Why I started an Etsy shop...

4 years ago, I inherited a lot of china. I mean, a lot. My mother LOVED dishes. She had a different set of china for every occasion. Every holiday. Even the minor ones. Valentines Day, St. Patricks Day, all of them. I gave away a lot. I donated a lot. I kept a lot. Then, I realized, I would never use all that I kept. Someone should enjoy using them. But, who is that someone?

It was too painful to donate everything. Too valuable to sell at a garage sale. What to do, what to do? Ebay? I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around that either. Then, one day before Christmas, a friend mentioned she had an Etsy shop. Etsy? Isn’t that just for handmade items? No, she said. She sells Vintage items. “What defines vintage?”, I asked.

Etsy defines vintage as anything over 20 years old. Really? I’ve been married for 20 years. So my wedding china is now vintage? My wedding dress is now vintage? The beaded purse I used on my wedding day is now vintage? Okay, I feel old now. But then again, maybe instead of just feeling old, I can use this realization as a chance for a new beginning. A new business venture?

My crawl space is full of boxes. Boxes of carefully packed china and crystal. Boxes of beautiful Christmas decorations. Boxes of old, I mean Vintage, formal dresses, a wedding dress, and quilts (a subject for another blog). I started unpacking, started photographing, and started researching the value of these items. January of 2014, KarenKringles was born on Etsy. 

As soon as I started mentioning I had an Etsy shop, friends started asking my advice. Really, you want my advice? So I didn't exactly research or study or really even think about the business side of it that much. I admit, I'm a pretty impulsive person. If something sounds good to me, I jump in with both feet. Then I dog paddle like crazy. The good news is, Etsy has a lot of information available. Forums, teams, blogs, tutorials, articles, etc.

The best advice I can give, is go ahead and jump in! Look at the shops you love. Look at the pictures you love. Learn from mistakes, learn from others success, keep asking questions, keep reading!

In my next couple of blogs, I will share some of my research sources. Stay tuned!