Tampa Bay Etsy Crew Rock & Roll Holiday Market
This is what I'm eating, sleeping, breathing these days...
(It's delicious if you were wondering and you should come get a piece on Saturday. ;])
Showing posts with label Tampa Bay Etsy Crew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tampa Bay Etsy Crew. Show all posts
(It's delicious if you were wondering and you should come get a piece on Saturday. ;])
Why Should I Bother with Small Business Saturday?
(or small businesses any day?)
I'll say up front that I am in on planning a Small Business Event with Peacock's Design & Consign (a local business), and my Etsy Crew, so I'm not completely without agenda as I write this. In fact, I want you to come to this event or one like it if you are not in the Tampa Bay area.
Christmas shopping... either you love it or dread it. I get anxiety when I can't find a parking spot or in crowded places so it's natural for me to do all my Christmas shopping online. Cyber Monday is my friend. I'm also pretty thrifty so I love a good Black Friday deal, but with the lines and frenzied pace, it's less tempting to me. So then we come to Small Business Saturday.
It's relatively new. American Express started it in 2010. Now why would a credit card company care how you spend their money as long as you keep using that card? Well, they don't. However, getting more small businesses to accept American Express may have been a motivation. After all, they send out a sweet Small Business Saturday kit to businesses that register with them. Let's not dismiss it as a ploy though. Even though this began as a credit card thing, small businesses have championed the call to bring holiday shopping to local shops.
So what are we talking about when we use the term "Small Business"? Legally, a small business is defined as a business employing less than 500 people, so there is a great variety in how they can look and operate. My business is a one person operation that provides supplemental income for a stay at home mom. A friend works for a custom bathroom refit company that employs 300 people in three different states. 65% of new jobs are created by small businesses. They currently employ about half of the working population in the US.
Interesting, right? But why should I venture out and spend my money at a small business? I am so glad you asked, let me tell you! First of all, it's community. These businesses are run by your friends, your neighbors. Your money is staying local and supporting your town. A lot of businesses purchase supplies locally as well. Small business donate 250% more to local groups than the national retailers do. Our schools, our charities, our economy all fair better when we spend at local businesses. Small businesses also support a town's identity. It's sad how many strip malls with all the same stores can be found in town after town. We have to support the quaint stores and cute shops if we want them to stay open.
My favorite part of the small business experience is the shopping itself. I love to give unique gifts that are regional or just one of a kind. That's hard to find at the larger stores. And let's talk about customer service. When you deal with the creator of an item, they often feel personally responsible to make sure you're happy with their product. Returns, alterations, custom orders- usually not a problem and you get an answer back quickly.
Inevitably cost comes up whenever "hand crafted" is mentioned. This is another reason to get out and come to Small Business events like the TBEC one. When you talk to the maker and understand the quality you are getting and the time put into it, the costs are really reasonable. Sometimes I've found things even cheaper than in larger stores anyway and many sellers will bargain with you if you purchase several items.
I think the main reason that people might not support small businesses is the convenience factor. It's true, Walmart is the only place open at 3 am when you have to go get toilet paper, but most of the time when we are shopping for other people or for an event, we know pretty well in advance. It just takes a little planning. Thanks to the magic of the internet it's easy to search for local places and even read reviews of them. The Etsy website has a cool feature where you can have it just show items available from your area. A lot of sellers will let you meet up with them locally so that would save shipping costs too. Shipping is one of the drawbacks of shopping online- the expense, the environmental costs, the time, and hoping it gets delivered to the right address undamaged.
I'll admit that I still plan on getting my son's major electronic Christmas present from a bigger chain, but I also plan on spending just as much, if not more, locally. Maybe, like me, you'll be out of town for Small Business Saturday. Any day can and should be a Small Business day so don't let the day or time of year limit you from getting out there and supporting your local small businesses.
What is your favorite small business? What reasons do you have for shopping locally?
Etsy Craft Party 2014 Recap
The big day went well! I'm not for outdoor events in the Florida summer, but even despite that I think everyone had fun. I did anyway. Here's some photos I snapped. My phone is pretty wretched for taking pictures, but I'm just glad I managed to snap a few. For more, better quality ones, go to the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew's Facebook page.
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| We had a nice variety of vendors- everything homemade or vintage! |
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| The crafting area was most popular. |
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| The craft demos were well received. I loved Crystal's yarn spinning one. |
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| Packing it up at Built. |
Tampa Bay Etsy Crew's 2014 Craft Party
Can't believe this is just a few days away! I'm looking forward to it so much. I love getting to meet my Crew members and see their wares. One of my favorite roles as a TBEC team member is matching up sellers and customers so these events let me check out a lot of stuff in person. It makes me feel more confident when I give a recommendation.
I also love meeting up with the friends I've already made in the Crew. When I started TBEC, I never, ever would have dreamed it would be something that would so impact my life, but I've made real friends and learned so much about leadership and event planning and marketing and much, much more.
For more info or if you have questions about the Craft Party, click HERE.
St. Patrick's Day... and all
(Whenever I don't post for a long time, I feel the need to apologize for my absence. So sorry, all two of you who read. =p)
It's St. Patrick's Day! We'll all wear green, but what we really get happy about today is it's my dad's birthday. Wish he was here to celebrate it with us. (No, he's not departed, he just lives on the other side of the world.)
Some other random green musings:
- I made a fun treasury for my Etsy team. Click on this link to view it.
- There will be no green beer for us today. I'm watching my sugar and my awesome hubs shared a shamrock shake with me yesterday, so I'm trying to recalibrate things today. Not to mention, green beer is just gross.
- I'm a big fan of Marvillosa Jewelry and this is my favorite piece in that shop right now. It's not Irish, but I'm more into the Scot thing anyway.
- St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD.
- Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.
And that's all I got. Hope it's a good day and you don't get pinched or leprechauned on.
I Won! I Won!
Have you been to Dunmire's Crochet Corner yet? Laura Dunmire is a crochet genius so when she announced a giveaway from her shop, I was all over it! AND it just happened to be for this amigurumi crab (click on the link to buy your own) and the kids' room is all sorts of sea creatures (see my Pinterest board!). Julian and I were both thrilled that we ended up winning it.
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| He's such a happy crab. =) |
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| Julian is a bit rough on his toys so we agreed this friendly dude is not for play. He looks great perched on the curtain rod, keeping watch. |
TBT Article
Looky, looky... we made it into the Tampa Bay Times! This article ran a couple days ago, but I only set eyes upon it today. Here's the article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/local-crafters-find-camaraderie-business-advice-in-online-group/2131885 Pretty cool!
I guess it's fitting that I spent all the time I could today working on my Etsy shop. I'm tired and still have more to do. I guess that will always be the case!
One Month!
Jane is one month old tomorrow! It's gone quickly for the most part. Well, there have been some very long nights, but that's to be expected. I've absolutely loved putting her in all the pretty clothes everyone got for her. Here's today's little dress:
While I haven't shut down my Etsy shops, I definitely haven't listed anything new. I can't get my head into it yet. With Julian off school, it might not be until the end of the summer before I'm able to really put the necessary time into it. My good friend is curating an exhibit at the main Clearwater library and wanted to include a piece of my jewelry so at least I'm not completely inactive with it all. Here's the necklace we decided on:
Lastly I wanted to give an invite to all my Tampa Bay friends. My Etsy team is hosting the annual Etsy Craft Party for the area. It's open to the public and free to attend. There will be craft demos, food trucks, a good representation of local vendors, and more. We have the coolest location- St. Pete Shuffle- so you can also play shuffleboard to your heart's content. It's going to be just a fun time all around! Follow this link for more details.
TBEC 2nd Birthday Festivities
Here's a few photos from this weekend.
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| Tampa Upcycle getting pretty for the party |
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| Some of our awesome Crew |
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| Had a great time making Morse Code jewelry with old & young (Photo courtesy of www.minhphoto.com) |
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| Wish I could've done many of these! (Photo courtesy of www.minhphoto.com) |
TBEC's 2nd Birthday!
Two years ago, I never ever would have thought that starting an Etsy team would end up like this! My only thought was that this area is full of artist and creative types and yet there was no really active team for us on Etsy. I wanted to be able to talk to other people in the Etsy and handmade selling world, but not just online, as some of the online friendships I'd struck up in the past had turned weird. I wanted to be able to talk face to face and be able to network in a way that would help my business locally. So I started an Etsy Team and spent the first 3-4 months scouring Etsy and looking for people in the Tampa Bay area and inviting them to join the team. That yielded about 300 members and then people started finding us. We kept it on the Etsy site primarily.
About a year in, I ended up asking another team member to help co-lead. Shortly after that our very first meet up happened. I was so nervous about that, but it was a nice small get together and I could see getting together happening on a regular basis.
Later that year, we hosted the annual Etsy Crafty Party. It was a smashing success and I knew we needed to add more leaders. So we did! At this point we do monthly meet ups and larger events several times a year. We've got a very active Facebook discussion page and our membership numbers somewhere around 1,050. We were granted our very first Fellowship from corporate Etsy just a few weeks ago. There's a lot to celebrate! And we want our community to celebrate with us. Really that's what it's all about- community, both the artists and the general public that values handmade and vintage things. If you'd like to be part of the festivities, you can sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/188927091250206/
Focus
I don't mean to abandon this blog entirely. Things have just been incredibly busy. That's the obvious reason, but there's just an underlying I don't have a vision for this blog. Part of me wants it to just be about my life and just post whatever I want- Etsy stuff, spiritual thoughts, Julian & Jane updates, product reviews, etc. Everything I've read though seems to discourage mixing business and personal stuff on a blog. For example, I'm the Captain of the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew and I do represent the group publicly, but I wouldn't want my blog to reflect on the group because it's not politically or religiously neutral at all! The group has to be both of those things. At the same time, I love having my blog on my business cards and letting my customers know I'm a person and artist and not a mass manufacturer. I just don't know what I'll end up doing.
TBEC September Meet Up
September 27~ I'm so forgetful.... I didn't get a single photo of the TBEC meet up tonight! It was great though. I learned some new, really good things to implement. I think I was able to help a few people out too. =)
Tampa Bay Etsy Craft Party!
Friday, August 24th~ Tampa Bay Etsy Craft Party!
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| J hanging out with Teddy |
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| Michael's sent us supplies for 3 craft projects |
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| The TBEC crew had a lot of fun making decorations |
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| The first 100 people got swag bags |
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| We had an overwhelming crowd |
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| Lots and lots of people! |
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| Yummy food |
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| Craft demo area |
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| Pretty paper flowers |
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| The awesome band |
For more photos, visit the TBEC page.
Tampa Etsy Craft Party
It's not too late to plan to join us! We've got so many fun things planned. You will leave brimming with new ideas and creativity. Doors will be open until 10 pm, but... if you want a swag bag, you need to be in the first 100 to arrive! For more details, visit the Etsy Party Facebook page.
Eye of the Dog
July 25, 2012~
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| He's still a little squinty, but at least the green stuff is gone! |
Drago's eyes are doing well! The one has a chronic condition, but the other is healing nicely. I also started a new skin treatment for him. Once we get the fleas totally under control, he will be rolling like an 8 year old!
TBEC Pre-Party Prep Night
Wednesday, June 28, 2012~
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| Makin' friends, learning about the letter L |
So that's the picture of the day.^ ^
Last night our TBEC group got together at Tampa Upcycle to work on the decorations for the big party in August. It was fun. Someone donated a ton of old orange grove posters and advertisements. The maps for our original idea never materialized, so it just seemed like our theme came to us. Anyway, it's always good to meet fellow Etsians, especially Crew members!
RandoMonday
Monday, June 4th~
- Every time Julian's on this thing, I get this mental image of him running from it, swollen, crying and screaming, "Beeeeeeeeeeeeees!" Maybe that's what Emily's checking out...
- Today was the end of something and the beginning of something. Both of those are good in their own way.
- Again and again, the impossible problem is solved when we see that the problem is only a tough decision waiting to be made. - Robert H. Schuller
- Aldi is such a great place to shop.
- A comfortable couch is a blessing to a home.
- The vampire squid is a freaky beast.
- TBEC got it's own Facebook page today: https://www.facebook.com/groups/400548636655063/https://www.facebook.com/groups/400548636655063/ Thank you, KC!!!
- Beef filet... it's what's for dinner. Topping it with Roquefort sauce. Dinner Done!
TBEC Member of the Week- Frost the Cake!
As leader of the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew (call us T-BEC!), a few times a month I get to pick a shop, that's part of our group, to showcase. This week it's the amazing cousins from Frost the Cake!
This shop is run by Alana and Julie, also known as the Cakerellas!
They are out of Tampa and won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Chocolate
Confection at the 2012 Festival of Chocolate in Tampa for their S’mores cake pop. Everything is made from scratch... yum! They have also been
featured on Daytime on NBC, January 2012. We are honored to have them as
members of the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew!
Here's some of my shop picks:
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Strawberry Margarita Cake Truffles |
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Chocolate Rose Cake Pops |
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Cupcake Cake Pops Cupcake Cuties |
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Reese's Peanut Butter Cake Pops |
For more on the Cakerellas, check out their website: www.frostthecake.com/
Like them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrosttheCake
Altered Archeology- TBEC Member of the Week
Monday, May 7th~
We had such a nice morning at the park today. It was shady, breezy and a lot of good friends turned up. I hope every Monday in May is the same way!
So as El Capitan of the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew, I get to showcase our Member of the Week. This week it's Jessica at Altered Archeology! Jessica is
native to the Tampa Bay area and currently lives down by Indian Rocks Beach. Her
shop is delightful mix of vintage finds, assembled art pieces and
jewelry. Check it out at www.etsy.com/shop/AlteredArcheology. Her product photos are terrific too and we can all learn from that!
Here are my picks from her shop:
Here are my picks from her shop:
The Meet Up
Tuesday, April 24th~
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| My camera is not great in dim lighting. Everyone looked much better! |
The Etsy meetup tonight was a lot of fun. We more than doubled the number we had last time. An hour and a half really wasn't long enough, but I think everyone was glad they came. The Roosevelt 2.0 is such a great venue. I know we'll be back. Tampa Upcycle is everything I though it would be. I can't wait to start trading supplies.
I hadn't met my co-leader before so after we wrapped at Upcycle, she and I went to La Creperia for coffee and to get to know each other. What a nice and fun chick she is! I feel so much less alone in my group responsibilities. There are so many great things we can bring to our little community. I feel really renewed in my position as El Capitan and challenged to make my shops better.
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