For as long as I can remember, my mother earned money from the production of goods from our home. My mother was a seamstress, and she offered her services to the neighborhood. She also made delicious brownies and fried chicken dinners. We kids (11 of us) were the salespeople. We peddled the brownies at playgrounds or during Mardi Gras parades.

My mother was not unique. Every block in the neighborhood housed at least one entrepreneur of sorts. Lets see......there was Ms Alexander down the street who made and sold pecan praline candy and Mr. Lucien who sold blocks of ice, before there was refrigeration. My daddy made kites out of thin layers of cypress that he prepped himself and sold to the neighborhood kids. Mr. magee, around the corner, repaired bicycles and lawnmowers in his backyard. Ms James was known as the Zu Zu lady because of the snacks ("zu zus," we called them) she sold off her porch...large jars of candy, big fat juicy pickles and two-for-a-penny cookies. And every neighborhood had the beloved shade-tree mechanic.

All of these small businesses had some things in common. They would probably never expand, they had low overhead, and all were born of necessity.

Never Expand

There were some rare occasions when a home-based business would expand, but it was always the exception, and never the rule. I remember when the corner store was up for sale, and Ms James, the Zu Zu lady, gave a supper to raise money so she could put down, a down payment on the store. (This was how people raised a large amount of money in a short time. They spent two or three days preparing and selling food from their home. The neighborhood always cooperated. It was usually done to get somebody out of jail or to pay a utility bill) Ms James made suppers every weekend for a month to make that down payment. Everybody patronized her suppers because we wanted her to succeed; she already had a good reputation, and, Lord knows, she had outgrown her porch. (She did buy the store, and her family still runs it.) But that scenario was rare. Most home-based businesses stayed just that......in the home......for generations.

Low Overhead

Start-up costs were minimal for the home based business. My daddy needed only to chop some branches off a cypress tree in the backyard and purchase some parchment paper for pennies. Daddy was skilled at folding and cutting intricate patterns the he used to decorate the kites. Mama would hem work pants for the men in the community for two dollars. Then she would take a dollar of that and invest in her brownie supplies.  When people needed supplies they often bartered.

Born of Necessity

Every home-based business existed simply because there was not enough money to last the month. Most mothers wanted to be home to care for their families, and were looking for creative ways to earn extra income. Social programs were nearly non-existent, so creativity was in abundance. Home-based business is no new phenomenon. It was born of necessity and survived because of tradition. As technology created jobs and people became more educated, salaries naturally increased and more people were lured into working outside the home. New generations abandoned the home-based tradition of their parents. But now we have come full circle. Tough economic times and the needs of our children are once again making home-based businesses necessary and attractive. People are returning home to that age-old tradition.

Carol Garrett who grew up in New Orleans, works out of her home in Oakland, CA.

Read her other Article called, Mammy ...A Tribute

Her company Dis N' Dat, makes wearable art and fine collectables that are sold at CobWebs on Solano in Berkley,CA

Crowjane's DIS N ' DAT COLLECTABLES