Gracie Designs–Solo Exhibit 5 (with giveaway!)

My favorite part about being the Head Stalker here at Etsy Stalker is the constant contact I have with creative people.  I am continually amazed by the talent represented in the sellers on Etsy.  After spending some time stalking around Gracie Designs (both the shop and the blog), I was struck by something: the common denominator I’m seeing is that being successful as the owner of a cottage industry selling your own handmade goods requires two key ingredients: raw creative talent and shrewd business sense.  Kelley of Gracie Designs has both in spades.  Her shop carried a wide variety of goods, all of which are both beautiful and affordable.  It might be the fact that I’m having a particularly bad hair day today, but I am especially crazy about her reversible headbands and button hair clips:

(In fact, I just bought a headband. Please don’t tell Mr. Curator; we’re on a tight budget. And don’t tell Curator Violet, for the love of all things Etsy. We have a strict “Stalk, Don’t Shop” policy around here that is meant to keep us both from filing for chapter 11. But $8? For that piece of reversible gorgeousness? Couldn’t be avoided.)

On my list for future purchases are an apron . . .

. . . a coffee cuddler (I can just hear my daily chai latte screaming for one of these) and cute little wallet . . .

. . . and this “reversible loopy purse” to keep my cuddler and wallet in.

Kelley also makes soda cuddlers, ice cream cuddlers, earrings, wristlets, checkbook covers . . . you name it, and it’s likely in her shop.  And yet there is a cohesion to the entire shop that makes it stand out.  Her items have a distinct look to them, a distinct something that gives them the Gracie Designs brand.  A fantastic component to the shop is a link to a flickr site with pictures of various fabric choices; virtually anything can be made to order in your favorite fabric.

I needed to know the creative mind behind this shop, and I was lucky that I was able to convince Kelley to let me ask her a few questions.

Curator B: One of the things that first drew me to your shop was the amazing variety of items that you create.  Have you always sold a variety of handmade items, or did you start out with one or two?

Honestly, I started with Jewelry.  I always loved beads.  I still do!  Back when I started, about 25 years ago, I went to old, musty craft stores and bought cheap plastic seed beads.  They always came in a pack with the rainbow colors in them, so I used to sort them by hand so they were organized by color.  I know, crazy.  I started selling my crafts in college.  I made polymer clay beads and strung them on rat-tail or leather.  I would buy a table in the Union for $5 for the entire day and sell them to other students.  If I could get a friend to hang out, I would do hair wraps on site while she sold the other stuff.  I would make enough in one month to pay for my beer consumption.  No, I’m not kidding.  And I drank a lot of beer.  I started on Etsy with my jewelry and branched out into fabric goods.  Due to the fact that jewelry is such a saturated market, I’m working on selling some of my inventory out and just selling jewelry at Craft Shows, and home parties.  I do a lot of custom jewelry and handbag combos for bridal parties.

Curator Beatrice did happen to notice that there are a number of cute earring on clearance for (wait for it . . .) FIVE DOLLARS in Kelley’s shop.  Please be courteous and read the rest of this interview before rushing over there.

Curator B: When did you open your Etsy shop, and how did you decide to do so?  How has your shop evolved over time?

My sister is a graphic designer and called me in June of 2006 and said, “You have to check out Etsy!”  So, I did, and it took me about a week to get some jewelry listed.  My photos were horrible, and my first customers were friends from college.  I guess they remembered!!

Curator B:Do you sell anywhere else?

Yes, I have 3 other shops online that I’m working on.  The big ones are 1000 Markets and ArtFire.  I am also starting up a shop on Big Cartel.  Otherwise, I sell quite a bit of wholesale.  My biggest wholesale account is Bliss, which is on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado.  Heather, the owner, is fantastic.  I like to do a couple of home parties a year, and some craft fairs or Farmers’ markets.  Etsy is my bread and butter.  And I love the culture of Etsy.  You just always have to keep your options open.

Curator B:Which item/type of item do you sell the most? Do you have a standout “bestseller?”

Wholesale, I sell a bazillion headbands.  On my sites, I sell a lot of card cases.  A lot of sellers buy them, as they can go to my Flickr page, and pick out fabrics that match their logos and business cards.  They love that!!  I have some new item designs I’m working on, and I think they will do quite well.  Keep your eyes on the shop, it is going to get fun.  I’m really excited.

Curator B:If an evil fairy appeared and told you that you could only make and sell two items for the rest of your life, which two would you choose and why?

Well, first, I would take the fairy down, or sick my 6′6″ husband on her!!  Otherwise, I think it would be aprons and cuddlers.  I love doing applique, and these items are so fun to design.

Curator Beatrice thinks she probably won’t mention evil fairies again, as she seems to have struck a sore spot. But hurray for the survival of aprons and cuddlers!

Curator B:You have a brand new baby at home.  How has becoming a mother changed your business or design viewpoint?

Well, she is my first, so yes.  I love all things cute, as I have a little girl.  We named her Margaret Grace, so, she and I share the middle name, which my business is named for.  This isn’t just about me (& my husband) anymore!  She motivates me to build my business; I want her to know that she can do anything she is passionate about when she is a big girl.  Plus, my husband helps me with my shop quite a bit, so it is a bit of a family affair.  He also has an Etsy shop, and he is really talented, so he is very supportive of my business.  My Dad just keeps asking when he can become the Shipping and Handling department.  My Mom helps me shop for cute fabrics, and she helped come up with one of my new items that is coming out soon!

Curator B:Could you give me a brief bio of your life as a sewer/crafter/artist?

Well, I work a lot on my shop on the weekends, as I have a full time day job, and I’m not just talking about the baby.  She comes to work with me for partial days when Daddy is at work.  I work in the office of a group that owns 9 restaurants in the Metro Milwaukee and Madison markets.  I used to be a Director of Operations for 6 restaurants, and I was burning out.  With the baby on the way, I took a step back in my career so I could focus on my baby and the business.  It was such a good move for me.  I will go down to the studio with my husband at about 8pm a few nights a week once Maggie goes to bed and work until about 11pm.  He cuts fabric, does shipping and helps with photos, while I design, sew, market, and list new items.  With the influx of new Wholesale accounts and a lot of custom orders lately, I have been very busy!!

Curator Beatrice thinks staking curators take extra time, too, and is so glad Kelley agreed to be interviewed!

Curator B:You have clearly had a lot of success on Etsy and outside of Etsy as well.  Besides your amazingly cute items (each of which I want desperately), to what do you attribute your high volume of sales? Any advice for newbie Etsians out there?

I think that my success in sales is just that I’m nice.  People need to remember how to be nice to people!!!  I ship quickly.  I represent my items well in the photos, and I have really cute packaging.  I will run a mile for a customer, and they keep coming back.  I have a lot of return customers.

This curator, for one, will certainly become a return customer. Besides the etsy shop, you can learn more about Kelley on her blog.

Remember how Kelley said she’s nice? Case in point: she’s generously offered to give one lucky winner a custom cuddler/cardcase set, like the ones pictured here:

The winner gets to choose the fabric from Gracie Design’s flickr site and have a truly one of a kind set. To enter, leave a comment on this post with either a favorite item from Gracie Designs or a question you wish this curator had asked Kelley in the interview. Contest ends Friday, 2/27/09, at 10 am PST.

Good luck, Stalkers, and have a wonderful weekend!

Curator B.

Tagged as: bags, fabric, hair, Solo Exhibits (Archives)