Date joined etsy- 1/13/09
Sales to date - 481
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.Woodin' You is comprised of a husband & wife team located in the Pacific Northwest area of Vancouver, WA. Our business venture began in 2004 literally from a dream I had about a bone-shaped elevated pet feeder. My husband Martin Krcek, is a carpenter by trade and I sketched out what I dreamed about and asked him if he could make these. He thought I was a little nuts, but followed through and now seven years later, we have US patent on that pet feeder design and have continued to add new and exciting products to our line. We are super proud to be an American based business. Since we received the patent, many large manufacturing companies approach us to represent and manufacture our items in China. We always tell them "No way!" and will keep feeding our shredder the junk mail related to these offers. My husband, does all of the woodworking. And myself, Amy Krcek, does the sewing, shipping, and accounting aspect of our business operation. We have a five year old son, two dogs, Boomer (yellow lab)& Phineas (black lab) and one LARGE black cat. In addition to running our business, our family volunteers as 'puppy raisers' for Guide Dogs for the Blind - an organization that trains dogs to help the visually impaired. Our lab, Phineas is a 'career change' dog for Guide Dogs. He ended up not making the cut to be a Guide, so we adopted him back and just recently finished his training to become a therapy dog. With his certification, we will volunteer with Delta to do in home hospice visits with children. We really live and breathe our Woodin' You business and not only enjoy creating pet products, but volunteering with our pets to help impact the lives of others.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I am truly blessed to be able to work from home. An average weekday is getting up at 4:30 AM to have a much needed cup of coffee while I respond Etsy inquiries and posting Etsy items. Then it's time to get my son ready for school and out the door. At 8:30 AM, it's back home and sewing and shipping like a crazy woman - typically sewing between 200-250 items per week. We sell on-line on both Etsy and our website and to many retail stores. Many of these stores have found us via Etsy and we love being able to offer high quality handcrafted items for pampered pets. We have seen a huge shift in privately owned shops desiring these types of products for their stores. After my son is home from school, I switch gears and my mom hat goes on and I leave Woodin' You world until the next morning. It can be hard having separation when you operate a business from your home, but we have set lots of boundaries to not allow either aspect to suffer.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?I was defiantly creative growing up. My mom always encouraged creativity and I was always working on something. Doll clothes for my dolls, building very elaborate forts with whatever wood scraps I could find, melting crayons to make some really cool pictures - oh boy, the list goes on and on.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I had never even heard of Etsy and in December 2008 a friend told me about it. So, I checked it out and thought, why not. At that point, we'd be selling at our local Farmer's Market and various pet shows and trade-shows.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
Our first item was listed on March 26, 2009 and the very next day we had a sell. Needless to say, I was hooked.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?* My favorite foods would have to include any type of salad - many of my friends have nick-named me the 'rabbit' - I just love salads.
* Favorite TV shows - Man Woman Wild, Biggest Loser, Home Makeover, local news. We really rarely watch TV and enjoy playing board games, cards and puzzles with our son. It seems like there isn't much time for TV and we enjoy spending time with our family and our pets instead.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
Both my husband and I have always had an interest in the guitar. We mess around once in a while, but never anything too serious.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?I highly recommend new Etsy sellers to take time to take really great photos of their product. Etsy customers don't have the luxury of seeing your work in person, so you have to really showcase your product in what they see via pictures. Repost items often to keep in the customers forefront. It is a mistake to set up your shop, post your items and just wait. There is a lot of competition out there and if you want business stay on top of being in front of your customers. And lastly, remember your more than a crafter your running an on-line business. Treat your customers with professionalism and give them what you'd expect if you were dealing with a business. Respond to emails and uphold the policies you have in place.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
I love Boojiboo (super inspirational amount of sales), Sasakicreations (my first Etsy purchase) & all the pet boutique retailers that have found us via Etsy - we appreciate your business!
-One year from now...
I'd love to continue to grow and to just keep bringing fun and creative products to the many pet owners.
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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 :)
