Alison and Nicolaus aka AlisonRose are Old School Etsians — one of the first shops on Etsy that is still active. They joined on June 19, 2005. We checked in to see how they're doing in honor of Etsy's 3rd Birthday.

Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about what you make.
'Alison Rose' is made up of myself, Alison, and my boyfriend, Nicholas. We are a small Columbus-based company specializing in the design and creation of both one-of-a-kind and screen-printed handbags and T-shirts. 'Alison Rose' was born from the combination of both of our interests: fashion design and printmaking.


Hearken back to the old days of Etsy...Any fond memories?
We first heard of Etsy at Renegade Craft Fair in New York through Leah Kramer of Craftster.org fame. It's been really exciting to see how much it's grown since then!


How has what you create changed over the past few years, if at all?
I consider what we were making in the beginning very similar to what we do now, handmade and hand-screened. We used to print the t-shirts in our living room and now we have an entire basement studio. The process has just evolved.


Do you see yourself on Etsy for the long haul?
I think we'll always be a part of Etsy.


What have you learned about selling?
It's important to have confidence in your work.


What do you want for the future of Etsy?
A customer gallery might be a great way to make the customers a bigger part of the site. I think Etsy has evolved so much that I can't wait to see what it becomes in the future!

Are you an Old School Etsian? Leave your memories of the early days in the comments!