Wholesale, New e-Shops and Craft Shows

It's very exciting to be working on my very first wholesale order! I hope to do more in the future. The shop owner found me on Etsy if you are wondering...this is what I am making:


I am making bunches of beads every day, good thing I enjoy it :)

I've been on Etsy since November of 2006, and I love it there.


But I did decide (somewhat hastily) to open an Artfire shop. Almost immediately after doing that, I realized Artfire is not exactly my style. I don't love the way it looks but I know they aren't finished with it so I am witholding judgement as of yet. I paid for the $7/month unlimited listing option. I like that they are very conscious of social media and let you link to your Twitter, Facebook and even back to your Etsy! I haven't put a lot of goods in my storefront there, but I think when I do, I will start listing fun or cute, lower-priced items that might not fit in with my Etsy shop aesthetic.


I guess I was on a roll because I then applied for a shop on 1000 Markets! 1KM is a gorgeous site which still claims to be in "sneak preview" mode though it is fully functional. Listing is free and fees are only taken out at the time of sale. It is juried and uses Amazon Payments instead of PayPal which has the advantage of letting buyers purchase from several different merchants but pay all at once. Vendors there are creating and joining "Markets" which are groups that showcase a region, a medium or a style. I got rejected from the only Market I applied for so far and no others seem to fit my style yet, I will keep an eye on that.


I plan to list only my felt goods in this shop, I am doing a marketing experiment in narrowing focus. I'll keep you posted.

And this is the time, remarkably, when we are all planning our craft shows for the whole year! I'll post them on the right side of this blog as I get accepted. OK, I gotta get back to work!