Get Crafty - Kearsarge Magazine
Transcription
Get Crafty - Kearsarge Magazine
qr Get Crafty Local artists, crafters and jewelry makers find an online audience for their creations. by Kristen Senz R photography by Douglas K. Hill B y the time shoppers arrive, vendors at the region’s many craft fairs often have already spent hundreds of hours and dollars renting and setting up booths, traveling to events, and creating their wares. Although selling art and other handmade goods on the craft fair circuit is a fun, personal way to make money doing what they love, because of the high overhead, many talented artists find it nearly impossible to earn enough to pay the bills. That’s why so many artists, locally and across the country, have turned to Etsy, an online marketplace of handmade and vintage items Artist Linda Gould of Claremont, N.H., uses Etsy to sell her signature eyeglass loops (left) under her shop name Lindy’s Loops. Gould sells vintage jewelry in addition to her upcycled designs. 30 Kearsarge Magazine • Summer 2013 • kearsargemagazine.com that’s open 24 hours a day to shoppers all over the world. For artists willing to spend time developing their virtual storefronts and marketing them through social media and other online channels, Etsy provides a powerful means of earning supplemental income. Shop local online Erica Walker of Walker Silverworks in North Sutton, N.H., learned about silver smithing from her father, who always encouraged her and her two sisters to pursue their creative passions. A designer and maker of sterling silver jewelry with clean lines and unpolished beauty, Walker set up her Etsy storefront about seven years ago, when the site was in its infancy. “When I first started, it was a much smaller community of people who were really supportive,” says Walker, a full-time silversmith for the past eight years. “It helped me New London, N.H., artist Laura Chowanski sells gothic, steam punk and fantasy-style jewelry (left) through her Etsy store, Madame Bijou Beads. gain the confidence and courage in building my business.” Between photographing her work, listing it for sale, and marketing, Walker, 46, spends several hours each week maintaining her online shop. She treats it as a part-time job, which makes sense, because it’s now responsible for about one-third of her annual income. “It took a couple years to get off the ground, but now it’s a really successful business, and Etsy has been a big part of that,” she says. “They have the built-in customer base, and it’s grown so much, so that it’s really a worldwide customer base.” A global audience Etsy — a nonsense word the ››››› site’s founders invented kearsargemagazine.com • Summer 2013 • Kearsarge Magazine 31 Care You Can Count On At Home Home Health Care • Physical & Occupational Therapy Hospice Care • Home Health Aide Services 888.300.8852 www.vnavnh.org Serving the Lake Sunapee and Upper Valley regions. WE COVER A LOT OF GRANITE. YCU, Your Local View is our region’s TV station, keeping you in touch with all things local. Tune into: • YCU News Hour Monday-Friday at 6:00 pm & 10:00 pm • Kearsarge Chronicle • Upper Valley Chronicle • Capital Connections • Game of the Week • Outside TV You’ll find YCU on Comcast 20, TDS 13 and online at www.ycunow.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. WYCU-LD26 32 Kearsarge Magazine • Summer 2013 • kearsargemagazine.com — grew by about 70 percent between 2011 and 2012, logging more than $895 million in sales last year. Artists and crafters use the Etsy platform to set up stores with built-in payment and message functions. The site attracts shoppers who place a premium on buying handmade items, and the site’s “Shop Local” feature makes it easy to find local sellers. Etsy collects 3.5 percent of each sale and a fee of 20 cents per item listed on the site. The low cost of doing business on Etsy, combined with the ability to log in and work on her store at her convenience, is what drew Linda Gould of Claremont, N.H., to the site. Gould, who was chronically misplacing her glasses, started making her signature eyeglass loops when she was unable to find holders that appealed to her sense of style. Soon friends and acquaintances were requesting them, and demand started to grow. A speech language pathologist with a private practice that spans most of northern New England, Gould needs her hobby to fit into her busy schedule. She tried selling at local craft fairs, but the cost, time commitment and limited market made it difficult to break even, especially given that she was only able to accept cash payments. “I was looking for another way to market my jewelry, and to be able to do it in the time that I had available,” Gould says. Her vintage upcycled designs found a following on Etsy after she set up her shop, Lindy’s Loops, in late 2009. She started buying vintage jewelry in lots at auctions and using elements from the pieces she found to make her eyeglass loops and other jewelry. In addition to filling dozens of Etsy orders for her own work, she started selling her unused vintage jewelry on the site. “I love that Etsy has allowed me to do this,” she says. “There wasn’t any other venue that would’ve allowed me to do it and to make money at it.” she’s now getting a couple of orders per week. “Once you get going, it’s a pretty easy process,” she says. Treasuries of favorites North Sutton, N.H., artist Erica Walker sells her sterling silver jewelry, such as these earrings, on Etsy. Online, Gould has branched out, both in terms of the jewelry she’s making and the audience she’s reaching. “I would say a quarter of all the sales I do are international, and I would never have that market otherwise, so that’s a huge piece of it.” The main challenge for all “Etsians” — as they often call themselves — is figuring out how to be found by shoppers awash in a sea of more than 400,000 shops on the site. Chowanski recently set up pages on Facebook and Pinterest with links to her Etsy storefront, and like many Etsy sellers, she started blogging as a way to promote her work. The staff at Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., added features to the site to assist artists in marketing themselves. Featured and just-listed items scroll across the home page, providing visitors with a direct link to the stores where they are for sale. Etsy also allows artists and shoppers to mark an item as a favorite, which can impact its ratings in the › › › › › Dorr Mill Store Beautiful Blankets & Throws, Wonderful Gifts, and Apparel for Men & Women Finding your tribe Laura Chowanski is a member of the League of N.H. Craftsmen for her work with fabrics, which includes wall hangings, bags and stuffed animals. But she recently shifted her focus from fabric arts to beading, partly in response to the recession. “I guess I needed a little bit of a break, and with the way the economy went, I decided to do something I could make more reasonably priced, because it doesn’t take me as long, and the supplies aren’t as expensive,” the New London, N.H., resident says. Chowanski’s Etsy store, Madame Bijou Beads, sells gothic, steam punk and fantasy-style jewelry that features skulls, aviation themes and crystals. Each piece has its own fictional narrative that explains her inspiration for it. “These are not big subcultures up here,” says Chowanski, a native of New Jersey who has lived in New Hampshire for 13 years. “I’m trying to find my tribe, and so I’m venturing out on the Internet.” Chowanski, 45, describes herself as “computer illiterate” and says it took “days and tears” to set up her Etsy shop. But a year and a half later, A nAtionAl center for rug hooking, brAiding & Applique Routes 11&103, halfway between newpoRt and sunapee, nh 603-863-1197 800-876-doRR open M-sat. 9-5 www.doRRMillstoRe.coM located on kearsargemagazine.com • Summer 2013 • Kearsarge Magazine 33 149 Pleasant Street, Claremont, NH MON.–SAT. 9AM-5PM Tue. - SaT. 10am - 5pm CLOSED SUNDAY Over Square Feet of Showrooms! 149 6,000 Pleasant Street, Claremont, NH New Items Weekly Buying AndArriving Selling: • Quality Used Furniture • Antiques • Books • Artwork • CloSed Sun. - Mon.• Quality Used Furniture • Antiques • Books • Artwork • Jewelry (603) 543-1004 Jewelry and• China Vintage•Clothing • Antique Clocks • Glass• Glass and China Vintage•Clothing Antique Clocks (603) 543-1004 • Coins Currency ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS. REASONABLE PRICES &and AMPLE PARKING! w w w . p l e a s a nwww.pleasantstreetantiques.com tstreetantiques.com site’s search engine. And sellers curate “treasuries” or lists of favorite items grouped by category or theme, some of which are showcased on the home page. Walker says some Etsy sellers create long titles for the items they list on the site using keywords to improve their chances of appearing in search results. But one of the best marketing techniques is still good, old-fashioned word of mouth. When a respected artist features another Etsy store on his or her blog, traffic tends to spike. “I’ve been featured on other Etsy sellers’ blogs a handful of times, so that can be really great exposure,” says Walker. “I feel fortunate any time I even get a sale and someone finds my shop.” Networking for newcomers Lindsay Newman of Sunapee, N.H., crochets scarves and other winter wear to sell in her Etsy store, Black Wolf Wovens. She incorporates used clothing, such as a customer’s favorite worn-out T-shirt, to create a unique look. The 27-year-old, who set up the shop last fall after moving back to New Hampshire from Colorado, says she has found a supportive community of crafters on Etsy. “I haven’t done a lot of big sales, but I’ve definitely done a lot of networking,” she says. “I’ve met some bloggers, and I’ve found past acquaintances on there, so it’s just a really good support system for starting a business.” By bringing the local craft fair into the virtual sphere, Etsy has made it possible for artists and crafters, even those in the most remote areas, to sell the products of their creative expression to a global network of like-minded shoppers, and to do it all without leaving their homes. All it takes to start a home-based business today is a computer, some dedication and a little bit of tech and marketing know-how. 34 Kearsarge Magazine • Summer 2013 • kearsargemagazine.com But for all the benefits of having an online storefront, where just about anyone in the world can browse by day or night, there is one inherent danger — to your wallet. As someone who makes and therefore appreciates creative, beautiful things, Walker has experience with that risk. “I do as much shopping, almost, as I do selling on Etsy,” she says. Kristen Senz is a freelance writer based in Newbury, N.H. She also works part time as a development specialist at West Central Behavioral Health. Grantham photographer Douglas K. Hill has worked as a commercial photographer for more than 20 years, specializing in architecture, advertising, and professional portraiture. To see a sampling of his work, visit www.doughillphoto.com Find a Local Artist Erica Walker, North Sutton, N.H. Walker Silverworks handmade fabricated silver jewelry www.etsy.com/shop/ WalkerSilverworks Linda Gould, Claremont, N.H. Lindy’s Loops vintage upcycled eyeglass loops and jewelry www.etsy.com/shop/lindysloops Lindsay Newman, Sunapee, N.H. Black Wolf Wovens creative scarves, mittens and hats www.etsy.com/shop/ blackwolfwovens Laura Chowanski, New London, N.H. Madame Bijou Beads baubles and jewels www.etsy.com/shop/ madamebijoubeads www.incredibleeldergoth. blogspot.com Your full service interior design company serving New England for 23 years. We offer professional advice to help bring together your tastes, your budget and the unique opportunities of your home. 210 Main Street, New London, NH 03257 • 603-526-2121 We love our fancy paper stock but — in case you don’t — did you know that there’s a digital edition of Kearsarge Magazine? View from your Android, iPhone, iPod, laptop or home computer at any time, and at a low price: One year $8 Two years $12 Three years $15 Check out a sample issue at www.kearsargemagazine.com/subscribe kearsargemagazine.com • Summer 2013 • Kearsarge Magazine 35 Celebrating Our 60 Season th In 1953, Ollie & Anne Kathan had big dreams, a passion for gardening and a lot of heart. Sixty years later, their dream lives on. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to your visit to our Garden Center & Gift Shop! -Dennis & Jill Kathan www.kathangardens.com / Check us out on Facebook 146 Elm Street • Newport, NH 03773 The Best Team In Town... Not the Biggest... Simply the Best! Looking for your own place? We can help! Residential Waterfront Vacation Land & Farms P.O. Box 67, 224 Main Street New London, NH 03257 www.cbmilestone.com [email protected] (603) 526-4116 36 Milestone Real Estate Kearsarge Magazine • Summer 2013 • kearsargemagazine.com