cottage industry

noun

1. the production, for sale, of goods at home, as the making of handicrafts by rural families.
2. any small-scale, loosely organized industry.

cottage industry

noun

1. an industry in which employees work in their own homes, often using their own equipment

Word History and Origins

Origin of cottage industry¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Nevertheless, a cottage industry has grown up around the case.

From The Daily Beast

How Bill Simmons and company have turned NFL indignation into a cozy little cottage industry.

From The Daily Beast

Pedometers and the cottage industry of smartphone-friendly wearable trackers are great for encouraging a more activity lifestyle.

From The Daily Beast

Ailes disparaged it by saying that it was part of “the cottage industry” dedicated to attacking him and Fox.

From The Daily Beast

There is a cottage industry of declinists, but they have vastly overstated their case.

From The Daily Beast

And individuals can make their own solar cookers easily, or start a cottage-industry to manufacture them for others.

From Project Gutenberg

Out in the country again, going westwards, the cottage industry of weaving is apparent in nearly every cottage one sees.

From Project Gutenberg