Etsy Seller Interview with Gill and Dawn of VintagePatternsSewBI

How VintagePatternsSewBI 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?

Vintage Patterns Sew BI is the trading name for Vintage Sewing Pattern Company. Our team is Dawn, Gill, Dave, and Kate, and we are based in Middlesbrough, in the north-east of England. Gill and I are interested in making garments from vintage sewing patterns, but we found it very difficult to find the right pattern and even more challenging to find them in our size as the original sizes were for a more petite figure. So we started looking for our favorites, reconstructing those that had seen better days and reproducing them by regrading them into new modern sizes. Once we had done this successfully for ourselves and friends had asked us to do a similar rework on their favorite patterns, we thought there could be an interesting business opportunity. We had heard of Etsy as a marketplace for selling vintage items, handmade goods, art, and crafts, so we began listing on a casual basis in 2015.

Sourcing vintage patterns is a job in itself! To have a curated store of quality patterns, we decide which patterns suit our customer audience. A lot of research goes into this process before we buy a single pattern. There might be a sewing pattern advertised on the other side of the globe; we could find one in a charity shop if we are lucky; or a customer might contact us to ask if we are interested in her late mother’s collection. Sometimes a very old pattern will need tender care and attention before being digitized, as the dog may have chewed the right-hand side of a seam or a mouse has eaten the blouse arm! Our customers know that if they are struggling with making up a garment for any reason, they can contact us, and we are here to help. We take pride in providing 100% customer satisfaction, and receiving positive feedback makes it all worthwhile. We then scan these into a digital format and re-grade the patterns into modern sizes. As this is a very specialized skill, we then make up the garments in the different sizes to ensure the regrade has been successful by checking the fit. We list these on Etsy after we have successfully tested the fit.As "instant" is the buzzword in this digital age, more and more customers have asked if we could provide these patterns as digital downloads (to print on their home printers) or printshop copies (to take to their local printing company), as "instant" is the buzzword. Customers want to make things more cost effective and are reluctant to wait on the mail when they just want to get started on that "perfect" outfit, so this is another opportunity to grow our business.

Once we had mastered the listing process (including images, keywords, etc.), our sales started to grow, and we thought, "Hey, we might be able to reduce our hours at work here, do something we are passionate about, and at the same time earn us some money." We decided to do some more research on the Etsy analytics, and from this, our sales further improved, and thankfully, yes, we managed to reduce our "proper" job from 5 to 4 days! We always say "more heads are better than one,"  and with our various skills combined, we work well together. Some days can be taxing, as with any business, but one of us is always ready to pull the other one up if they are struggling, and we feel blessed that this will happen.

Favorite items

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

This is a tricky one, as there are so many that are our personal favorites. They are so popular with our customers because they are available as a multi-sized pattern to ensure a custom fit, in sizes small to extra-large, and offered in two formats: an instant PDF Download and a shipped paper pattern. The MarilyMonroe style dress has to be one of our favorites. This "easy to sew" sewing pattern is ideal for the beginner sewer.

The Landgirl Dungarees is our next pick because it's functional and simple to make for all those modern-day Rosie's—the most iconic workwear women's garment in American history.

Another of our favorites is the Coachman Robe, and whether you want to feel like a movie star, prefer practicality, or just want something fun to wear, this housecoat is a luxurious cousin of the sometimes mundane dressing gown.

Another wow pattern is the The Day or Night, beachwear or Lounging Jumpsuit , which has been a huge hit. This loose-fitting and comfortable jumpsuit, beachwear, or lounging pajamas, inspired by the 1930s, will take you from day to night - with only two pattern pieces!

Next up is our Pin Up Beachwear Outfit , a four-piece versatile ensemble that includes a halter neck bra and shorts that can be worn alone or as a fabulous cover-up under the short-sleeved blouse and buttoned-down skirt.

Another versatile favorite is the Boiler Suit, Pedal Pushers, and Pants Jumpsuit which spell effortless chic.

 The Tiki Bra's, Crop Top Bustier, and Dixie Marilyn Style Dress are definitely fashion showstoppers for any occasion!

The last two firm favorites I would like to mention (I could go on forever, so I will stop here!) are the Clara Cape Coat  and the  Lumberjack, Eisenhower Topper Jacket.. Both of these winter warmers are a surefire way to inject some easy glamour into your new-season wardrobe.

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 received our first sale soon after listing. We were so excited to see our products in demand, and we felt validated in choosing the patterns we did.

Managing VintagePatternsSewBI

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?

Attracting customers to our Etsy shop is always challenging, and a significant amount of time goes into this activity. Our key customer engagement activities are via social media, especially Instagram (we have 21K loyal followers), and we "pin" our Etsy patterns on Pinterest boards. As well as social media, we use Etsy ads and targeted offers such as a thank-you discount on a repurchase and an offer on favorite items. Because winning business is always competitive, we try to persuade those who have abandoned carts to reconsider and buy.

Running the shop operation is done by Gill, Kate, and myself. Gill is accountable for listing items on Etsy and keeping them optimal in terms of photographs, descriptions, and tags. She also chooses which patterns to promote. I look at the patterns that aren’t selling and try to understand the reason and how these can be improved. In terms of tools, we rely on Excel. Dave downloads our sales data monthly and looks for our best sellers, identifies seasonal or geographical trends, We print patterns on demand and promise to dispatch the next day after an order is received, so we print Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The future of VintagePatternsSewBI 

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

In the short term, and as the shop is now established, we are going to increase our marketing activity via Instagram and Pinterest and further explore Etsy ads. In the mid-term, we are collecting more patterns and making plans to digitize, regrade, and list a new collection of classic, vintage sewing patterns in modern sizes.

Advice for new sellers

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

Our advice to anyone considering starting their own Etsy shop would be to do their market research and gain an understanding of market trends. Study your competition and do it better.

Dawn and Gill

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: We sell approximately 450 patterns per month.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 65%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1.1%