I was recently in Miami for the Internet Retailer conference and looked for local sellers to meet. This is something I hope to do more as I travel to different parts of the country (and if I am lucky, the world) on behalf of Etsy.  Before I left Brooklyn, I used our Shop Local feature to find and convo some great local sellers, most of whom were available to meet up for a chat. (It was also a really great reason skip the boring parts of the conference!)

 
Ivysclaycorner (Ivy), luchaworkshop (Ronni), designedbyDiana (Diana), Tanteleah (Lynne)

This was my first time meeting sellers outside of Etsy in person, so I was a little anxious to meet the group. However, the conversation started easily thanks to the dynamic sellers IvysClayCorner, luchaworkshop, designedbyDiana and TanteLeah, who enthusiastically shared their thoughts and ideas for the site.  I was excited to see TanteLeah lavishly decked in her Etsy finds: a fun, reconstructed dress by secretlentil and earrings by ArchaicDesign. 

 
TanteLeah, a producer and connoisseur of fiber arts, also showed off some amazing hand spun yarn she recently discovered.  I loved that designedbyDiana was carrying her own newly designed and stitched prototype bag to test for comfort and durability.  How great to get a sneak peak at a new design and a glimpse at the creative process!

We talked about lots of things that are interesting and valuable to Etsians. The group had many great ideas, reinforcing many of the themes from the Forums and comments around Etsy, like adding pictures to profiles, more statistics, batch editing for tags, and a single place on Etsy to announce site changes.  They also gave a special shout out to our very own labs divas Mary  and Danielle for all of their work in the Online Workshops and around Etsy. What was fun for me was that everyone in this group creates very different products, with luchaworkshop designing great silkscreened t-shirts and IvyClayCorner crafting creative polymer clay dolls and figurines.  

Beanblossom (Pam), eclecticamiami (Katrina), phbeads (Monica), silverside (Kate)

My second stop was eclecticamiami’s newly opened “brick and mortar” (although it was really made of concrete and steel) shop. Lots of vintage, salvaged and repurposed finds were inside. (eclecticamiami is also a member of the Trashion Team). I was thrilled to see her promoting the Handmade Pledge in her store, which is a great idea to bring to craft fairs as well.

It is there that I met beanblossom, who had recently moved to Miami from Indiana (and promised me she would finish her bag projects and list them), phbeads, a marine biologist who is keeping her right brain alive creating jewelry from precious metals and stones, and Kate, aka silverside, a photographer and aspiring Etsy seller.  These ladies are from the newly formed MAG group (Miami Artisan Guild) that plans to hold Sunday crafternoons: a chance to get together, share techniques and host craft supply swaps.  The time flew by, and fortunately for me, phbeads graciously drove me back to my hotel. 

Thanks to all the wonderful Miami sellers who took time out of your day to share your thoughts and making the effort to meet.  It was a treat to meet so many diverse and talented artists all in one day.  

For all of you that are looking for a group or to start a group similar to MAG, check out our Teams section! Meet your fellow sellers and make connections today!