Date joined etsy -10/23/08
Sales to date - 500
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Ashli Crowe, and I live in Charleston, Illinois. I have no kids (yet), but we do have a lovely cat named Moses. I don't have a favorite ice cream flavor, but I absolutely love ice cream. I would eat it all day long if that were at all advisable.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
My average day: wake up around 10-11 am... open up the macbook and check out Etsy. I reply to convo's, leave some treasury love, and check to see if my shop got any new hearts overnight. Then I make my daily treasury and get ready for the day. I work at a local coffee shop either in the afternoon or evening. So depending on when I work, I pack orders for Etsy and spend time with my husband (as long as he's not working, as well).
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I've always been a crafty/creative person. My mom was the same way, and it always inspired me to create things. I took a few art classes growing up, was involved with 4H, and I competed in art, music, and drama competitions in junior high and high school. I went to Culinary School in college.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?I was a buyer on Etsy for a long time before I decided to start selling. I knew I was crafty so I just thought that running an Etsy shop was something I could do. I decided to go for it a few months after I got married last summer... I was working as a very part time cake decorator, and my husband was working a lot of hours as a firefighter/paramedic. I needed something else to pass my time. I began making jewelries and cards and started a shop!
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
My first sale came about 3 weeks after I listed my first item. It was from a friend.... he bought a necklace and two cards for his girlfriend.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Top 5 foods:
-Cheeseburgers
-Cupcakes
-Chai
-Whole Grain Bread
-Cheese
Top 5 TV Shows:
-Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
-Arrested Development
-Project Runway
-It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
-Saturday Night Live
Top 5 Bands:
-Coldplay
-Copeland
-Death Cab for Cutie
-Nirvana
-Foo Fighters
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.I'm really thinking about getting into stamp carving. I see so many cute hand carved stamps on Etsy..... I just think it would be fabulous to make my own stamps. I would also learn to love how to play the guitar and/or banjo.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
At first, I thought all I had to do was list a few items on Etsy. I thought I could just sit back and wait for my 10 items in my shop to sell. I quickly realized that I was going to have to consider myself married to my shop if I wanted to get anywhere. I got on twitter, facebook, a blog.... started promoting myself everywhere I could imagine. I started adding more items, and things started to sell. Also, I realized that my shop needed to have a theme. My shop had an identity crisis at first, but now it is cohesive and works a lot better together.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
oh my goodness... just THREE? I have about 41+ pages of favorite shops. I've always admired darlingtonia and long to have a pair of her mocs http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlingtonia
I also am currently obsessing over this photography shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/irenesuchocki (especially the hot air balloons in paris photo)
And I really look up to Celia at GlitzGlitter... she's really helped me grow as an Etsian: http://www.etsy.com/shop/glitzglitter
-One year from now, I hope my number of sold items is...
I'm sitting at 500 sales today, after about 10 months. One year from now, I would love to have 1,000 sales.
--Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
