Video Featured on Etsy’s This Handmade Life

My husband always jokes that I am an etsy superstar. Joking aside, I can’t say enough about how awesome Etsy is. Etsy is partly how I make a living, my job. I think of myself as part of this huge network but it has always been a little mysterious to me since I am just working alone in my studio. In January I got to meet someone who actually works for Etsy, Eric Beug and his girlfriend Kelly Hudson. After they shot the video, we had lunch and I got to ask all the questions I have been curious about. What is the strangest thing they had seen for sale on etsy? A full size handmade covered wagon apparently. Who started Etsy and how is it doing in the new doom and gloom economy? Amazingly good, with record sales over Christmas.
People often ask me why I don’t focus on growing my business with more wholesale accounts the way that most clothing designers do. The same people are also surprised to hear that I am not interested in having my clothing mass produced or sold in department stores. While I do add a new boutique from time to time, my designs really lend themselves to be sold directly to customers since they are often one of kind or small runs. Etsy has also allowed me to sell to people all over the world, with about 30% of my sales to international customers.
Here is the video that Eric and Kelly shot featuring my custom wedding shrugs… thanks you guys, it looks great!