Date joined etsy- 8/28/09
Sales to date - 2079
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Jamie. I live in a small, very small town called Pima in Arizona. I have three kids, a daughter and two boys. Kensingten is 7, Taylor 5, and Grant 2. My fave flavor of ice cream is chocolate (and many of it's sister combinations), though I have been known to have pistachio at times. Aside from etsy, I choreograph contemporary dance numbers for a local dance studio twice a year. Since I grew up all my life dancing, it's something I make an effort to continue. I'm also a photographer, which comes in handy with my etsy ventures.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
Everyday in my life is drastically different. Because I obviously do way too many things than one person really should with three kids at home, I have to manage my time quite specifically. Mondays and Tuesday's are designated as family days for house cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping. Wednesday and Friday mornings are spent fulfilling online etsy orders and the evenings are spent running kids to piano, voice, dance and gymnastics lessons. Thursdays are reserved for all creative work - new inventory, new listings, creating new pieces I've dreamt up, editing images from photos sessions, and vegging out with my kids watching a new movie, or sometimes not so new.
Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
Growing up, I like to think I was a very creative person. Before my grandma passed, she used to visit during winter holidays and let us join her in creating all kinds of nicknacks - candy cane reindeer, hand painted ceramic ornaments, earrings and bracelets, shoelace hair clips, you name it. So I guess it started long ago and since then, the next time I remember creating was my wedding. Single handedly (with delegations for my siblings), I handcrafted my wedding announcements, made the chair covers and other decorations, arranged for a catered family dinner and anything else that came along. The next journey on my creativity is a fairly common one. With the birth of my daughter, I dived head on into scrapbooking and in turn into photography, purchasing my first professional camera when she was four. Then, after creating a few photography props, I started a small (intended to be temporary) etsy shop and 1 page of 24 items turned into 500 items in about one year. It's sort of become an addiction. I have an inspiration and it ends up in the shop. Let's just say, 2010 was a very inspiring year for the bucket.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I imagine the reason I am a hodge podger is because I always have been. Growing up I was a dancer, a gymnast, a pianist. I played the clarinet, the oboe, and was on my high school dance team. I dabbled in art, writing and choir, was a college cheerleader and maintained a 4.0 all the while.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I was actually surprised by how quickly I made my first sale on etsy. It was within a week. Since then, rarely a day goes by that I don't have at least one sale. I think part of it has to do with not being greedy and knowing my market. I have a formula for setting my prices, and I stick to it. I make sure all my expenses and fees are covered and I pay myself, not nominally and not over exaggeratedly. And as far as my market, my market is me, in a sense - other moms out there trying to keep their own style and uniquely dress their kids, brides who are concerned about budget, and other people looking for custom made accessories with attention to detail and personalized customer service. I like to think a lot of the shop's success comes from my mission to offer not only trendsetting accessories, but boutique quality at budget prices. I like to think that every piece in the shop could be purchased and worn by someone I know. I have a wide price range of items to fit all budgets, without compromising quality. What was really an incidental beginning has snowballed into a fulfilling everyday experience.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Top five foods:
- Sirloin steak at Outback Steakhouse
- chicken enchiladas and spicy roast beef tacos from Casa Mañana
- Mom's Eggs on a Golden Rod (biscuits with white egg gravy)
- Fruit filled crepes
- salad, all kinds of salads
Top five bands:
- Sister Hazel
- Goo Goo Dolls
- Taylor Swift
- Joshua Radin
- And the rest are just fave songs
Top five tv shows:
- Mentalist
- Lie to Me
- Fringe
- Chuck
- Human Target, Community and Outsourced (dang, I couldn't decide)
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
In the future, I have all kinds of plans for simple sewing, but with all my funds going toward my husband's tuition, I will have to wait till I can afford a suitable machine.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Hmmm, how to promote? That's something I'm still working on. Right now, I share my listings and treasuries and features on facebook and my blog, but you could also have a twitter account and other social networking accounts to use similarly. Join etsy teams and run promotions. Use temporary coupon codes to attract customers from your different markets. I run a different monthly special to encourage customers to come back often. I also have a flower of the month club and those on the list get other specials and products before they hit the store. I also offer wholesale discounts for retail owners intending to resell the items worldwide.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
Three shops I love, besides my few etsy suppliers, I would be amiss not to list my sister's shop oldebuttonshoppe
And three unaffiliated shops include: missrubysue, ouma, and uberstitch
-One year from now...
One year from now, I would be happy to be exactly where I am now. Some goals I have for myself are to have one of my products make it to the front page of etsy and have one of my curated treasuries make it front page, grow my facebook fanpage count and stretch my creativity beyond it's current limits.
--
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 :)
