One Shop or Two?
by contributing columnist Ashley Pahl aka AshleyPahl

Having an Etsy, Artfire or Folksy shop can sometimes be a very time-consuming activity. Why would a person want to open a second shop? There are many good reasons for making the decision to have two stores, and sometimes it is the right choice. Some good reasons for opening a second shop include:

1. Introducing a new line of items or a different style.

2. Selling handmade if you own a supply shop, or vintage if you own a handmade shop, etc.

3. A shop appears cluttered and is overwhelming to shop browsers.

4. Separating the popular money-makers from the more serious art forms.

5. Dividing a wide range of prices into two so that shoppers can focus and better compare products.

Buyers may have an easier time focusing on the items they are looking for if they are separated from the additional miscellanea that you sell. For example, if you mostly make knit hats, but also have your handmade earrings peppered in your shop, it may be too distracting for shoppers who came to your shop looking for hats. Alternatively, if you have a shop that specializes in sterling silver jewelry, it may help a shopper to focus on what they really want if the more expensive pieces are separated from less expensive “silver-toned” pieces.

Having a second shop may even get you more exposure. You can be listed in directories twice, in Etsy’s search engine twice (when searching for sellers), and could be stumbled upon twice.

The downside, of course, is that a second shop is twice the work. Two shops to stock; two shops to market and promote; two shops to make listings for; two shops to answer messages for and complete feedback for. Additionally, if you decide to move items that you already have listed in one shop to a new shop, you will need to do so manually: copy and paste the titles, descriptions, and materials, re-type the tags, make new shipping profiles, and upload the photos all over again. Not only that, but you will lose all of the hearts and views you have accumulated for such items. Your shop’s feedback will be back at zero and you’ll have to find a way to bring shoppers to your second store.

For many, it may be worth adding a new product line to the original shop and see how it fairs. Additionally, it may help to organize the “clutter” of the first shop into something more manageable for browsers. The shop sections feature and Rearrange Shop feature are both great for accomplishing such a task.

If the pros outweigh the cons and you decide to go for it, here are some things to remember when opening a second store:

1. You will need a second email address. Each email address can only be linked to one account on Etsy.

2. You will need to disclose your additional shops. You must link from your first shop to your second shop and vice versa either in your shop announcement, profile, or shop policies page.

3. All listings must be manually re-listed. There is no way to just switch them to a new account, and you will have to pay listing fees again.

4. The same PayPal account can be used for multiple Etsy accounts – there is no limit.

5. If you are not using the same banner, avatar, packaging materials and business cards that you use for your first shop, you may need to get new ones, which will add additional costs.

All in all, the decision to open a second online shop is really an individual one. What works for one business may not pan out for another. It may be worth the financial risk to open a new store, or it may be more practical to better manage your first shop. Many Etsy businesses do quite well with multiple shops, and as the old adage goes, “you never know until you try”.

Poster image courtesy of   The LoveShop

“Open” image courtesy of   The Back Porch Shoppe

By contributing columnist Michelle, aka: littletoad

The Daily Foto Project is the unique brain child of Melissa Azizi a self-taught Australian photographer. So what is exactly is The Daily Foto Project? It is a 365-day photo project where Melissa takes a photograph everyday for a year. But, that’s not all. She lists each image on Etsy and donates 5% of sales to a charity of the buyer’s choice. I have been following Melissa’s work for a while now and she was nice enough to answer some questions I was dying to know about her and this project.

So how did you come up with this idea? I’m from Sydney and my partner and I arrived in Berlin in May 2009. I broke my foot 2 months later! So, I pretty much spent my first European summer indoors and immobilized. Of course, I was down about it as my partner had also started a new job working really long hours and we had just moved into a completely empty apartment. The ordeal was a bit stressful, but ultimately being immobilized gave me time to reflect, especially about those that are really in a less fortunate position. I wanted to turn my little foot misadventure into something more positive for me and for others. Personally, I needed a way to happily re-acquaint myself with Berlin again and to develop my creativity.

How did the charity aspect of the project come along? I didn’t want the project to just be for and about me. It’s been done before, I’m sure. I thought it would be a great idea that when people buy a photo, that they’re also giving something positive to the world too. So, I donate 5% of the buyers purchase to a charity of their choice. I like to call it being a ‘Conscientious Consumer’.

Are there days when you really don’t want to take a picture? Not at all! I always think it’s interesting to see what I can come up with, especially on those days when I haven’t left the house until later in the evening and I’m losing light.

Is photography a hobby or do you do it professionally? I’m not professionally trained as a photographer, but I always treat it professionally.

What do you do when you aren’t taking pictures? I’m a film producer!

How many pictures do you take in a day to get the one you plan on using?There’s no limit, but I have taken anywhere between 5 to 50! I take my camera everywhere as I never know when I’ll need it!

Do you have a plan of what you are going to shoot for that day or do you just wait to find inspiration? It’s a mix. There are days where I’ve planned to visit a certain area, such as the Charlottenburg Palace, so I know I’ll use a photo from there. But, I take my camera with me everywhere, even up the road to the grocers. Who knows where inspiration may hit?

How have you been promoting this project? Mainly online and word-of-mouth. I have my own website, use Twitter, have a Facebook fan page and of course, my Etsy shop.

What kind of response from fans and Etsy sellers have you gotten? Positive responses. The good thing about Etsy is that it’s community-orientated and if you need advice or tips, other sellers are happy to help out. And many Etsy sellers are also on Twitter and Facebook, and they happily give their thumbs up too.

Why did you choose Etsy as your platform for your project? I wanted to find a site that was already established as a place for people to visit if they wanted to buy photographs. With an established site comes the pros, such as high traffic and a community. I received an email from someone who happened to have their Etsy store link in their email signature. I clicked on it and discovered a whole new world!

Can you give us a few examples of the charities that have been chosen through your sales? We all know about the recent devastation in Haiti, so the project has donated to American Red Cross for Haiti & Habitat for Humanity for Haiti. A lesser known charity has been the German Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired and even the Wikipedia Foundation.
And now the BIG question,What are you going to do after the 365 days are up? A big party, perhaps? Or, an exhibition? Or, a photo book collection! Too many ideas right now!

A huge thanks to Melissa for taking the time to answer my questions and for the good work she is doing with her talent. Looking at her site I hope will inspire us as artists to not only be creative but to also find ways to use our art to help others.

Image courtesy of  TheDailyFoto.

Camera imageNYLightMetals

Shops to Watch: Julie’s Adorabowls
by contributing columnist Ashley Pahl aka AshleyPahl

The second installment of Shops to Watch features Julie of  Julie’s Adorabowls. Julie creates gorgeous, decoupaged bowls, plates, and dishes, as well as delicate earrings and magnets. Her Etsy shop opened in mid-December, 2009, and in its first two months alone her shop enjoyed almost 20 sales. The dishes start out with a sturdy glass or porcelain base, and are decoupaged with an acrylic sealant over lovely origami or elegantly patterned paper. Browsing through her shop, there are over 50 bowls and dishes to choose from, all of which would make a lovely gift. In addition to being a colorful decor addition to a home, they are functional as well. Julie’s decoupaged bowls would look lovely on a dresser holding jewelry, or in a home office organizing small craft supplies.

Julie took some time to discuss her work, her business, and what advice she would give to another artist just getting started.

What led to your decision to open an Etsy shop?
It’s been kind of a whirlwind.   It all began when I saw an online tutorial about how to decoupage ornaments using origami paper last November. From that day forward I became obsessed with decoupaging.  I thought, ‘ornaments are great, though seasonal.’  I tried to look for an item that I could have out year round, and that’s when I started decoupaging these little bowls. Before I knew it I had 60 bowls. I knew then I had to find a way to sell them, in order to justify making more of them. Then came Etsy. Managing an online store is perfect for me because I can work from home with my two small children.

 
What is your first inspiration when making a new piece?

When I make a piece, I am first inspired by a pattern or color that I see or sometimes both.  It could be a cocktail napkin, nice giftwrap paper, japanese papers, or scrapbook paper.  When I do find a paper that I fall in love with, I am so eager to decoupage with it.  It is an exhilarating feeling to be able to preserve beautiful paper which in itself is so fragile by decoupaging it onto a dish. 

 What do you do to market your artwork? Which method do you find to be most successful?
I find that advertising is most effective so far in marketing my work.  I am new to Facebook and am hopeful that I will get good results with that.  Thus far, I have not spent a great deal on marketing.  I have just been focusing on making products to stock my shop and improving my photos and website.  I am now getting to the point where I think I need to delve into all of the good information out there about how to really market and promote one’s shop. 

What advice would you give to another artist wanting to open a shop on Etsy?

Take your time and really make your photos good.  I was too eager to get my products up on the site in the beginning and my photos were not great.  Since those first photos I have learned a lot from Etsy forums about how to improve photos and I have retaken all of them.  I am much more pleased with my pictures now, but still feel there is lots of room for improvement.

Another piece of advice would be to not get discouraged if sales don’t come right away.  It is a learning process and it is amazing how many different facets there are to the whole process, from marketing to photography, pricing, and of course, creating. Even packaging and shipping are new skills you have to learn. Enjoy the process. Give it four seasons if you can, at least to determine if it’s worth continuing.

 What do you do when you are in need of inspiration?

 Every now and then I take a look at my shop and realize that I am leaving out certain colors and color combinations, and then I feel a strong drive to find those colors in new paper, like neutrals, cream, beige, browns, black. One day I realized all of my items were bold and bright colors, which are beautiful, but I like to cover the whole spectrum for my own inspiration and to appeal to more people. It was so fun to work with neutrals for a few days and I loved the end result. 

How do you manage your time between crafting and being a mother?

 I do most of my work before the children wake in the morning and after they go to bed. I can also squeeze in an hour or two when they nap in the afternoon.  It makes for a busy schedule, but I actually find my work relaxing and enjoyable so it doesn’t feel like work.

What has been the most rewarding part of running your own craft business?

I love the end result of a project, but it is really the process for me that is most rewarding, from finding the paper, to making the item. It is a great feeling to share it, too, when you finally list the item on the website.

Being my own “boss” is extremely energenizing because I know that the success or failure of my business is purely my responsibility.

Julie’s work is sold exclusively on Etsy. You can find her shop at JuliesAdorabowls. A big thank you to Julie for talking to us at Indie Smiles!

Bowling photo courtesy of  GreenBeeGoods

Contributing Columnist Lauren aka “>Jewels Of Saraswati

I love the excitement of running a giveaway each month for my shop! If you are new to giveaways, but always wanted to have one, here are a few basic tips to get the wheels turning…..

First, what kind of giveaway do you want to have? Will it be through your blog, your Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter? There are so many ways to do it! Although it is not imperative that you use social media, these are by far the easiest and the most successful platforms. If people are following and interacting with you already, they will surely want to be a part of your giveaway!

Choose an item (or two!) you think many people would enjoy receiving and spend time on creating quality photos of it.

Some ideas if you want to work through your blog:

• Your blog is a great place to make your official announcement, reveal your start/end date and explain the rules to participate.

• You will need to decide how they will participate. One suggestion would be to have them follow your blog to enter, or leave a comment on the post. A really fun interactive way to do it is to have a theme. For example, say you are having a Valentines Day giveaway. Have participants tell you how they fell in love with their significant other in their comment to enter. This way your followers get involved and enjoy being part of the process!

• Don’t forget to post numerous lovely photos of the giveaway item and explain what makes it so special!  If you can make more than one of the same item, post one for sale in your shop as well, and offer a discount during the giveaway period.

• Don’t have a blog of your own? Head to the forums and search for a blog looking to sponsor a giveaway. There are two that come to mind, one is Christie Cottage who does a “Win it Wednesday” and the other is Etsy it up! They sponsor it, promote it etc. and you are responsible for mailing the item. You can even post a thread in the forum saying you are looking for a blog that will do this. It is great promotion for both parties!

Some ideas if you want to do a giveaway on your Facebook page:

•  You can ask your fans to post something on your wall to enter. It can be their favorite item from your shop, their favorite color, a story, just about anything. There is room to get quite creative!

• Another idea that works well is simply tell all of your Facebook (or blog) followers that they are automatically entered if they are following you. It is a great way to show your appreciation for their support and no one has to do a thing! 

Other ideas/tips:

• You can also run a giveaway from your Twitter account by asking followers to RT your giveaway, or on your website if you have one.
• To be fair, use a random number generator to choose your winner or have a friend/family member pick the winners name from a hat.
•  Remind participants to leave a way for you to contact them if they win.
• Once you have winner, contact and congratulate them and don’t forget to ask for their mailing address. Assure them their info will not be used for any other purpose.
• Have a deadline for them to respond if they do win.
• Include a discount code with the giveaway item. They may want to share with friends or be encouraged to visit your shop and make a purchase!

Once you have it all figured out, promote it. 

Ways to Promote:

• Use high traffic sites like Indie Smiles where you can post your giveaway and your link! (http://www.indiesmiles.com/happy-giveaways/)
• If you are on Etsy, get into the forums! If you are in Artfire, Folksy or another online venue do the same! Have others share their giveaways too.
• Blog about it. 
• Tweet about it.
• Post details on your Facebook fanpage
• Mention it in your newsletter/mailing list if you have one.

Have fun and enjoy the ride! You will be surprised at how excited your fans will get when they have a chance at winning a free item from your shop!

Pendant photo courtesy of MDStudio.

By Publisher, Susan Rosen

All over America you hear story after story about people losing their homes, others barely just getting by, hard working people going to food banks to survive and others out of work and still can’t find jobs.

The economic stimulus was great, our President helped many sectors to get people working and get things back to the way they used to be.

The one sector that did not get help (until recent) was the housing sector. Some people may think that it means that someone just can’t sell their home. It goes much deeper then that. I sell homes for a living, my income was drastically affected. But, for many it meant that new construction almost came to standstill. Those that are in construction work are now unemployed or taking any job to keep their food on their table. There was a new stimulus that was recently put out there, but it ends the end of April. Please tell your congressman to extend the “new home buyers” rebate. We all need it, whether you see it or not.

Here is a story about Kim, one of the contributing columnists at Indiesmiles. Kim’s husband is a carpenter and she will tell you how the tough housing industry has affected her family. Plus this is a plea for help. Please visit Kim’s shop Tea Towel Creek and if you can, make a purchase and help her save her house.  As you read her story, you will also feel, not only compassion but also you will admire her spirit as she talks about a new project that she is involved in!

1)You talked about your abilty to make majic with old tablecloths and such in your very first article with us, what has changed in your life since that article?

Since my article on my traveling cloths I received a great response and found that people loved what I was creating and became not only repeat customers but friends as well. It has given me confidence in myself which helped me to go outside of the box, experiment and make a witch doll from the same design I started with using the same cloths. I received great response , sold her right away and have been asked by many people to make many more of them, which I plan on doing in the very near future. When I started my etsy shop I started off making hand embroidered tea towels which has grown into other things such as the traveling cloths and witch dolls but I want to continue doing hand embroidery and experiment with it and create works of art with it. It gives me a sense of hope and purpose and keeps my mind focused on other things besides my financial problems.

2)Tell us about your husband and his downslide in business; how has this afffected him and the family

My husband is a self employed carpenter. Carpentry is in his blood and this skill has been passed down from one generation to another. He is known for being the best at it, he really loves it and does not want to be forced to give it up. When the market crashed he lost a major housing development job and I think that not only did it hurt us financially but emotionally as well because hes the man of the house and wants to provide for his family.

The thought of the market not rebounding and carpentry work becoming a thing of the past scares him more than he will admit. He is a hard working proud man so when the bills pile up, which seems like a never ending pile to china and whenever the electric gets shut off, when the mortagage company threatens to take our house away, when the credit card companies threaten to sue us and when the repo man comes to repo things that he worked hard to get, when we have no money to buy fuel oil to heat the house or have no food in the house and have to borrow money from family it feels like things will never get better and it hurts deeply.

Although there has been many times when I have just wanted to walk away from all of it my husband reminds me that we have to stick together and stand by each other no matter what happens and the vows we took; For richer for poorer , in sickness and in health rings true for both of us because we have been through all of it already. he told me a few days ago that we were 1 day away from having our house taken away from us, he was able to do some work for a friend in cleveland, which saved us from losing it this time.

My husband keeps a lot of whats really going on to himself because he doesnt want me to worry anymore than I already do. I live in constant fear that one day everything my husband has worked so hard for can be taken away in a heart beat but in that fear I am reminded of the love we have for each other and that love can never be taken away.

3)I know that you are sending your patterns off to pattern companies, talk about that. What gave you the idea, what research have you done on how to send it, what do they expect, etc.

I received gift cards to Hobby Lobby for christmas from my family, which was a complete blessing as I was able to buy the materials I needed to continue crafting and selling my crafts in my etsy shop.

When I was at Hobby Lobby I came across a book titled, ” Modern Primitive Embroidery” which had some fabulous patterns in it, it was also 30% off which was great. The author stated in her book that a friend of hers was really into hand embroidery which inspired her to design her own primitive patterns, the author also stated that she has only been designing patterns for 2 years. After i read that i thought to myself, “If she can do it so can I” .

I have always wanted to get my work published into a book so now I am starting the process of designing my own patterns and am going to submit my work to the same publishing company. I am not new to submitting to book publishers and getting rejected but back then I was working on a gourd book and to be honest it wasnt where my heart was. This time I know exactly where my heart is, what I want to accomplish and what I want my end goal result to be. It is a very scary process but I will not let fear stand in my way.

Thank you Kim and the best of luck to you!

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H A P P Y G I V E A W A Y S

By Susan Rosen, Publisher

Funny, that when you are involved in online selling these days, you find that Contests or Giveaways are the hottest thing going! While thinking of ways to get your name out, you must provide your prospective customers a sure fire way to visit your shop. Most of the giveaways that I’ve been involved in and have entered usually ask you to visit their shop and then leave a comment on their blog with your favorite item. This is when the customer starts to dream about owning one of your items!

So what happens next? You’ve now devolped a repore with the customers that have visited your shop, they have have left a heart or two and you never know….they may have found an item to purchase. If anything the shop holder now has some added views.

You may also find that the contest holder will provide more entries to their customers by asking them to Twitter about their giveaway, post in in Facebook and even do a post on their blog. Some of these postings can result in 5 or mor extra entries! Plus it now gives you as the contest holder more visibilty!

Since giveaways have been growing within the Indie community, Indiesmiles has just started their new section “Happy Giveaways” it’s a place for all of us to find the recent giveaways that are out there! So, when you stop by to read an article or to peruse the advertisers…you can also check out the “Happy Giveaways”. And most certainly if you have a giveaway that is going on in your online shop just purchase a listing for $1.00. We enjoy providing advertising for $1.00, after all the online craft business has taken a beating with a slow economy; so we at Indiesmiles want to make it easy on you and your budget!

Lets take a look at some current contests!

What a clever method to present a contest! Pinareis is amazing. You have got to, got to check out her video contest! It is AWESOME, along with her prizes! She is giving out 4 different designs to 4 different winners! So take a minute or two, watch her video and join in her fantastic contest…and the chance to win one of her fabulous prizes. I adore the scarves, they are incredible!

I spoke to the gal who runs Pinareis by email, she was so sweet and so appreciative of the “Happy Giveaways” listings!

Another fun contest is Adelle’s Resin Bangles! Her blog is so colorful and so are her Bangles, infact to win one of her bright and fun bangles you need to let Adelle know which color is your fav. Join in the fun here!

In the happy world of giveaways, you will also find that bloggers enjoy hosting giveaways for other artists! So is the case for Amazing Mae as she hosts the giveaways for “Grace Hester’s” Family prints. Now this also an awesome giveaway!

There are several other current “Happy Giveaways” and I do wish I could mention them all, but the fun is in the winning…so off I go to Twitter about one, Facebook post about another and don’t forget…comment…comment…comment!

Stop back often to see the new giveaways, there are always contests being posted in Indiesmiles…so don’t miss out!
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By Contributing Columnist, Cynthia Nodland aka Puddin Pies.

As a novice clothing seamstress, I was looking online to find some cute but not-too-hard patterns that I could figure out without getting frustrated! I tried a few different ones that were either too involved or not very well done. Then while looking around Etsy one day, I found “Whimsy Couture”—and BINGO!!!

Online business owner Denise offers simple patterns in many sizes to fit your little one, your home, or yourself! And not just one or two—in all, as of today’s count, she has patterns for over 30 different items, including dresses, pants, pillows, bags, tops, and more! If you are familiar with quilting (as I was when I began), these patterns are right up your alley—Denise gives you the measurements and all sizes can easily be cut with a rotary blade and cutting mat! The prices are low and sales are offered on a regular basis.

Best of all, while many pattern makers do not allow you to sell items made from their patterns, or will only allow you to sell a few, Whimsy Couture has no limit!

I also appreciate the shop owner’s dedication to helping out other sellers in the Etsy family. Denise offers advertising on her blog, www.whimsycoutureboutique.blogspot.com, as well as giveaways and featured shops. You can also purchase a “Success Kit” to help you get the most out of your Etsy store.

To see more of this fun shop, visit Whimsy Couture.

Happy Sewing!!!

Hi, I am Andy.

A few years ago my wife Julie’s art took an interesting and exciting turn. Angels began showing up in her drawings and paintings more and more often. These angels seemed to take on a life of their own.

One day she announced that she felt inspired to begin a project of creating 1000 angels. When we showed her work we kept hearing the same comment again and again.

“THOSE ARE INCREDIBLE ANGELS…” this led to incredibleangels.com and our incredibleangels.etsy shop.

While following her inspirations we both re-discovered ceramics. I felt like I had found my medium, and Julie began making even more “incredible angels”, but now the angels were in 3 dimensions. While she was creating her incredible angels I headed more toward beads and pendants. This led to our incredidiblependants shop.

We both love to sculpture and experiment and learn. We have both been artists and crafters all of our lives. We often collaborate, and create together.

I am a business consultant by trade (which I also love doing) so I was the natural choice for the marketing side of things. Marketing online is new to me and I am having a blast learning the ins and outs of it. I love sharing what I know and what I learn, in the business side of the world as well as in the arts, or anything else for that matter.

I love to communicate, Feel free to contact me.