Family reunion sparks direction of new Etsy Shop
During the Covid-19 pandemic, our son was attending college courses at home and ventured into selling quality custom t-shirts and art online. Once people started gathering again, he spent more time playing pickleball outside with friends who were also home. He saw personally how many different types of people played and decided to expand his online business to offer pickleball items. I watched as his sales took off and saw first-hand the market for customized pickleball equipment and accessories. I had fun helping him set up his Etsy shop and pitched in when he had to return to school and sales became very heavy during the holiday season. At one point I convinced my son to add a few items that would be especially appealing to women. They sold very quickly.
Although I still provide support for his shop, I created my own shop earlier this year from a combination of my interest in expanding what was offered to women and inspiration gained at our annual family reunion. Enjoying an afternoon with my siblings and their extended families, I watched as three generations grabbed every pickleball paddle I owned and had a blast hitting balls back and forth to each other. Of course we held our 2nd Annual family competition in our cul-de-sac pickleball court that day, but off to the side, all of my great-nieces and nephews were playing their own version hitting balls with anyone who could find a paddle. It was great to see everyone participating in the same activity and watching the little ones gain more and more confidence with each hit. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves on a beautiful afternoon in the fresh air. Ages ranged from 3 to 65. At the end of the day, I watched as each family loaded their tuckered-out kids into their vehicles for the ride home and heard from many of them how much fun they had.
At that point, I knew I wanted to focus my shop on providing quality pickleball items for all ages at different price points. Up until then, my biggest selling item was customized signs for chicken coops, personalized tumblers for weddings and a couple pickleball bags. Since then, it has been fun finding and designing new items specifically for pickleball enthusiasts. I now carry pickleball-specific items for children, beginners and more serious players. I am currently enthusiastically waiting to receive coordinating paddles and bags designed from my own ideas and to add them to my listings. From lanyards and keychains to large customized totes, my selections offer a wide variety of gifts for individuals or their family and friends. Most of my products can be customized. If we aren't able to imprint an item, we use bag tags and other non-permanent ways to make a bag personalized and easier to reuse by future owners. Shoppers don't always request or know ahead what type of custom item they will receive. I am known for throwing in a personalized bag tag or keychain to add my "Etsy" touch to items I can't produce on my own. Additionally, each item is dressed with a bow before being shipped because my products are true gifts for my buyers or recipients.
My Custom Creations is still very new, but I have enjoyed providing my custom products and connecting with so many Etsy shoppers in our first seven months. I add new items each week and hope more pickleballers will find their way to my listings. In the meantime, I am looking forward to connecting with more buyers who visit and supplying accessories that help bring families together to enjoy pickleball and that allow individuals who play a more serious pickleball to have access to unique custom products to make it more fun.
