Big Box stores….Look Out For Etsy!

People have been lamenting about the death of mom and pop corner stores for years. Huge big box stores are swallowing up the little stores, leaving them without a fighting chance. One might think that would spell the end of artisanship, craftsmanship and unique personalized goods. “Not so,” say the over one million “shop” owners who collaborate on Etsy.com.

While online stores used to be the work of giants like amazon.com, now the internet is saving small cottage industries rather than shutting them down. With no overhead and direct contact with customers, the web site Etsy.com offers a place for artisans to showcase their wares.

Kimie Rosenthal of The October Union lives in Ventura, CA and is serious about caring for the earth. “There is a lot of green washing going on today. Companies that sell organic skincare products use plastic for their packaging. It’s crazy,” she says. All of the bath and body products Rosenthal makes are made from wild and ethically harvested natural flowers, herbs, leaves, roots and oils. Since she was a child, she has created potions, understanding that nature is sacred, and can be used as nourishment. Etsy.com gives Rosenthal the opportunity to show people that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand.

“It is a virtual farmer’s market,” Rebekah Johnson of SoCal Curls says. “Artists and craftsman can show their work to millions of customers.” Wishing there was a product that curled hair easily without damaging it, Johnson and her friend Genia Stemper, both of Thousand Oaks, CA, invented one. Within weeks they were shipping their SoCal Curls Hair Tie to places like Tasmania, Japan and Brazil. “We have the luxury of working out of our homes,” Johnson says, “and the thrill of making a customized product with sales all over the world.”

Jonathan Stroud of Chasing Victory was a talented carpenter working with the Amish in Ohio just a few years ago. He and his wife eventually moved to the Bay Area in California where he excelled at creating beautiful hardwood floors. But when a carpentry accident took the use of his hand, Stroud found another outlet for his creativity and love of wood. Currently in Thousand Oaks, CA. he has the opportunity to stay home with his beautiful children while creating wood rings for his customers. “People want something special. I use over 180 different woods and various inlaid gems and shells. I can combine your family heirloom gem with the wood from the farm floor from the house you grew up in.” Stroud’s rings are personal and have much more meaning to people than mass market rings have. “I put my heart into each ring,” he says.

And the same might be said for each item found on etsy.com. From custom coffee mugs and perfumes to carefully crafted jewelry and clothing, each piece is created from the heart and passed lovingly from the creator to the customer, bringing an old world charm to online shopping.