Date joined etsy - 10/22/07
Sales to date - 544
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Julien Jaborska and I've just recently married my wonderful wife Karen, moved from NJ to Portland, OR, and taken up my crafting business full time. We have a cat (Pocket) who lives inside our apartment, and several neighborhood strays who come by our windows to visit. If you can consider it ice cream, my favorite is Purely Decadent's Peanut Butter Zig Zag soy ice cream. I also like bikes.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I don't really have an average day, but I do try to stick to a weekly schedule for belt making. Everything else (shipping, collecting supplies, creating new products, cooking, and other drudgery) gets fit in between that whole production.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I do remember that I enjoyed drawing a lot. I also had lots of big, grand ideas for things that I would never get around to finishing. Now when I have big, grand ideas for things I will occasionally finish them months later. Things sure have changed!
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
My wife (who was still my girlfriend at the time) and my friends said that I should try selling after I made my first bike tire belt for myself. Months later, I did just that.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I was actually lucky enough to put my first items up just before Christmas of 2007, so I got a couple of sales right away. After that was a long period of slowly building up sales over time.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?I make a pretty delicious vegan pizza, and some pretty awesome vegan burritos. I also eat A LOT of chips and salsa, and Ginger O's. (They're like ginger flavored oreos.)
We don't have cable anymore, but we do watch some shows on DVD or the internets. Futurama is an all time favorite. The Office. Scrubs (the earlier seasons). Daily Show/Colbert Report. Been re-watching Home Movies (from Adult Swim) too.
Love the Decemberists. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Metric. Death Cab. Architecture in Helsinki. This is more of a "What I'm currently listening to" list.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
I tend to dabble in a lot of different things. I like woodworking and am mediocre at it. I've been taking a welding class which is a lot of fun. Eventually I'd like to learn an instrument of some kind, but it'll probably happen when I'm old and retired. I'd like to try out home brewing, but it'll have to wait until we get a bigger apartment. Hopefully I'll be learning how to make bicycle frames soon, and, even more hopefully, it will turn into my new full-time job.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Do it better than I do. I think the best thing that I do is take nice pictures. (At least I hope they're nice!) My shop has mostly grown through word of mouth, which has led to features on lots and lots of blogs. Blog features have really been the most helpful form of promotion. I've started my own blog too, since I think people like to see what you are doing both inside and outside of your business. Also, if you're lucky enough to live near a craft market of some kind, go there! Meeting people in person and telling them what you do is great, and is also a lot of fun!
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
picapicadesign - My friend Liz's (of Cosaverde.com) shop.
VeloGioielli - A new friend who also sells at Portland's Saturday Market. We help each other out since our customer base is pretty similar.
bicyclepaintings - I hope to one day have one of my bikes done.
-By December 31, 2010 I hope my number of sold items is ______.
I'm going to say 1000, on Etsy. Right now I'm at about 500, and since this will be my first year doing it full-time, I think it's a reasonably attainable goal.
--Have a successful etsy shop and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
