Date joined etsy- 09/11/07
Sales to date - 1214
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.Jen Neri (Hence the name JENERI Jewelry). I live outside of Chicago with my super supportive husband and adorable son :) No pets – too many allergies! My favorite ice cream is Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby… but I only eat it every couple of years so that I don’t become a Chubby Wife!
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
The jewelry biz has been a blessing to me, so my typical day includes: getting my son ready for school and on the bus… and then it’s working until he gets home! I’ve been busy enough at times that I’ve considered hiring out some of my administrative duties (all of which I hate!). Once he’s home from school, it’s all mom mode.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
NO! My mom harped on me for 30 years about not having a hobby. She’s finally quit bugging me :)
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
We moved from OH to the Chicago area, and I became a stay at home mom. I started going a bit crazy after about 2 weeks, and found a bead shop within walking distance. I started making beaded jewelry, but never wore it (not much of a “bead person”). A friend of mine introduced me to ETSY, so I decided to give it a shot – what else was I going to do with all of the jewelry I was making?!? I had some limited success until I started working with metal… and then the sales came!
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
Well that depends… the first sale was from family, so that doesn’t count. The second sale came from a stranger who thought he was purchasing from a different shop, so that doesn’t count. The first real sale came about a month after opening.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
I love Italian, Mexican, Chinese. But my favorite is anything that someone other than myself makes!
I like reality tv and cooking shows too. My FAVORITE was LOST but unfortunately that’s over.
As for bands: Anything country, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, anything from the 80s and 90s.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
Cooking. I’m not that great at it, but love to eat. It’d be nice to prepare tasty meals every night!
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
GREAT PHOTOS!!!!!! People won’t give your item a second glance if the photo stinks. I’m constantly trying to reshoot and enhance my photos. Competition is tough and getting tougher on ETSY, so max out your shop and diversify. The more items you have, the more often you come up in the searches. NEVER GIVE UP!
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
I’ve recently purchased from these!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/piperandpaisley
http://www.etsy.com/shop/circularaccessories
http://www.etsy.com/shop/julieboyles
-One year from now...
I’ll be ready for a vacation… but hopefully too busy preparing for the Christmas season making jewelry, to actually take one. Maybe after Christmas :)
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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 :)
