There is a reoccurring conversation. It goes like this:
New Person: What do you do?
Me: I am an artist. I paint, and I sew scarves.
New Person: Have you ever heard of Etsy?
Here’s another version:
New Person: What does your wife do?
My husband: She makes things.
New Person: She should look into this website called Etsy. My wife really likes it.
My husband: Yup.
It’s happened so frequently, over the past six years, that my husband and I have turned it into a joke. While those of us that are crafting professionals have been hip to the game for quite a while; it has been a trend slow to start in certain subcultures. It’s proven to be a strong force however; the resurgent interest in things handmade. In this trend’s current cycle we are fortunate to see it taking on a much more professional nature. Craft sales aren’t just local, they’re global. Even the smallest hand maker has a business license, something they lovingly refer to as a “work shop”, and they sell in a store. Sometimes this store is brick and mortar, but more often it is online. The Internet has obviously worked many miracles for small business, and Etsy is just one of them.
The Etsy community has been a positive reinforcement for my life and career. That’s why I was pumped to find this article, and I wanted to share it.
I could use this space to retype the stats in this report, but it’s best that you click.
The word should continue to be spread about buying handmade, and vintage, and supporting artisans. As an artist myself, my brain is defaulted to shop for a gift on Etsy first. (It’s actually another joke between my husband and I. Every holiday we have the same discussion about what gift to get and I immediately go Etsy hunting.) Shopping on Etsy can take a bit of extra time, but I think it’s worth it. The gifts are so much more unique and have strong personalities. I enjoy supporting Etsy sellers and encouraging the community to grow. I believe it helps me as a seller myself.
I also wanted to take this as time to thank you; if you have ever purchased anything from Etsy. Your contribution (to the handmade society) and support mean more than you probably know. If you haven’t, that’s OK, there’s still time. It’s not going anywhere…I hope.
In addition to Etsy there are a few other sites I enjoy that are similar.
This would only be useful to you if you live in Germany.
Do you have any additional sites you like?
List them below.
