What are the Etsy Labs?
The Etsy Labs are the physical Etsy offices located in Brooklyn, New York: Etsy central! Within the offices, the Labs functions as a community workspace where we offer classes, open crafting times, and occasional events. The Etsy Labs folks run the community workspace, schedule classes, host events and visiting members of the press, design and make handmade Etsy merchandise and press kits and promos, manage the Etsy Labs shop, host online workshops and tutorials each week and represent Etsy at craft shows. We also work as admin who are here to help you whenever you need shop advice! In short, Etsy Labs is much more than an office: we work to bridge the online and offline worlds of Etsy. 

Can I come visit the Etsy Labs?
We welcome visitors at the Etsy Labs and love putting faces with names and avatars! The best time to come by and say hello is on Mondays from 4pm-8pm, when the community space is open to the public. Can't make it on a Monday?  Just send us and email to labs@etsy.com or a conversation to etsylabs.etsy.com to schedule another time to come by. We are located at 325 Gold Street, 6th Floor, Brooklyn NY, 11201.

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How do I keep up with what's going on at Etsy Labs, like finding out about events and online workshops?
To find out about events at the Labs and any online workshops that are coming soon, just keep an eye on the Etsy Labs column of the Storque by clicking on the link under Featured Columns. We're always updating what's going on and how you can be a part of it!

What is craft night and how can I get involved?
Every Monday from 4pm-8pm we hold an open crafting night where the community space in our offices is open to the public. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own project to work on. This is the perfect time to get a tour, see the space, use the equipment and supplies free of charge. Just stop on by! If you would like to lead a craft night project, send your ideas to labs@etsy.com

The first Sunday of each month from 2pm-6pm the Church of Craft gets together at the Labs, which also serves as an open crafting time you are welcome to join in on. 

How do I find classes available at Etsy Labs and sign up for one?
Specific classes and workshops are regularly scheduled and frequently added to our Etsylabs.etsy.com shop.  Just click on the class sections that are categorized by month to get a full list of classes, descriptions, see photos of the class, and reserve your spot!  If you have any questions regarding classes at the Labs, send an email to labs@etsy.com or julie@etsy.com (she's our fabulous class coordinator).

How can I apply to teach a class at Etsy Labs?
If you'd like to apply to teach a class at the Etsy Labs, please fill out the following application and hit submit!  If your class proposal isn't the perfect fit for our Brooklyn space, we are always looking for guests to come in and host online how-to workshops in exchange for a Storque feature. If you are interested in hosting an online how-to, please send an email to labs@etsy.com.  

Can I rent equipment from Etsy Labs? 
Due to Etsy's recent growth, we have discontinued equipment rentals in the office space during the week and weekends, so be sure to come by on Mondays during open crafting night to use what you need then! 

What are the Virtual Labs and how do I participate in an Online Workshop?
You know Jared, the admin who made all the amazing flash features on Etsy? He also created an online community space! The Virtual Etsy labs are a multi-user online representation of the Etsy Labs using Workshop rooms. This feature is still in a testing phase, so there is not a direct link to the Virtual Labs anywhere on the Etsy site yet. The homepage of the Virtual Labs represents an imaginary mapped spacial layout of the Labs offices in Brooklyn. Click on any of the rooms to gain access inside that particular workshop chat room. We use the Virtual Labs to connect with our community, host events, put on streaming webcam how-to's, and shop critiques! Since the link isn't yet part of the Etsy navigation (as of January 10, 2008), keep your eye on the Online Workshops link in the Storque Featured Columns.

Once inside a Workshop chat room, there are several different features you can take advantage of. Soon we will be posting more detailed instructions on navigating the Workshop.

How do I sign up to get a shop critique in the Virtual Labs?
Sign up to get your own shop critiqued in the Virtual Labs Friday Online Workshops by leaving a comment in this forum thread (sign up as many times as you like). We choose shops from this thread that are already doing a great job and need advice that several other shop owners can learn from, too. Don't be discouraged if your shop isn't picked right away, and definitely come to the critiques and try to take advice from them to apply to your own shop!

Why is your blog so out of date?
Our Etsy Labs blog is what we used to communicate with the commmunity before the Storque made it's debut on Etsy! Now that the Storque is here, we now keep in touch with you guys over here. However, since there is so much useful information and so many resource links over at our old blog, we wanted to leave it up for you all to access everything that still lives over there!

Do you still accept donations?
Through your generosity we have a full house of donated craft supplies and equipment at the Etsy Labs, and we are pretty much filled to the brim. We are limiting what we can take at this time, so if you would like to send a donation, just send us an email to labs@etsy.com to work out the details.

Can I have a trunk show or host my event at Etsy Labs?
With Etsy's recent growth, we've decided to discontinue trunk shows and limit the amount of events held in our office space. 

Can we have an Etsy Labs in our city/area?
It would be wonderful to have an Etsy Labs in every state or in non-US countries, but at this time we are focusing all of our energies on the Etsy website. It is our hope that through the Etsy Teams, people will be able to meet up and form their own community workspaces in their areas where they host skill shares, get donations, and generally help each other spread the Etsy love. If you take on a project like this, please keep us in the loop by sending us your progress to labs@etsy.com so we can cover it in the Storque!

Soooooo.....all you ever wanted to know about the Etsy Labs!  Didn't see the answer to your question in this article?  Send us an email to labs@etsy.com  or post in the comments below and we will be sure to get back to you with your answer!

xoxoxoxoxo,

Mary, Julie, Christine, and Pete