This week Amanda from Rust Belt Threads took some time out to talk with us!
Please tell us a bit about yourself? My name is Amanda and I live on the westside of Buffalo with my husband, Nate, and our cat, Toulouse. I'm a big fan of mid century modern, cats, classic cocktails and drag queens. I'm also one of the co-founders of the Queen City Market, which is an annual local market held in Buffalo around the holidays.
What do you create? How long have you been working on your craft/art?
Since I'm a vintage seller, I help create people's wardrobes and
decorate their homes. I've been collecting vintage items since the mid
90's but became more serious around 2005.
How did you come up with your store name? Buffalo is part of the Rust Belt, and so is 99% of my inventory, so it seemed fitting.
How does Buffalo influence your work? Buffalo influences my shop immensely! There's so much history and so many great treasures to be found in this great city.
What is the best thing about having a etsy shop? The best thing about having an Etsy shop is being my own boss. I can set my own hours and work when I want. Shipping internationally is great too. It's amazing to think that some of the pieces from my shop are now being loved all around the world.
How do you promote your work to the world? I use various social media tools twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, and tumblr. Having the option to ship internationally is a great way to promote too.
What is the hardest part about selling online? The inconstancy of sales. One week I'll be rolling in the sales and the next week there'll be tumbleweeds in my shop.
Where can your work be found locally? Currently in my apartment (where my inventory is taking over) and the Queen City Market in December.
Do you have any advise or suggestions for new sellers to etsy? Joining an Etsy team is a great way to make new friends and learn from other shops and their experiences. If you get frustrated with your shop, do some research on how to better improve your photos, descriptions, tags, ect.
Do you do this full or part time? If full time how did you get yourself to that status? Keeping up with my inventory is a full time job in itself, but I do have a day job outside of Etsy.
Where can you be found online?
www.etsy.com/shop/RustBeltThreads
twitter.com/RustBeltThreads
www.facebook.com/pages/Rust-Belt-Threads/82513312122
rustbeltthreads.tumblr.com/
pinterest.com/rustbeltthreads/
Please tell us a bit about yourself? My name is Amanda and I live on the westside of Buffalo with my husband, Nate, and our cat, Toulouse. I'm a big fan of mid century modern, cats, classic cocktails and drag queens. I'm also one of the co-founders of the Queen City Market, which is an annual local market held in Buffalo around the holidays.
What do you create? How long have you been working on your craft/art?
Since I'm a vintage seller, I help create people's wardrobes and
decorate their homes. I've been collecting vintage items since the mid
90's but became more serious around 2005.How did you come up with your store name? Buffalo is part of the Rust Belt, and so is 99% of my inventory, so it seemed fitting.
How does Buffalo influence your work? Buffalo influences my shop immensely! There's so much history and so many great treasures to be found in this great city.
What is the best thing about having a etsy shop? The best thing about having an Etsy shop is being my own boss. I can set my own hours and work when I want. Shipping internationally is great too. It's amazing to think that some of the pieces from my shop are now being loved all around the world.
How do you promote your work to the world? I use various social media tools twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, and tumblr. Having the option to ship internationally is a great way to promote too.
What is the hardest part about selling online? The inconstancy of sales. One week I'll be rolling in the sales and the next week there'll be tumbleweeds in my shop.
Where can your work be found locally? Currently in my apartment (where my inventory is taking over) and the Queen City Market in December.
Do you have any advise or suggestions for new sellers to etsy? Joining an Etsy team is a great way to make new friends and learn from other shops and their experiences. If you get frustrated with your shop, do some research on how to better improve your photos, descriptions, tags, ect.
Do you do this full or part time? If full time how did you get yourself to that status? Keeping up with my inventory is a full time job in itself, but I do have a day job outside of Etsy.
Where can you be found online?
www.etsy.com/shop/RustBeltThreads
twitter.com/RustBeltThreads
www.facebook.com/pages/Rust-Belt-Threads/82513312122
rustbeltthreads.tumblr.com/
pinterest.com/rustbeltthreads/
Thanks Amanda for sharing your experience with us!
If you are from Buffalo and would like to be featured on the blog please contact me for more information!!
Great post Nicole and Amanda!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to checking out your shop and your unique finds!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, great interview and AWESOME shop! I'm a big fan of your vintage goodness and how well-photographed everything is! Love that pink flowered dress, too... must go look in your shop to see what size it is. :)
ReplyDeleteACK... it's GONE! :(
Delete