Etsy Seller Interview with Lindsey of TheShabbyStore

How TheShabbyStore got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

I’ve always looked for ways to make money independently, like flipping items, doing gig work, and even running a previous business before finding success on Etsy with The Shabby Store. I was looking on Etsy at different items and realized I could provide the same items at better prices. Realizing the opportunity, I started The Shabby Store with an initial investment of $213. At the time, I supported all international sales for a major medical device company during the day and then shifted gears to focus all my energy on my Etsy shop at night. My first goal was to grow the business just enough for me to leave the corporate world within a year, and I reached that goal in 10 months. Read more.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

Our favorite items are our small cleat hooks and hand hooks. They are versatile statement pieces that we refinish in 24 different colors. We love seeing how our customers use our hooks in various ways; for example, the hand hooks have been used as curtain tiebacks and to hold jewelry, candles, headphones, coats, and more!

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

We had our first sale two weeks after opening the shop. Our second sale was two weeks later. After the second sale, we started seeing orders every couple of days. We have done minimal voluntary advertising and instead have focused on our customers and their overall experience. Over time, 5-star reviews paint a picture of trust, so we refuse to lose sight of our customers’ experiences. This has led to our "Star Seller" status, giving us higher rankings in searches. We regularly comb through listings to ensure optimization and keyword exposure to capitalize on that momentum. We also are part of Etsy’s mandatory advertising campaign, which markets our products without our involvement.

Managing TheShabbyStore

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

We run a tight ship! We are a small crew of three with clearly defined roles:
Lindsey: the captain! oversees all operations and refinishing processes, quality control, customer service, listings, ordering, and anything that needs to be done.
Steve is Lindsey’s husband and provides behind-the-scenes support. Legal, administrative, and bookkeeping services. spray painter, as well as muscle when needed!
Lisa: Part-time shipping and receiving expert! Lisa is such a valuable asset to our team, and we would not have been able to handle our growth without her!
We use various tools and resources to operate. We upgraded to Etsy Plus to give us more tools and a nicer-looking shop. We fulfill most orders using Etsy’s built-in fulfillment tools. We have developed software and physical processes to help us make better finished products and smarter choices, track revenue and expenses, and combine multiple marketplace sales.

The future of TheShabbyStore 

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

We have three main goals:

• Maintain star seller status, since that highlights being a top shop on Etsy.
• 100,000 sales on Etsy (currently at 72,298
• Be one of the top 100 Home & Living stores in the world (currently 253). 

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

Don’t just throw a shop together. Have a plan and research a few key things that you would feel good doing and selling. Actually create your idea and determine if you would enjoy doing that over and over again. Research other companies that are doing what you're thinking of selling to understand the market, keywords, how customers are using the product, etc. Understand your pricing in relation to actual costs: don't guess!
Be inspired by others, but be original in your work and words. There are always people willing to copy and mimic success, disregarding the amount of effort, energy, and resources it took to create your vision. We actually dealt with a copycat shop and realized the value of our work, making us even better with the addition of our trademark! If you create the item, enjoy doing it, have a defined process in place, and it makes money, you’ll be able to save, reinvest, and scale while handling the success when it comes.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Varies depending on season, but we average over $30,000 per month

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: Average around 3%