Search results (tags) for: "brick and mortar"

Gift Ideas: Shop Local Massachusetts with ReclaimedToYou

2008-12-02T10:19:00-05:00

Shop Local this holiday season and support independent craftspeople. It's a great way to reduce your carbon footprint! We're going around the world here on Etsy's blog, so let us know where our next stop should be in the comments below. This post is straight from Boston, MA courtesy of Etsian Jessica, aka ReclaimedToYou. That's her, pictured above, knitting in one of her favorite neighborhood coffee shops/organic food store, City Feed. She has great taste and has curated a collection of items with their corresponding Massachusetts sellers featured below.

I am proud to say that I live in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, MA. It's an area full of artists, writers, and performers of all kinds. Jamaica Plain, referred to as JP, is home to delights such as the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, and a whole host of wonderful local shops, restaurants, cafes, historic buildings, and lovely parks. I feel so lucky to have found this warm community where my husband and I can walk to do many of our regular errands, exchanging greetings with folks we know from the community all along the way. On Sundays I gather with a knitting group at a pub called Doyle's where I have learned to cable a scarf and knit mittens. JP is populated with people of all ages, backgrounds, faiths, nationalities, and lifestyles, and that's why it's such a dynamic and vibrant place to live. There's always something happening like the Day of the Dead festival, the JP World's Fair, the Lantern Parade, the JP Open Studios, block parties, and frisbee games. The Etsy team, Boston Handmade even gets into the act with an annual series of JP Artisan Fairs in the spring and summer. In fact, Boston Handmade has had such success with group shows in JP and all over Boston that we are opening a brick-and-mortar gallery in Downtown Crossing just for this holiday season. The gallery will be all Etsy and all handmade, and is opening on November 28th, just in time for holiday shopping. If you're in Boston between Thanksgiving and New Year's, stop by the gallery to say 'hi,' and while you're at it, be sure to grab a chocolate chip cookie from Blue Frog Bakery, it's the yummiest!

ElizabethBrennick

Beth on her street in Seekonk, Ma. with one of her cats Baby and her two kids Abby and Noah.

Kiki Fluhr aka allthenumbers

"This is a picture taken by my husband at Avalon Beach, which is just around the corner from my house. I have a deep love of the ocean and I don't think I would feel right living far away from it. It gives me a great sense of calm, and a certain groundedness that I have yet to find anywhere else. During moments of panic I try to imagine myself here, sitting on the seawall, and hearing the continuous lap of the waves. The sound is like a deep breath, like a sigh of relief, and like coming home."

DeShawnMarie

"I love the fact that Boston is surrounded by nature and that I can gather inspiration for my creations in short walks around town or along the coast. The photo you see here is a walk along the coast that inspired my By the Sea soap."

Karissa of kissandtellcards

"The picture was taken just north of Boston, or as the locals say, 'on the North Shore.'"

Don't forget to let us know about your favorite local Etsy artists. Pitch your town, state, country or region; include a screenshot of your Poster Sketched picks and a link to a pretty photo of yourself in your neighborhood. We can't wait to hear from you!

You can find folks in your area by using Etsy's Shop Local site feature. Find out more about how Shop Local works. Make sure to update your geo info in your public profile!

Shop Local Posts | Gift Ideas | Shop Local in Your Area | BostonHandmadeTeam Items

Holiday How-To: Wholesale on Etsy

2008-09-17T12:03:00-05:00

Have you ever received an inquiry about wholesaling your work from a boutique owner and wondered how to respond? Also, what should you charge? And how do you handle the increased volume of this kind of order? So many questions spring to mind!

With the holidays around the corner, brick and mortar shops are looking to stock up on the perfect gifts! (And where better to start their search than Etsy?) Read on to find out more about wholesaling your work to shops and galleries. Have an experience to share or want to learn more? Leave it in the comments below or join us this Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 4pm Eastern in the Virtual Labs (our live online classroom!).

Why Wholesale?

Why should you wholesale your work when you can sell it for more online? There are a few reasons. First, consider the time it takes to photograph, list, promote, package and ship your own work. When you are sending a larger quantity of items to a wholesale account, they do this work for you. Secondly, wholesaling is an opportunity to create a consistent income from recurring wholesale orders. If you wholesale to multiple buyers, this can bring in a steady and large portion of your income.

Tip: Creating items in multiples, as is required for a lot of wholesale orders, can cut down on your labor time (per item) and cost of supplies (if you buy in bulk).

Minimums

The shop owner contacting you might ask you what your "minimum" is. If you've never heard this term, what they are referring to is the minimum order they need to place to receive your work at wholesale prices. They are looking for a dollar amount: for example, if they place an order of $200 or more, they have met your minimum. You should decide what your minimum for wholesale orders is going to be based on your costs. What amount makes the wholesale price worth this discount?

Pricing

Retailers interested in your items are looking to sell your items for double their price. This is called a keystone markup. Keep in mind that many interested retailers might assume your Etsy prices are already at their retail price. This means that when they ask you for your wholesale prices, they are usually interested in the price you have listed on Etsy, cut in half. Many sellers find this a bit of a quandary. When they've listed their items without taking this situation into account, they may find themselves severely undercut if they take 50% off their current prices to take advantage of a wholesaling opportunity. In this situation, you can either increase your Etsy prices or let your wholesale buyers know that your wholesale discount is less than 50%. Both have their own challenges: You need to weigh the pros and cons for both situations and figure out which will be most advantageous for your shop. If you are serious about selling your work in brick and mortar shops, I would suggest increasing your Etsy prices. It is always best to have the prices of your work consistent online and off. This will keep your wholesale buyers happy!

Tip: You can keystone your Etsy price + shipping! If a shopper buys your item from one of your wholesale accounts, they don't have to incur the shipping price. This is a little trick that can help raise your wholesale prices a touch.

For more info on this topic, check out Bethela's great article, Preparing for Wholesaling, from the Art of Pricing series.

Terms

Before you send information, such as your terms of agreement, I would make sure you are dealing with a "legit" buyer. You can ask them for their resale certificate, business license or state tax resellers permit. You should politely ask for more information about their business, not only to see if they are "legit," but to make sure your work will fit in with their customers. If they are local, go and meet the owners in person. If not, make sure you have a look at their website, photos, blogs, etc. Remember, this is your business and you set the rules. If something feels odd, investigate!

When a buyer comes to you wanting wholesale information, make sure you set your terms. We have talked about some of these conditions already, such as minimums. You may also want to set a separate minimum for reorders (i.e. $200 first time wholesale minimum, $100 reorder minimum).

Next, let them know what your shipping fees are for wholesale orders. Definitely include the price of tracking and insuring your packages.

You may also like to mention your return policy in your terms. Many artists will only return defective or damaged merchandise for a certain period, such as within 90 days. This is, of course, up to you.

Lastly, let the buyer know how to order from you. If they have found you via Etsy, let them know you can create a reserved, customized listing in your Etsy shop just for them. (Here's how!) It is perfectly acceptable to ask for complete payment up front! By creating a wholesale listing for them through Etsy, you have a transaction record and more resolution options should the agreement go sour.

Tip: Creating a listing through Etsy for your wholesale buyers can increase your feedback and also serve as a small advertising to other shops who are looking to buy wholesale from you!

Packaging

Packaging is just as important when sending out a wholesale order as it is with an Etsy order. Make sure you have tagged your items with your business name! This way your buyers (online and offline) will connect your work with your brand. Cute, thoughtful packaging will impress your wholesale buyers and their shoppers.

Hopefully, this has shed some light on the sometimes daunting topic of wholesaling! It can be an intimidating step for small business owners, but if you are prepared, this can take your business to the next level. You can find out more about wholesale and consignment in the following Storque articles:

The Art of Pricing: Preparing for Wholesaling | The Ins and Outs of Consignment | Let's Trade: Behind the Scenes at the National Stationery Trade Show

We'd love to hear your wholesaling tips in the comments below or live at our Holiday How-To workshop in the Virtual Labs this Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 4pm.

Jenny Hart Says: Dare to Enter Your Local Needlework Shop

2007-10-18T15:02:00-05:00

Jenny Hart (aka sublimestitcher) is an embroidery artist and founder of the amazingly innovative Sublime Stitching, a pioneering design company launched in 2001 to revitalize the craft of hand embroidery. She is the author of two titles for Chronicle Books, Stitch-It Kit and Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To. Jenny's work has appeared in publications such as Nylon, Venus, Bust and Juxtapoz. She has collaborated with The Flaming Lips and The Decemberists, and her work is in the collections of Carrie Fisher, Tracey Ullman and Elizabeth Taylor. Jenny is a founding member of the Austin Craft Mafia.

You know that local needlework shop you never go in? (I mean, hooray if you do, but a lot of us just plain don’t.) I’m not talking about that recently opened, hip craft boutique offering great new stuff we all like making, I’m talking about the needleworkers who run independent stores for goin’ on 20 years or longer.

Been in one of these shops lately? There are a lot of reasons we don’t go in these seemingly lost-in-time local stores: the aesthetic is too country-cutesy, we don’t know anything about needleworking anyway, and hey - aren’t they kind of a clique-ish girls’ club who don’t like newcomers? And where did we get this idea anyhow?

I recently sat down with my good friend and local needlework shop owner, Ginger of Ginger’s Needlearts and Framing in Austin, Texas to ask her.

JENNY: What is the hardest part for you in getting younger customers into your shop?
GINGER: You know, there’s that whole idea of ‘middle-aged women who are fuddy duddys’ notion. I’m aware people think that and I want them to look past it and learn what we have to offer!

Well, it can be pretty intimidating to step into one of these shops…
I know that some needlework shops tend to suffer from a chilly, girls-club atmosphere. If a man wanders in they assume he’s looking for his wife (and not interested in needlework), or if they have tattoos and pink hair, they might not approach them. I learned long ago to stop making assumptions like that.

And clearly not all shops are like that. But when a shop is unwelcoming or ignores new customers that wander in, it doesn’t just hurt their business, it hurts yours. I mean, I was hesitant to come into your shop the first time because of experiences I’d had elsewhere. I’ve gone into several small needlework shops where I wasn’t spoken to, or offered helped, and this was often while there was a group of ladies present. I felt like I was interrupting something!
That’s right. I have been appalled to hear customers say with great hesitation..."I'm sorry to bother you, but could I ask a question?" Somewhere someone has been dismissive or thoughtless or even rude about being ‘interrupted’ by a customer, who’s needs are our business!

What changes in interest and attitudes about needleworking have you perceived over the years?
In the 70's there was definitely the "hippie, Earth Mother, back to nature" movement that fueled the drive toward old fashioned home making activities. The Bicentennial inspired quilters…

And now it’s all tattoos and subverting the methods and materials.
Which I think is great! We have to have new things to keep younger generations interested in needleworking. But what’s important to me is that people are aware of the traditions and appreciate fine craftsmanship. I want them to know how far they can advance with needleworking and understand the difference between a beginner’s work and the truly difficult, fine work that take a lot of skill to achieve.

I think it’s that idea of striving for perfection in needleworking, and the expectation of perfection from the get-go that turns many people off to trying it. So many people have written me over the years to say they gave up after their first attempts at embroidery when they were younger because grandma nit-n-pick told them their stitches were too sloppy. So they gave up. How do you feel about that?
I would never, ever want to discourage someone from starting! That’s just not how you get anyone interested in learning more. I make no distinction between stitchers who follow directions in a kit or design completely out of their head....I just want everyone to be stitching. World peace through needlework!

Your shop feels very community-oriented. I find that interesting because our community is very tied in and mutually supportive…but we connect primarily via the internet, while your community is based around your shop. But our communities, mine and yours, don’t really connect in an obvious way.
That’s right. We reach out with fliers, newsletters and emails. Understanding how to communicate to a younger generation via the internet, on blogs and with a website is my biggest challenge.

Do you offer classes at your shop?
Definitely...Both structured/scheduled and constantly answering questions and demonstrating "over the counter."

I know I’ve asked you many questions over the years and have learned a lot from you, both about needleworking and the market. One thing I’ve learned is the importance of independent designers for your store.
Most of the cross stitch designers I stock are independents. Many of the quilting books are from large printing companies as opposed to "self-published" designers so I carry both. It's so important to support the independent designers. And it ensures that our shops offer something unique. When a designer "goes big" and is carried by the large chains, that’s great for them, but I can’t compete with that.

What do you most want new needleworkers to know about your shop?
That I’m here! And that’s most important to me, that they think of me as accessible and here to help them.

Ginger’s Needlearts and Framing is located at 5322 Cameron Road in Austin, Texas. Check it out!

Find out where there’s a local needlework shop near you!