I've had the privilege of stealing some time from some great sellers lately. They've provided me with some great interviews! Skinny laMinx is an AMAZING who's sold over 600 items in approximately a year. The owner, Heather, shared a bit with me about how she got started and her experience with Etsy so far.

Katelynjane: Where are you located?

Skinny laMinx: I’m in Cape Town, South Africa. It’s a beautiful city, and I feel very fortunate to live there. My husband and I have an apartment at the foot of Table Mountain, a short walk away from the centre of town, with beautiful beaches just a bike ride away.

katelynjane: With the majority of Etsy sellers being in North America, do you find it hard being further away?

SkinnlaMinx: It’s been surprisingly easy. When I started out, I was worried that people would feel nervous about ordering from such a far-away place as South Africa, but that really doesn’t appear to have been the case. I have found a fantastic postal service that delivers quickly and not a single parcel to the States has gone missing (touch wood!).

katelynjane: Where are most of your sellers located?

SkinnylaMinx: Most customers are in the States, but there’s a growing number in the UK and Australia, and a scattering all over Europe. Every now and again I get an order from somewhere unusual like Singapore or Botswana, but you guys in America are fantastic shoppers! Lately, I’ve been getting more and more orders from other online shops, as well as some brick and mortar stores in the States, Europe, and also in New Zealand!

katelynjane: How do you promote your store?

SkinnylaMinx: Most of my store promotion has been through my blog. I have been lucky to find that my blog has become quite popular, and the kindness and friendliness of other bloggers has really helped to promote my work. At first I was fairly nervous of approaching the “big” bloggers like Design*Sponge and Decor8 to tell them about my work, but when I finally plucked up the courage, I found them to be so friendly and willing to help, it was fantastic!

Participating in things like the Poppytalk Handmade Markets has been great exposure too, and I plan to do more of this kind of thing in 2008.

katelynjane: How did you find Etsy and how have you found the experience so far?

SkinnylaMinx: Again, I found Etsy through reading design blogs. I became intrigued that so many people had their own shops, and I began to think it might work for me. I was making small items and one-off cushions, and I liked the idea of not having to make multiples of anything, and also I liked the idea of not being under pressure to produce. Of course, all that has changed, but I don’t think I’d ever have started if I’d had to commit to a specially-built online shop with a fully-developed product line. Etsy’s been a fantastically huge baby step, and I appreciate this amazing site enormously.

katelynjane: What is your favorite store on Etsy?

SkinnylaMinx: I love Absoluut, from Rotterdam. I have bought three of her cushions made from amazing vintage fabrics already, and am always in her store with my finger hovering over the Buy button.

katelynjane: What are your future plans for building up your store?

SkinnylaMinx: I’m very excited about getting running metres of my fabrics printed up, both to sell as yardage, and also to use to make things like napkins, table runners, placemats, etc. I’ve had lots of wholesale enquiries from stores all over the world recently, and I’m hoping that this aspect will grow too.

katelynjane: Pick one item from a seller on Etsy other than yourself to describe you.

SkinnylaMinx: Hmm, tough question. Reminds me of my days at a drama student when I had to pick an animal to describe my character. Mouse? Snake? Elephant?

I’ll choose this Absoluut pillow cover in vintage fabric for the following reasons:
The 50s style - I hope some of my love of design from this era comes though in some of my own work,
It’s unusual and somewhat exclusive – I hope my customers feel they have bought a treasure when they get my things in the mail
The longevity of the design - I hope the appeal of my work also lasts for 60 years or more!