Welcome to the Artists and Makers group! 🎨 🧶 🧵

[ElisabethB]

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Artists & Makers group in Seller Community! Whether you're selling your work or selling items made by others, this is the group for you. You can use this space to ask questions and share tips, knowledge, ideas, and more. 

If you're new to the group, please reply here and introduce yourself or start a new thread about anything you want! 

If you haven't already joined the group, visit the group home page and click the Join Group Hub button. We're looking forward to getting to know you and your business! 😊

[HC_Charlie]

Hello @ElisabethB so excited to have this new group! Thanks for your work in putting everything together. My name is Charlie and I run a small card and gift shop in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I started out about six years ago making stained glass panels, windows, lamps, ornaments and jewelry. Over those years I refined what products work best for my business and my main focus now are ornaments and jewelry.

After running around doing art/craft shows and pop-up markets, I decided to open my brick and mortar retail store; lugging around a hatchback filled with tents and crates gets really old ... really fast LOL. So at this stage in my business, I sell my handmade items in my own store, on my Square website, and an original Etsy site. I also sell wholesale to other retail stores all across the country! My main focus this past year has been trying to grow my wholesale business.

I'm so excited to find out what everyone else loves to make, and share tips for selling. Its great fun and very rewarding to be a maker....but it's even more exciting and rewarding to also be a SELLER too!

[ElisabethB]

Love this, @HC_Charlie! Thank you for sharing! 😁

[monty2]

Hi, Charlie.  My name is Monty and I am a nature photographer/woodworker.  I've been selling at markets and have a booth at one local gift store, but I would very much like to expand to selling wholesale.  I don't feel I have the time to run a storefront of my own and maintaining multiple booths at retail stores is also time consuming.  If you have had luck and have any insights to share, I'd appreciate it.  Thanks!

www.mopho.live

[BallZoutdoors]

Hi Charlie!

I just checked out your website.  Cool stuff.  Being a seamstress, who occasionally quilts on the side, I love the quilt designs and think it's cool how you came up with them. Way to go! I'll be sharing your website with other sewing aficionados.

[LMBrenn]

Hi Charlie,

Another “glasshole” from PA.  I’m up in the PA Wilds near Wellsboro.  Just starting my vendor journey and working a lot with 3D items like spinners.

[maxpete]

@LMBrenn welcome! 🙂 

[CBeadle]

Thx for the invite! Hi! I’m Cherie from Beadle. I’m a Maker and a shop owner. I sell finely crated Canadian handmade goods from over 30 Makers. My store is located in Toronto and we’ve been in biz since 2006. 

[DDPractical]

Hi I'm Dani from Preston, UK
I am a Leatherworker - I am self-taught during the pandemic. I make all kinds of things; keyrings, bracelets, earrings, notebook covers, bookmarks, bags, wallets, purses, you name it! I also do a lot of custom work including the leather on suits of armour, reenactment gear, basically anything!

I have a box container shop at the moment, which I am actually giving up at the end of August in order to build an at-home workshop in the garden and will be selling online and at makers markets. 

Trying to juggle the business, plus two part-time jobs is incredibly exhausting but I am loving it!

[GeekInStitches]

Great!   I am a one-Geek sewing, painting and crafting machine 🙂

I have a small Georgia business that attends craft show events throughout the year.  I create a combination of practical fabric items along with fabric and mixed media artwork.  I incorporate LGBTQIA themes across the board.

After 3 years, I am still slowly growing.  In the last month I decided to start producing sticker versions of my artwork and I am pretty excited about that as we trudge toward the holiday shopping season.  Early for that you may think?   I just paid for a 2 day holiday event this morning- lol.

[Vallance]

Hello!

My name is David Vallance, I run a pottery studio in Victoria B.C. I am a second generation potter that sells wholesale and retail. www.vallancestudio.ca

[Ells3500]

Hi! Thanks for the invite!

My name is Elisabeth and I am the owner of Ellsworth Creations in Lafayette, Louisiana! I make earrings, lapel pins, and more out of polymer clay! It's all done by myself, though sometimes my husband helps. ^_^

I started making things out of polymer clay in 2020 and opened an Etsy shop in September of 2020. Since then, I decided to switch to my own website and Square was the perfect place. I am completely self taught, so I am looking forward to the tips that come from this group!

Lately, I've been juggling business, life, being a wife, a mother to a 3 yo, and pregnant. 😅 But I'm hoping to be able to get back into creating and adding more items to my site within the week! This life, sure ain't easy. Haha!

[ElisabethB]

Welcome, @Ells3500! Always nice to meet another Elisabeth! 😉

[Ells3500]

Same! The s spelling is so rare! ❤️

[rjturbot]

Hi Elisabeth and Everyone!

I am a SoapLady making Shea Butter Soaps since 1998.  I just retired in November from Art and Craft Shows but still sell online through my website CornerSoapShop.com (which has been active since 2003) and to wholesale accounts.  I am trying to ramp the wholesale side of my business up so I am really interested in any help on that front. 

Jackie

[MudFire_Dex]

Hi Everyone - Thank you for the invite to this new group. I have been in the ceramic industry since 1999 - I was in metalsmithing (fine jewelry making) and then in ceramics (I worked in the supply side, retail, wholesale) for about 18 years and also own a maker space (MudFire in Atlanta/Decatur) and gallery space for others to pursue hobby-time, secondary income, and full scale makers. We have 7 electric kilns, a gas, a soda, and raku firing area. We offer a mentorship program as well.

I've just recently started making some work again - I'm tying ceramic pieces in with metals (maybe pictures soon (?). Primarily I spend about 80 hours a week running the studio space and loading/unloading kilns and troubleshooting in the mentorship/residency program.

[Madeline]

WOW. I’m exhausted reading all that you do AND excited for you. 

[sweetashoney]

Hello! My name is Tara. My mom and I own and operate Sweet As Honey Online Shop. We make soy candles, wax melts, and just started making room sprays. We do not currently have a brick and mortar shop, but we attend vendor events close to where we live. It's alot of work, but brings us so much joy!

[jenniferpatters]

Hello, My name is Jennifer Patterson I have been working in Polymer clay for almost 30 years, 25 of them making jewelry inspired by and for quilters. I have recently branched out into the hot air balloon niche. I sell via in person shows and conventions and my website, which I moved updated during the pandemic. 

[madebyjaylane]

What's up everybody? I'm excited to be here. My name is Jay Lane and I have a part-time business in Louisville, Kentucky called Made By Jay Lane. This is our fourth year. We make custom 3D wood art, bourbon barrel heads, signs, and more. Everything is hand-cut on a scroll saw and hand-painted. My specialty has been custom Bourbon barrel heads but I'm starting to do large artwork with LEDs. I'm licensed with the University of Louisville and two local professional soccer teams. You can check out my website or follow me on Twitter or Instagram. Most of our sales are through our e-commerce website and social media. I do shows occasionally. I'm looking forward to connecting with the group. 

[Walkoffaith]

Hi Everyone!

I run a faith inspired apparel and accessories brand.  Like others, we started online and participated in a lot of events throughout the year.  In 2018, we began offering our products at a kiosk in our local mall and in 2021 we moved into an inline store.  We design and make most of our apparel. Our website address is ShopLAJapparel.com.  We also sell wholesale.