Growing up, I danced, played music, and of course, loved all kinds of arts and crafts. I started beading with seed beads at summer camp when I was eight. I've sold my jewelry off and on my whole life. As an adult, I became more interested in fashion jewelry, and painting with acrylics sparked an interest in all kinds of multimedia projects. I worked for many years (and still do, occasionally) at Spirit Dancer Books & Gifts in downtown Burlington, where, among other things, I've ordered the beads there off and on for years. I also have taught basic beading classes there, and done some jewelry repair. Last Christmas, I started selling some of my earrings there, which have been pretty popular.
My current job, where I have been for almost two years, is 9-5 desk job. My coworkers are great, but sitting at a desk most of the day can drive me crazy. I find little ways to add color to my day (before I came, all of the post-it notes were yellow or blue - now they are every color I can get!) but honestly, I am bored. I heard about Etsy for the first time last fall, but didn't really check it out until January. I was really impressed with the site, and slowly worked towards opening my shop.
I knew that I wanted to sell jewelry, but I also knew that there are tons of jewelry shops on Etsy, and I wanted to find something at least slightly different. At the same time, I had been playing around with all kinds of mixed media ideas and techniques, and also discovered that scrapbooking supplies could have very interesting uses in jewelry-making. Eventually, I started making my collage pendants (I don't know what else to call them) using acrylic tiles, transferred images, and pretty scrapbooking papers. Once I started making these, I felt like I at least had a bit of a niche and something different to offer, so I chose a name, and opened shop! Sweet Avenue is the name of a beautiful song by the band Jets to Brazil, and it also happens to be the song that my sister and her husband danced to at their wedding, so it holds good memories for me! The shop focuses on these collage pendants, but I plan on listing whatever I want to and letting the shop evolve as necessary.
Since "officially" opening around May 1st, I've had four sales and currently have almost 20 items in my store. I've learned so much from the Etsy blog and from the forums. I started a Facebook page, and my friends have been really supportive. I am even going to be featured on Queen City Craft's blog at some point this summer in one of their "crafter spotlights!" I'd like to begin selling at small craft fairs and flea markets wherever I can, and possibly get my items into a few more local stores. (In fact, this very Saturday, from 8-3, I am going to be selling my jewelry at the Essex Fire Department Flea Market at the Hiawatha School - stop by and say hi, or set up a table - they're only $25.) It has been so wonderful to have a creative outlet that doubles as a business venture!
I'm looking forward to working with all of you to promote our businesses and provide support to one another.
Great post! Thank so much for sharing! It is great to know more about the person behind the jewelry :D Love your work . I think you are going to do very well on Etsy!
ReplyDelete