Etsy Store Profile: SimJaTa

1. Name: Lynda Norton

2. Etsy Store: Sim Ja Ta

3. Year Founded: 2009

4. Is this your first online store? No.

5. I decided to open an Etsy store because.... I had problems with the selling platform I used before. It not only didn't work for me, it was very unfair on my fellow sellers and not something I wanted to be a part of.

6. I would describe my store as.... Unique. I like to choose as many themes as possible to try appeal to everyone.

7. The biggest surprise in opening my store has been... How many new crafting friends I have made.

8. Typical number of hours spent per week on my store: 25 hours (on line) many more hours sewing.

9. My most marked characteristic is... creativity, I just love to create.

10. In my spare time I... am learning to draw and paint, this is taking over though as spending far too much enjoyable time with a sketch book.

11. Length of time before listing my first item and making my first sale: 3 weeks.

12. Biggest business mistake I learned the hard way was... Trusting, far too trusting results of this can hit very hard.

13. I market my store by... Promotion, as much as possible, also business cards handed out in the real world, blogging, chatting on other craft forums, donating to charities.

14. I wish I knew how to... work with wood, something I would love to do one day.

15. If I could change one thing about myself it would be... Oooh, now I don’t know, I think I am at an age were I am now quite happy with myself.

16. Best part of having an Etsy store: So much to do.

17. Worst part of having an Etsy store: So much to do and not enough free time to do it.

18. The best piece of advice I can share on having a successful Etsy store is...As above, awful lot of competition out there so an awful lot of promotion needed to be noticed, how about emailing ‘love at first bark’ to do a feature on you!

19. Last item I bought on Etsy was... A wonderful handcrafted necklace from http://www.etsy.com/shop/axevictimus?ref=seller_info

20. Product I chose to feature from my store is my Yorkshire Terriers Tote Bag. I chose it because my dog themed bags are my favourite items – I am always searching for dog breed fabrics. Not many are breed specific, but this cute one is one of my favourites.



Now that we have a few Etsy store profiles under our belt, the theme that keeps coming through with every Etsy store is that they are created by talented individuals who want to express their creativity and share it with the world. They are willing to spend long hours not only creating, but photographing their projects and often wear their heart on their sleeve.


I know from personal experience that I get excited to share my new designs with others, but when you send one out into the world, there's no guarantee anyone will even see it, let alone buy it.


There's an emotional rollercoaster to being an Etsy seller. You invest a lot of time and energy into your products, then anxiously post them. Then the waiting game begins. How many views will your product get? If it's a lot, you're overjoyed. People like your work! If you see zero, or one or two views, you get deflated. Why don't people like it? What's wrong with it? Is it the wrong color? Are the keywords I'm using wrong? Is it the photographs? You lie in bed at night trying to think of ways to drive traffic to your site. If an item you had such faith in languishes without being sold, it can feel as bad as being the child picked last for a team.


There's a big degree of courage to putting yourself out there and hoping for the best. That's what's hard about being your own boss. You're in the spotlight and the buck stops with you. This is why it's so important for Etsy sellers, who already have such a great and unique platform in place, to continue to nurture and teach one another. The beginning of the road for one person is a memory for another and the ways we can learn from one another are immense.


Thanks to all who have already chosen to feature their stores here and sharing their insights. We continue to welcome other Etsy stores so if you'd like to be featured and have a dog-themed store or product you've made, let us know at loveatfirstbark@gmail.com