0 to 60 in less than 5: Crab pots; one door closes, another opens

Well, not exactly. Before you abandon this read, it’s a metaphor of sorts that relates to a business opportunity in a declining market. The title comes from the well-known quote by Helen Keller, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

With the downturn in blue crab fishing (in North Carolina), so went the need for building crab pots. With the market in decline, if you were making crab pots on a commercial basis, you could scale back. Or, you could look for a new product opportunity and expand your business. Enter “Core Sound Trees” (http://www.crabpottrees.com/index.php).

While reading the morning paper a week ago, I came across the story (http://www.newsobserver.com/business/local_state/story/237203.html) of the crab pot builder that has supplemented his building of crab pots with making artificial trees (http://www.harveyandsons.com/trees/about.htm). These are no ordinary trees; they are artificial Christmas Trees – actually, the tree shape can be used for a variety of seasonal decorations.

The trees are made from the same materials as crab pots and use a clever, patented design to allow them to be stored flat, with the lights affixed to the tree (for Christmas). I read the story with great interest, but even more so when I caught the production figures: from the initial gifting to friends, to over 150,000 nationwide.

While shopping at a local ACE Hardware store (Atlantic Beach, NC), I came upon their advertising sign and trees. That’s where I took note of the give-back (to the community) in this business endeavor: “$1.00 From Every Tree Sale Goes to: North Carolina Watermen United, Preserving the Integrity and Livelihoods of Coastal North Carolina Fishing Communities”.

When I clicked on their Web site, they are “SOLD OUT” in many sizes and light choices. But, you might be lucky and find one at one of their ‘dealers’ – it’s a good sign in business when you need a dealer network to support your sales. Or, if you are interested in becoming a dealer and adding these trees to your product line, there may be an opportunity for you, too (http://www.crabpottrees.com/dealerform.php).