into sewing in the first place to allow for the hobby to become her career she explained about her Nana. “She did a lot of sewing, she came into our school when we were little to teach us how to knit, and made all sorts of things, which she sold at craft fairs. I helped out at the craft fairs and she would help me with my sewing class.” Etsy follows the same style as a typical craft fair, allowing its sellers to have personal storefronts and communicate with buyers through forums and messaging systems. What makes Etsy so different to just walking into your local town centre and buying something from the highstreet though? What’s the appeal? Sophie says it enabled her to open a shop and sell her goods while still being able to stay home to take care of her sons. “You can get immediate worldwide audience, and it’s very user friendly.” Not only does this style of store work for Sophie’s lifestyle but also it’s a site that’s dedicated to selling something unique. “I’m proud to be part of the marketplace.” Whilst being unique compared to the
highstreet, each user must make their store different from the next link on Etsy as well. Sophie does this by using her own range of fabrics. “They can’t be found elsewhere, so you know you’re wearing something not many people will have.” It’s a similar appeal to vintage items, which can also be found, on Etsy, rather than walking down the street and seeing five other people in the same trousers that you’re wearing, you can buy something handmade and more than likely one of just a few produced. “My Nana used to make tabards and aprons in crazy fabric patterns and I think that’s where I get my ideas from. She used to make children’s ones in Winnie the Pooh fabric and I remember helping her make them.” This unique appeal is nothing without inspiration from its sellers to create interesting and innovative handmade products though. Sophie claims that it’s possible to find inspiration everywhere! “I’m always on the look out for new ideas. I have a notebook on me at all times to sketch my ideas when they come to me.” Of course running your own Etsy
shop isn’t always easy, and sellers have to remember that users are all over the world. Sophie counts this as the hardest part of having an Etsy shop, “It’s a worldwide marketplace, and so you will get messages at all hours, which need replies as soon as possible. Sometimes people don’t realise you aren’t based in their country, which can be confusing” Whilst handmade products aren’t for everyone and the idea of vintage isn’t something that appeals to a huge market in the same way that high fashion does there is no denying that people do love Etsy. The sites number of sellers is growing daily and there will always be a new product on there for users to find and purchase. It only takes a few more sellers to be inspired by their own Nana’s or to find a gap in a market and maybe one day Etsy will be as much a go-to store as those it competes with on the highstreet. One thing is for sure though, the next time you need something handmade or vintage, Etsy is the first place you should look – who knows, maybe you’ll find exactly what you were looking for, or something even better.
Images courtesy of SOphie reynolds
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