20-Year Prospect
Currently, the handmade market is booming. Etsy is a juggernaut of the crafty, colorful, and (occasionally) weird. New sites to sell your stuff on seem to be popping up every day. Everyone wants something local/vintage/handmade/small-business/cottage industry/upcycled. We blame the hipster trend, with their skinny jeans and fancy coffees.
Now, people aren't likely to stop wanting hand-stitched baby booties made out of old sweaters. C'mon, those things are adorable. But trends come and go, and the trend towards buying from tiny online crafting shops might become passé. That's not to say that all Etsy shops will have to close their virtual doors...it's just to say that once quirky, handmade cuteness is no longer super-stylish, it might be harder to find buyers.
A savvy crafter will anticipate this and plan for it. When there is no longer a call for 1950s vintage teakettles, he or she will have sleek modern designs waiting in the wings. When sleek modern stuff becomes soooo last season, suddenly shiny Victorian copper kettles will appear in the store.
The twenty-year prospect looks good, if you know how to plan ahead and read the writing on the wall.