So, here is my interview with Amanda, about her amazing shop.
You make the cutest hair accessories, who is your target customer?
I feel my target customers are fun loving, free spirited young ladies from teenagers to their mid thirties.
How long have you been running your shop, and how has it changed since the first day?
I opened my shop in September of 2009. Since then I've learned to sew with beads, which has helped in my design process (and sanity). When I started, I was gluing rhinestones on my flowers and cursing them as they stuck to everything but the flower!
The biggest change is the quality of pictures. I've become friends with the macro setting on my camera and have done lots of experimenting with lighting. My first listings were embarrassingly dark. Now I’m doing better.
What is the hardest part about having a shop, and how do you deal with it?
The hardest part of having a shop is trying to balance between creating new products, photographing them, cropping the photos, listing, getting ready for craft shows, all after I've put in a full day, at my day job. Lately I've been focusing on craft shows so my shop has suffered a bit, but when I don't have shows coming up, my shop will florish again.
Attracting customers is always a new challenge, what are some of the ways you bring customers into your shop?
I've had a hard time with this. I have a facebook fan page, a twitter account, I hand out cards at craft shows, and when I'm gutsy, I'll leave my card in fashion magazines when I'm at the dentist or salon.
Do you advertise, and if so where?
At this point, I'm not spending money on advertising.
What shows, if any do you attend?
Which show is you're most successful? Maybe not the most profitable, but the one you consider to have filled your expectations of yourself and the show?
I feel like the East Troy Women's Club show in East Troy, Wisconsin was the best show I've been to. They were very well organized, very well set up, and it was my first show without helpers!
The attendance was still low-they said it was the lowest they've had in years. I made my entrance fee back and some extra, and I got my name out there handing out business cards. I also feel a sense of accomplishement, as I was there by myself and had to set it all up, and tear it down by myself. I am attending the Craftacular in Madison on August 15th. From what I've heard, that will be a wonderful show and I'm doing a lot of prep for it.
What was your most pleasant experience at a show, and what was the most unpleasant?
The most pleasant was the East Troy fair I mentioned before. The worst was Moosefest in Montello Wisconsin. I will not be going back to that one.
What is the most important thing you've learned about dealing with customers?
I'm slowly learning to get over my shyness, which is hard for me.
If you turn back the clock, and take what you know now and apply it, what would the top things you'd do differently from the day you started your shop, to today?
I would have invested in my newer camera right away!
Do you blog? If so, how do you get the word out about it?
I can't find the time in the day to blog. I hardly have time for what I do now!
Is your art something you hope to go full-time with?
I would love to go full-time with my creations. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head that I would get out there, if I could find the time. I would love nothing better than to run my business full-time.
Who has helped guide you the most, on Etsy?
The forums on Etsy have been the most helpful for me. You can always find answers to your questions either by reading past posts, or by asking a new question. There's always someone on line willing to help.
What was your first group?
Team Wist (Team Wisconsin) is my first and only group.
What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you when dealing with customers?
I had a bride that was trying to match a color on her bridesmaid dresses. She asked if she could send a sample of the dress to me and tell her if a specific flower would match. I told her I would send her a sample of my flower instead, as I didn't want to think it matched, and have her thinking it didn't.
I sent a sample, as well as some other samples in the same color scheme. When she got them, she said she found one that matched. Then she told me which one it was, and it needed to be 4 inches wide. I use silk flowers, so there isn't the option to make them bigger. They are only made in certain sizes. The issue was, she had originally inquired about a flower that was only 2 inches wide.
If you could choose any occupation, and live anywhere in the world, leaving out finances, family, and practicality, what occupation would it be, and where would you be living?
I love to craft and garden. I want to live somewhere warm where I can grow my own food all year-round. I want a couple of acres so we can have some apple trees, orange trees, banana trees, a field for other fruits, and a large field for veggies. Than after a morning of picking fresh body nourishing food, I could go into the house, and craft my heart out. I'm a gardner right now, both of flowers and veggies. That's where I got my start with the flower hair accessories. Flowers make me whole, so I started making them to wear for our dreary Wisconsin winters.
What is the most important thing you want people to know about you, personally and what is the impression you want people to have of your store?
I hope people get a sense of free spirited fun when they come to my store. You can never have too many flowers in your world, and you can decorate yourself with these! Putting a flower in your hair, or clipping it onto your purse, just puts a smile on my face, and I know it will put one on yours too.
Are you planning to expand in the next 6 months, or add any new products, so we have an idea of what to look forward to, in your shop and in your art?
Yes, I have a lot of new products I want to start listing. I have wine glass charms (I currently have one set listed but there are more to come), more mirrors, flower kissing balls, earrings, and holiday items. I hope to be listing a new item every day this month, so stop by often and see what I've been adding.
What thing, have you struggled with the most, running your own business?
Time management, time management, time management!
Any advice for other shop owners?
Do what you love!
