Craftsmanship and local economic development: a Veles municipality case study

Craftsmanship is the oldest work activity that represents human occupation. The existence of Craftsmanship as a business framework dates back to the time before the Second World War. In this period, Craftsmanship included a high trend in society. Taking into account the low level of technological development in this period of time, craftsmanship was the main driver of the economy. As a result of the industry development and the importation of better quality and cheaper handicraft products with an attractive aesthetic appearance from other more developed countries, many of the crafts disappeared, while those that managed to survive were threatened with extinction. However, the craft sector in the Republic of North Macedonia does not stop here. Despite all the obstacles, this became a motive and a reason for new and unique craft activities to appear and be applied in different sectors of the economy, encouraging the craft activity to spread and cover a larger part of the supply side of the market and with that to cover a wider consumption of the population. Its role in the development of entrepreneurship is big, given that the craft supports and helps the normal life course of the population. Craftsmen are entrepreneurs who, with their knowledge and skills, new ideas and desire to upgrade, struggle daily with various challenges for placing their innovative ideas on the market, for promotion and obtaining greater support and assistance from the government, through grants and subsidies as well as for the preservation of traditional crafts that reflect our country and make it unique. From a craft perspective, greater involvement by the state is necessary through development measures and support programs, greater communication between competent institutions and greater protection of this sector, which is small and yet contributes a lot to development. Keywords: craftsmanship, artisan entrepreneurship, business challenges, economic development, business strategy