1. Name: Lara Stahler
2. Etsy Store: TheEclecticHound.etsy.com
3. Year Founded: 2011
4. Is this your first online store? Yes!
5. I decided to open an Etsy store because.... I was being "hounded" by friends and family to offer my unique items for sale and I've always been a huge etsy fan so it all made sense!
6. I would describe my store as.... fun, whimsical, colorful, a cool place to hang out and share your creative design ideas.
7. The biggest surprise in opening my store has been... the contacts I've made with people all over the world! I think it's so special when someone finds my shop.
8. Typical number of hours spent per week on my store: 10-15.
9. My most marked characteristic is... Eclectic brilliance! And an openness to custom design. I know what it's like to to have an EXACT idea of what you want and not be able to find it, so I'm totally happy to work with any of my customers' needs, wants, requests, hopes, dreams, etc.
10. In my spare time I... SEW! Ride my horse, play the piano, paint watercolors, make beaded jewelry.
11. Length of time before listing my first item and making my first sale: 1 or 2days maybe?
12. Biggest business mistake I learned the hard way was... don't be afraid to stock up on materials you'll need to make your products!
13. I market my store by... word of mouth, facebook links on friends' pages, a great news segment on the Vermont Channel 3 News: http://www.wcax.com/story/15713939/mivt-colorful-canine-collars
14. I wish I knew how to... design and print my own original fabric designs. ...and convince my husband to adopt another greyhound!
15. If I could change one thing about myself it would be... I saw an etsy team called "hermits unite" and I had to chuckle. I'm not the only one out there! I'm not the best at aggressive promotion and elbowing my way in.
16. Best part of having an Etsy store: seeing the activity and watching items get favorited, and making a little extra cash that I can donate to our local hardworking humane societies for less fortunate pups.
17. Worst part of having an Etsy store: I wish I could customize my shop a little more (fonts, colors, graphics, etc.) I feel like I can't put as much of my personality into my store as I'd like. Other than that, there isn't a "worst part," I love having a shop and I'm not going anywhere!!
18. The best piece of advice I can share on having a successful Etsy store is... respond to your customers immediately and be friendly and helpful to your customers and encouraging to your fellow etsians! We're all in this together! Also, seriously, good grammar is key. Maybe it's because of my day job as a science journal editor, but I just can't trust the professionalism of anyone who can't be bothered to put effort into good grammar! It makes a difference.
19. Last item I bought on Etsy was... is it sad that I had to stop and think about this for a minute? I buy a lot on etsy! My last purchases were gorgeous vintage graphics from http://www.graphique.etsy.com/ that I plan to use to make custom fabric for very unique vintage-inspired dog collars.
20. Product I chose to feature from my store is my Toesties Winter Boots. I chose it because I spent two years perfecting the design of these boots and they really solve all the problems I see people posting regarding dog boots ("They don't stay on;" "The sole is too thick and my dog can't walk;" "There's an opening and snow accumulates;" "They wore out very quickly;" etc.). I took all of these concerns into consideration myself when designing Toesties and the product I came out with I ha
ve to admit is really good! I just took my frisky greyhound Phoebe for a walk in our FIRST BIG SNOW of the season today in her Treefrog green Toesties. She jumped and hopped and galloped and plowed into snow banks and leaped through the snow and those boots didn't slip a bit! I have not seen anything else like Toesties available so I'd really love to get them out into people's general awareness. They are available in 8 beautiful colors and in size increments of 1/2" and will be custom fit and made to exacting standards by me with each of my customer's special pups in mind.
ve to admit is really good! I just took my frisky greyhound Phoebe for a walk in our FIRST BIG SNOW of the season today in her Treefrog green Toesties. She jumped and hopped and galloped and plowed into snow banks and leaped through the snow and those boots didn't slip a bit! I have not seen anything else like Toesties available so I'd really love to get them out into people's general awareness. They are available in 8 beautiful colors and in size increments of 1/2" and will be custom fit and made to exacting standards by me with each of my customer's special pups in mind.Thanks Lara for sharing your experiences and if you have a dog in need of some new shoes this winter season, be sure to check out Lara's store!
If you have a dog-themed store on Etsy or sell products that feature dogs and would like to be featured on my blog, please email me at loveatfirstbark@gmail.com. You can also covno me at my store, LoveAtFirstBark.
Great store, I have many friends with Greyhounds, sadly lost my oldies a couple of years back, but still live with a Lurcher.
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