So, I've talked about it before. An Etsy shop. It's a never ending thought that seems to keep coming back. My husband and I went to Durango area this past weekend for a mini trip. The one thing I noticed was that there were no yarn stores. I have in the past bought yarn while on vacation. It's quite fun to go through the stash or make something that I made and remember where I bought it. Hubby came up with this idea that I could make stuff and see if someone would sell it up there. Again, I was scared about the idea. Knitting is a form of expression to me. One that I have a hard time sharing with others. It has become such a large part of who I am. And I have a hard time letting things go. Most of the projects that I make lounge around my house not being used.
So maybe its time to share my passion with others. Plus, my amazing friend Kelsey keeps encouraging me. So I have put the word out on Ravelry, I may have to contact certain designers in personally and see if others will help.
Here are some bullet points for my store that I want to incorporate.
Name: Mariposa & Faith
The name requires tons and tons of explanation. It has a lot of meaning behind it. That may require it's own post!
Products: For now I am hoping to have knitting and sewn projects up for sale. I have thought about mixing the two and will have to let you know.
One very important part to make a core part of the business: I love making things to donate. The church I go to here has a program where once a year a bunch of people get together and make chemo caps. I have enjoyed making them and sending them along to keep heads warm for kids and adults. I want to be able to continue that and maybe my customers will help me. I have thought about making part of the proceeds towards buying products to make them AND/OR give them the option of 'buying' a cap or other project. They would pay for the yarn and time, then I will donate that product. I have also toyed with the idea of giving the buyer the option of deciding where the project will go or just send them to the place that I have been donating them.
SO I need feedback! What cha think???
I think you might just love it! You can do like that shoe company that gives a pair of shoes away for every pair they sell. So in a sense your paying for 2 pairs of shoes but it goes to a good cause...now translate that to your knitting & hats. Oh and photogs love buying those newborn caps that are artistically knit.
ReplyDeleteThanks April!
ReplyDeleteI am on the look out for a couple of cute baby hats to add to the store! :)
Update
ReplyDeleteI talked with my hubby about the name of the store. After some talk we thought maybe "Butterflies & Faith" would be better. "Catchier" than the original and I agree!
Hey girl i have an etsy shop too. Do some research, figure out how much people are selling the same kind of goods for and sell yours for the average of that. also you need to set up your sales tax since you will be a small business through the state. there are a few forms to fill out but its not that time consuming. You just want to make sure you are doing business the right way according to the state. =) also decide on shipping and handling. will you mail with ups, fedex or us postal service? ( they have these awesome boxes that you pay the same price no matter how much it weighs to send it anywhere in the usa.) will you ship internationally? you will need to set up a paypal account as well. accepting paypal is really easy and is the most common way of payment on the internet. its perfectly safe as well. you pay etsy to list your items. they usually cost about 20 cents or so per item and its not too costly at all. they also get a percentage of your sales as well. i think its 10%. also the key to selling your items is to tag it with as many things as you can, ie: knit blanket baby blue, thats 4 tags and allows it to appear in more searches. =) also get some business cards! =) you can send them out with your goods and people like that extra touch. if you need any help feel free to ask =)
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