Date joined etsy -7/8/07
Sales to date - 726
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Melissa Ebbe. I live in Milwaukee with my very supportive husband, Steven, and our two dogs, Hobbes and Josie.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I usually get up around 6am. I start off with my breakfast and answering emails, placing materials orders, printing receipts and any other computer-based aspects of my business. Around 9am-10am, I head over to my sewing studio. It’s in a really cool building with a mixture of tenants and other professionals, such as photographers, artists, writers, etc. My studio is a dog-free zone, so it’s where I keep all my fabric and sewing equipment. It’s also where I keep all my shipping materials and back-up stock.
I usually sew until about 4pm, and then pack up orders, and depending on what day it is, head over to the post office. After that, I head home, take the dogs for a long walk (one of the ways of maintaining my sanity) and eat dinner with my husband. Afterwards, it’s back to the computer to answer emails, and do any research that needs to be done for upcoming orders, sketching, etc.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I was pretty creative growing up. I took a lot of art classes, did a lot of drawing and sculpting. Both my parents have always been very supportive of my creative impulses. My dad was the first person who taught me to draw. My mom is a quilter, so I used to always watch her sew. Of course, I tried my hand at quilting and hated it, but I still learned a lot of techniques just from watching her.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy? How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I helped a friend with a booth at a craft fair. She told me about etsy, and after talking to a bunch of other artisans at the fair, I was convinced that it was something I had to look into. That night I made my store on etsy. It was actually quite a bit longer before I started listing my wares. Once I started listing things, I think it was about a week until I made my first sale.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?Top 5 favorite foods: I have a sweet tooth… cake, cupcakes, pie and since I’m a Wisconsin girl, born and raised, cheese and beer.
TV shows- Usually when I work at my studio, I like to have tv shows playing in the background to keep me company. I don’t actually get tv reception in my studio, so I mostly watch shows on dvd. I’ve probably seen/listened to The Office, Seasons 1-5, about 30 times. At this point, I don’t even have to watch it anymore (which is great for working).
As far as tv shows that I actually watch and pay attention to: Project Runway (of course), Lost (I’m behind the rest of the world and only just finished Season 5), Dexter, True Blood
Bands: I mostly listen to NPR while I work, though I recently started listening to the collected works of David Sedaris. I’m not particularly dedicated to certain bands, but I like the White Stripes, the Flaming Lips, and the Pixies
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
A lot of the more complicated costumes I’ve been working on lately have required some amount of leather components. I would really like to learn leather-working, such as leather carving and wet-forming.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
I really cater to a specific community, anime fans, sci-fi fans and video game fans, so I recommend getting involved in the communities where your customers are. I attend a number of anime and sci-fi conventions every year, which I love because I get to meet my customers. I rely mostly on word-of-mouth in order to generate new customers, and I try my best to make everyone happy and make a good impression.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
TattooAnnie, my friend who first got me involved in etsy
Larriva, a really amazing painter, who sells prints for very good prices
Cottonmonster, who just does fantastic work with recycled materials
-One year from now, I hope my number of sold items is over... 1,000
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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 :)
