right base materials to help them make the decor of their dreams. 

Ornament-making supplies: Stock clear glass and plastic ornament balls in multiple sizes. Customers can personalize these blank ornaments with paints, glitter, and ribbons, so be sure to stock all those supplies, too. Don't forget ornament caps and hangers.

Wreath and garland components: Invest in wire wreath frames in 12", 18", and 24" sizes. Pair them with faux greenery, artificial berries, pinecones, and ribbons. Pro tip: Take advantage of visual merchandising and display a few finished examples of the latest Pinterest-trending wreath designs to boost sales. 

Holiday-themed fabrics and felt: Stock traditional holiday colors like deep reds, forest greens, gold, and silver. Research the trendy seasonal palettes and patterns, and keep those in stock. Felt sheets are especially popular with younger audiences and newer crafters because they’re beginner-friendly. 

Specialty papers and cardstock: Stock heavyweight cardstock in holiday colors, specialty papers with foil accents, and coordinating envelopes. These items have great margins and are popular with customers who make their own holiday cards and wrapping paper. 

You can boost your sales even more by creating product bundles, such as “project kits,” which bundle all the supplies for completing a dozen ornaments or a create-your-own advent calendar kit. 

Related Read: 7 Ways To Improve Checkout Processes for Craft Stores

Kids and Family Craft Supplies

Another major category of supplies you should stock for the holidays is kids' and family crafting kits and project supplies. The key for this category is making sure you invest in age-appropriate supplies and projects.

Safe, age-appropriate materials: Stock washable paints, safety scissors, nontoxic glues, and large-grip tools. Parents also appreciate products with clear age recommendations on packaging or in-store signage.

Classroom and group activity supplies: Cater to teachers, scout leaders, and party planners by stocking group activity and craft class bundles. Carry bulk quantities of basic supplies like construction paper, foam shapes, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes, and package them in classroom-sized portions.

Quick-completion projects: Create product bundles for crafts kids can complete in 30 minutes or less — think foam ornament kits, sticker scenes, or precut wooden shapes with washable markers or paint.  

Another tip for this category is to stock mess-free alternatives. Stock gel crayons, foam stickers, and anything that comes premixed. These options cut down on paint, glue, and other supplies that are likely to make a mess when combined with little hands. 

Related Read: Craft Store Inventory Suppliers: 8 Top Options

Inventory Planning for Holiday Craft Supplies

Smart craft inventory planning is a must if you want to survive the holiday season! 

Start your planning early. Identify emerging trends on Pinterest, Instagram, and craft blogs starting in late summer and into the autumn season. But remember: Don’t bet everything on any single trend. Order small test quantities first to gauge customer response. If something takes off, you can reorder for the second wave of holiday shoppers.

Protect your cash flow with phased delivery schedules. Here’s an easy step-by-step plan you can use as a framework:

1. Your first shipment in September should focus on core holiday supplies that always sell. 
2. Follow with trend-based items in October.
3. Restock your early-season bestsellers in November. 

You need to balance early-bird shoppers who want selection and planning time against last-minute customers who need quick, simple supplies. Stock a majority of your holiday inventory by the end of September, but reserve some budget for fast-moving basics or unexpected trends. 

As a final reminder, don’t eliminate your regular inventory entirely! Move your year-round items to less prominent spots on your sales floor, but keep those regular staples in stock. Remember: Your regular customers still have normal, ongoing projects, even during the holiday rush.

Pro Tips for Managing Holiday Craft Supplies

Maximizing holiday craft sales is about stocking the right supplies and presenting them in the right way. Let’s cover some tips you can use to boost sales and avoid common challenges that pop up during the holiday season.

First, take advantage of bundling opportunities. Create project kits with everything a customer needs to make that perfect Pinterest wreath or a no-mess ornament decorating kit for a family with young kids. Use your point of sale (POS) system to price your bundles at a discount to entice customers to go for the whole kit. 

If you offer classes and workshops in your craft store, the holiday season is the perfect time to boost your class membership and workshop attendance rates. Create exclusive supply lists for workshop participants and offer small discounts on materials purchased on the day of class. 

One of the best ways to protect your inventory investment during the holiday season is to take steps to avoid major challenges likely to rear their head in Q4. Here are some common challenges (and how you can solve them):

• Cash flow issues: Investing in a large amount of holiday inventory can put pressure on any retailer. To keep your cash flow healthy, even during your Q3 ramp-up, take the time to create realistic sales projections and orders based on those figures. You should also invest most heavily in proven sellers and limit trending items to 15–20% of your budget. 
• Post-holiday clearance: Every craft store's nightmare is getting stuck with holiday dead stock when January hits. Avoid this by getting ahead of the problem. Start selective markdowns in early December on slower items. Bundle slow sellers with popular products to avoid those deep discounts later. 
• Limited storage space: Vertical storage solutions and rolling carts can maximize your storage space, but for many stores, that might not be enough. If space is really tight, you consider temporary storage rental if you can justify the cost with your expected sales.

You can also get creative with your deadstock after the season is over. Save your silver and gold supplies and bundle them with blue items for “winter crafting” kits in January and February. Your unused red and green supplies can transition into Valentine’s and spring projects, respectively. 

Related Read: Navigating Seasonal Sales Cycles: Maximizing Revenue Opportunities for Small Retail Businesses

Maximize Your Profit From Holiday Craft Supplies With the Right Tools

Holiday inventory management can feel overwhelming — but luckily, with the right tools and systems in place, it doesn’t have to be. The most important tool in your holiday supply management toolbox is an advanced POS system that takes your scattered inventory data and turns it into something you can actually use to make the right stocking decisions for your store. 

So, what can a modern POS tool do for your holiday craft supplies management?

Real-time inventory tracking shows exactly what's selling and what's sitting, so you can reorder hot items before stockouts cost you sales. If you invest in a solution like Rain POS with integrated class scheduling, you can connect workshop attendance with supply purchases, getting the information you need to make better decisions about what you’re stocking and which classes you run. 

You also want a solution with advanced reporting that helps you uncover the patterns that matter. Which holiday craft supplies sold like hotcakes, which trends fizzled, and which unexpected items became surprise hits? You can use these insights to shape next year's buying strategy.

Stop managing holiday inventory chaos with spreadsheets and guesswork. Build and price your ideal Rain POS solution today and make this holiday season your most profitable one yet.