Idea 59 of 500. Cluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
Key rings, magnets and small items: done well, not imported
The mechanism, from the book
The Zermatt water bottle. Sigiriya has not got a stone with its own name on it.
Every idea in cluster 3 uses this mechanism.
A first step
Design one magnet of your town's best-known sight, in wood, clay or brass, and have 50 made by a local maker. Place them in two shops beside the cheaper imported ones and compare sales over a fortnight. If yours sell at the higher price, you have the proof and a reason to make the next design.
- Who pays first
- Souvenir shops, and visitors who want a small, cheap gift that actually comes from the place they visited.
- What leaves today
- Small souvenirs sell in large numbers and are often imported; made locally, even the smallest purchase stays on the island.
The idea and the mechanism are from the book. The first step was written for this site as a suggestion; if you know a better one, say so.
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
The only test any idea on this site has to pass. The four rules that go with it are here.
In the book
- Ch. FiveThe Most Photographed Rock in the World
The Matterhorn water bottle and the souvenir that is from there
More from cluster 3
Idea 59 of the 500 in the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? Every one can be started by one person, one family or one small firm.