From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcottage industryˌcottage ˈindustry noun [countable] TIan industry that consists of people working at home Hand weaving is a flourishing cottage industry in the region.
Examples from the Corpus
cottage industry• Their manufacture is a cottage industry run by people on the fringes of society.• Embroidery remains largely a cottage industry with thousands of girls and women employed as outworkers.• Today whole family groups Produce basketwork at home in what is very much a cottage industry.• Cake decorating is something of a cottage industry around here.• A cottage industry has even sprung up among companies that provide information about other people seeking information.• Industry experts say this booming cottage industry now accounts for about a quarter of the X-rated video market.• A small cottage industry of biotechnology firms has sprung up to investigate this, using a variety of methods.From Longman Business Dictionarycottage industryˈcottage ˌindustryCOMMERCE1[countable] an industry consisting of people who work from home, making things such as toys or clothes2[countable] informal an industry consisting of small businesses operating from homeThere is a huge cottage industry of proprietors running nursing homes for elderly people. → industry 