Date joined etsy- 7/23/07
Sales to date - 311
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Jessi Welch. I live minutes outside of Boston with my rocker husband Brian, my two rat terriers Tarzan and Nelson and we have a baby girl on the way! Being pregnant ice cream is by far my favorite topic but I keep it simple, Chocolate and Vanilla. Nom.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I wake up Monday – Friday early early and work as a financial analyst for two local hospitals. I love my job. Yeah..i admit it. Throughout the day I do the following
-stare at spreadsheets and do math
-chew the fat at the water cooler with my co-workers
-obsessively check etsy
-catch up on my favorite blogs
-exchange e-mails with Brian..we chat a lot
-think about what to cook for dinner
After work I fill orders, sit at my desk and create to restock my jewelry and think about new designs.
Being almost 8mths pregnant I’m in bed by 8:30 and then I do it all over again the next day.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I feel like I was creative, but it wasn’t so much about me, but my mom and sister. They are the most creative, inspiring people I know. My mom comes from a really artist family and she is busting at the seams with talent. She did a really great job raising my sister and I to think outside of the box and to approach everything from personal problems, school to relationships in a creative manner and it always worked like a charm. My sister was constantly creating things and really good at turning ordinary into amazing. She still is. I was inspired by that and started making and maybe my first creative outlet was making beaded jewelry for me and friends (like most little girls) and it just stuck with me.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
Again, thanks to my sister she told me about Etsy. I had been making jewelry and planned on making my own website. I was only selling my goods at a few craft shows but I wanted more. I didn’t have the money to pay for the type of website I really wanted, and since Etsy’s site does 100% of the work for you I thought it was too good to not take advantage of.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
Not long thanks to generous friends!
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?I love questions like this. My taste varies by season..but right now
Foods:
Pizza
Ramen soup from Wagamama (and only Wagamama)
Caramel candy
Leonardo Da Veggie sandwich from Bruegger's
Eggplant..prepared any possible way
TV Shows:
This one is easy. Not much of a TV watcher. But when there is a Twin Peaks re-run on I’m glued to the screen.
Bands:
Bad Brains
Plasmatics
Ella Fitzgerald
Radio Head
Barroness
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
Secretly I’ve always wanted to learn to play the drums. We have a drum set up in our basement (my husband is a guitarist and drummer) and I occasionally sit at the kit and dream of my all girl rock band.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Don’t wait for people to find you. You need to get out there (facebook fan page, twitter, Merchant Circle..etc) and make connections. One of the best things I did (and it was free) was to reach out to my favorite blogs that feature handmade artists. I told them about myself and my jewelry and asked to be featured. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but it was a great way to get exposure.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/inaluxe the hippest in art and stationary. I’ve got my eye on some prints for the nursery.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/emmaklingbeil I own a ton of Emma’s art. It’s amazing. She is so talented.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/matteart Another artist and I own a bunch of his work. Can you tell I’m an Etsy Art hoarder?
-One year from now, I hope...
Motivate myself to organize my business for more whole sale work. I would love to get my line in more stores to the point where I’m Wholesaling 80% of my business and maintain 20% of sales online. Another goal is to get my logo and branding finally nailed down!
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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 :)
