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Article: Cottage Industries
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, 2nd ed.
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Thomson Gale. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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COTTAGE INDUSTRIES
Cottage industries is a term that was prevalent during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to describe the home-based system of manufacturing. This term is also used today to refer to goods or services that are produced at home. Sewing, craft production, sales and marketing, typing, bookkeeping, and auto repair are just a few examples of home-based employment.
HISTORY
Rural families were some of the first to become involved in the cottage industry. They added to their agricultural income by making products at home. Merchants provided the raw materials to the families, collected and marketed the finished product, and then paid the family a percentage of the price ...