I only noticed because I was updating and renewing a few listings and happened to glance at the side bar where it says -- on etsy since "August 9, 2010"
That is a long time when it comes to maintaining a business -- well for me it is a long time because I am one of those people who are always finding new and interesting things to learn about...
The idea of a Etsy store tho fits into a very long tradition of reuse, recycle, reclaim, repair, remake. My mother was a treasure hunter, not for buried treasure or gold pieces but for treasures that she could make use of without spending much money on. My grandmother was even more so a hunter of bargins! And great grandmother, well, I suspect so because she had many children to raise and find clothes and things for.
Before the 1950's the second hand tradition was not "above ground" as it is today with THRIFT SHOPS all over many towns and cities. Second hand was usually word of mouth -- a child grown out of his pants or shoes and those shoes passed along to a neighbour child who was just getting to that size. During the war years, much of the 'extras' that were recycled went to the war effort, tin cans to manufacturing, cloth and yarn, made into items for soldiers -- maybe to your own son or to any soldier who served overseas. The world did not manufacture bright plastic things in those times and even though our Canadian or American cities had factories, those places of manufacture were often geared to things that might use raw materials that were fairly local. One of my Mother's earliest jobs was in a factory that made leather gloves. The leather was brought from a local abattoir, that supplied beef and pork across the country and so leathers were close at hand. My father, for a time worked in a factory that made Mink Coats and Stoles -- his job was to use an air hose to clean and fluff the fur coats before it was sent on its way to Stores.
Winnipeg, where I grew up was well known as a manufacturing HUB, especially of clothing -- sewing factories that made London Fog raincoats, a shop that made men's suits -- did you know that fabric would be stacked in layers and the pattern drawn on the top layer then with a fine blade saw all the layers cut at the same time? I saw that process when I was in my late teens on a school "information" trip!
Well, the world has changed, and the things we think we need are made in faraway countries with low wages and dangerous conditions and many people keep buying those things and not reusing or even recycling them. I can't help it tho, the concept to make use of everything in every way possible is just bred into my bones! So, I suspect that Operating and Etsy store with Vintage items was just a natural extention of the way I was taught from the beginning of my time...
I really love operating my own little business!
It does take time to learn the how to's and to learn what suits yourself and your customers. When I first opened my Etsy story, I started with household goods like Pyrex cups and bowls, and a few fancy things like egg coddlers. Then a couple of friends were clearing their extra sewing notions and buttons, so I sorted buttons and put them on the store -- along with wooden spools of thread, and vintage sewing things like self cover dress belt buckles.... I discovered, I didn't like photographing buttons -- for some reason, I would confuse bunches and then they would get lost in the button box -- buttons were frustrating.... (But I think I now have figured out a method so will soon be listing buttons again on my store).
It really is great that a online store, under the Etsy banner can bring together people who enjoy the process of creating items to sell, and for buyers looking for the things that just cannot be found in Wal-Mart or any of the other big box stores. Etsy is for the person who wants something different and something special.
Well, now my store mostly has patterns for sewing clothing for men, women and children along with some specialty sewing patterns and magazines and books that include sewing and crochet books.
So, now my store is 5 YEARS OLD and much of my product is along the lines of vintage sewing -- I can make really classic patterns available for someone who admires a style no matter when it was printed and who has the vision to sew that pattern to make it fit in with today's styles and have that special flair that no one else around them has.
I love to send parcels across the ocean either east or west and am always wondering why someone in Florida is buying a pattern for making mittens! There must be a use for mittens there! I love to search out products that will go into my store -- I frequent the thrift shops throughout my area and every now and then a friend will bring me items they just want to clear away and I pay then when their things sell in my store - I don't do that often though because it means another 'layer' of organization -- a subject I am weak on...
SO, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY SUSANBEINGSNIPPY ETSY SHOP!
