Next up in this series are the lovely vintage finds of Janine Sodano, of One Strange Girl. I found Janine's shop through the Etsy Local search feature for Richmond, VA, and thought she would add an interesting perspective with her fun antique objects. Read on!
Janine Sodano
www.etsy.com/shop/onestrangegirl?ref=si_shop
1. Please describe your Etsy shop and your personal outlook as a seller.
My Etsy shop focuses on vintage postcards, pictures and ephemera and a few handmade items that are vintage inspired. I am a lover of all things vintage, second hand and good old junk. You can always find something wonderful in them.
2. What is the greatest challenge/strength of selling your category of items on Etsy?
There are a lot of vintage Etsy sellers, and many that focus on postcards. I am able to acquire mine fairly cheap so that allows me to price them for less than most sellers.
3. What is your most popular item and why do you think it's a bestseller?
The holiday postcards sell well. Especially the smaller holidays....St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day. I think they appeal to a wide variety of people. Due to the low price, it's a nice way to have that vintage, shabby, antique style without spending a large amount of money.
4. Are you a full-time Etsy seller, and if not, approximately what percentage of Etsy revenue makes up your total income?
I am not currently a full time seller, but plan to be this fall. Right now Etsy is only a supplement to my current income allowing me to spoil my children a lit bit more. :)
5. How do you see your shop growing in the future, and what changes would you make to achieve your goals?
I would like to expand into more areas of the antique business and I think focusing and promoting my shop will help accomplish that.
6. Where does most of your customer base come from? Do you make targeted efforts to promote your shop?
Most of my customers are generated directly from Etsy searches. I do have a nice base of repeat customers and I love that :) Lately I have been promoting on Pintrest. I haven't see a huge uptake in traffic, but I'm hopeful.
7. Do you sell your work at other venues online and/or at a physical location? How does Etsy compare to other venues?
I used to have an antique shop, but the overhead was costly. Now I just sell on Etsy. I like it much better.
8. What is the best part of running your Etsy shop? Most difficult part?
I enjoy finding the next great thing. The key to my shop is that I love what I list. It makes me happy. I can't sell anything just to sell. So when I find a buyer who likes it as much as I do - I'm happy.
9. Has running an Etsy shop helped you find other opportunities besides direct Etsy sales?
Not that I can think of. But honestly I haven't looked,
10. What advice can you offer to first-timers who want to sell on Etsy?
Do what you love, what interests you. Find your niche. And always, always respond promptly to your customers. Your impression is just as important as your product.
11. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for this opportunity and I wish something like this was available when I started. :)
Janine Sodano
www.etsy.com/shop/onestrangegirl?ref=si_shop
1. Please describe your Etsy shop and your personal outlook as a seller.
My Etsy shop focuses on vintage postcards, pictures and ephemera and a few handmade items that are vintage inspired. I am a lover of all things vintage, second hand and good old junk. You can always find something wonderful in them.
2. What is the greatest challenge/strength of selling your category of items on Etsy?
There are a lot of vintage Etsy sellers, and many that focus on postcards. I am able to acquire mine fairly cheap so that allows me to price them for less than most sellers.
3. What is your most popular item and why do you think it's a bestseller?
The holiday postcards sell well. Especially the smaller holidays....St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day. I think they appeal to a wide variety of people. Due to the low price, it's a nice way to have that vintage, shabby, antique style without spending a large amount of money.
4. Are you a full-time Etsy seller, and if not, approximately what percentage of Etsy revenue makes up your total income?
I am not currently a full time seller, but plan to be this fall. Right now Etsy is only a supplement to my current income allowing me to spoil my children a lit bit more. :)
5. How do you see your shop growing in the future, and what changes would you make to achieve your goals?
I would like to expand into more areas of the antique business and I think focusing and promoting my shop will help accomplish that.
6. Where does most of your customer base come from? Do you make targeted efforts to promote your shop?
Most of my customers are generated directly from Etsy searches. I do have a nice base of repeat customers and I love that :) Lately I have been promoting on Pintrest. I haven't see a huge uptake in traffic, but I'm hopeful.
I used to have an antique shop, but the overhead was costly. Now I just sell on Etsy. I like it much better.
8. What is the best part of running your Etsy shop? Most difficult part?
I enjoy finding the next great thing. The key to my shop is that I love what I list. It makes me happy. I can't sell anything just to sell. So when I find a buyer who likes it as much as I do - I'm happy.
9. Has running an Etsy shop helped you find other opportunities besides direct Etsy sales?
Not that I can think of. But honestly I haven't looked,
10. What advice can you offer to first-timers who want to sell on Etsy?
Do what you love, what interests you. Find your niche. And always, always respond promptly to your customers. Your impression is just as important as your product.
11. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for this opportunity and I wish something like this was available when I started. :)
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