Study of Factors Inhibiting the Business of Batik and Ulos Craftsmen in North Sumatra

North Sumatra is one of the provinces in Indonesia that is rich in ethnic and cultural diversity. One of them is cloth ulos and batik cloth typical of North Sumatra ethnic. However, the business of batik cloth and ulos is not well developed and has not been able to master the national market. This research is descriptive qualitative. The purpose of this research is to identify the inhibiting factors of ulos and batik business, by looking at the craftsmen opinion, and mapping the priority problem faced by the craftsmen. The respondents consisted of 30 batik and 20 ulos craftsmen. From the results of interviews and FGDs, there are different problems faced by craftsmen, namely: a) Batik craftsmen the main problems are on equipment, (40%), then labor (26%), followed by finance and marketing (16%). b) In the ulos craftsmen the priority issues are product marketing (35%), finance (30%), then equipment (20%), the last is labor (15%).