How 1202SupplyCo 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?
Hi there! I’m Robert Putaro, founder and craftsman of 1202 Supply Company, a leather goods company based in Pittsburgh, PA. I started 1202 with the intent to deliver high-quality, handmade leather goods to customers. A lot of what I’d seen in the leather goods space had either been mass-produced or lacked the "character" of a truly handmade leather product.
Previously, I’d owned another small business, Roots Kendama, selling hand-painted and custom Japanese toys called "Kendamas". I still give this a lot of credit for laying the foundation and building my understanding of operating a small business in the direct-to-consumer space. Unfortunately, this was more of a fad-based business, and in 2016, when I noticed a decline in sales and traffic, I knew it was time to start brainstorming a pivot.
I wanted to create something that was more long-standing and less focused on gaining traction via the internet and social media trends. I asked myself, "What is a consumer goods product that has been around for decades, centuries, even millennia?" When I finally landed on leather goods (after contemplating a handful of other product ideas), I knew I’d found something that I could not only get excited about learning about but also that I could pursue long-term.
I decided to start selling via Etsy after having a handful of good experiences as a consumer and after releasing my cross-country photobook on the platform in 2015. With Etsy being a marketplace rather than an individual website, this seemed like a good fit for driving sales on the initial launch of the business without depleting all of my capital on marketing and advertising. There was a lot to learn, but again, with my prior experience in consumer goods, I was definitely afforded a leg up versus someone who was a complete beginner. With millions of unique customers, Etsy provides the perfect launchpad for getting small brands off the ground.
The next step in the process was deciding what type of leather goods I’d create and sell. I dedicated all of my free time to watching Youtube videos of already established leather artisans, learning about the different types of leather, their applications, and who created the highest quality hides. I continued this education, learning more about how to prototype, cut, hand stitch, and even create custom packaging for my products. In November of 2016, after spending months researching, prototyping, and even setting up at local farmers markets, I was ready to bring my first lineup of products to the Etsy marketplace. Everything I make is handcrafted in my small basement shop and goes through a rigorous quality control process before being packaged up and shipped out to my customers!
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I think my top 3 favorite products right now (in no particular order) have to be my Leather Wrapped Espresso Cup, Leather Knot Earrings and Leather Valet Trays.
The leather-wrapped espresso cups are one of my all-time favorite items, especially being such an avid coffee lover. They were one of the first items I brought to market, and they hold a special place in my heart. At first, these didn’t really gain much traction, and I was a bit discouraged as I thought they were such a cool, unique product and gift idea. Fortunately, they finally started to get more popular and moved their way up in the search results to become one of my top-selling products, especially around the holidays.
My leather knot earrings were one of the foundational products for my shop in terms of driving traffic, populating my shop in Etsy’s search algorithm, and providing liquidity to grow my business. There has been an influx of shops knocking them off in some form or another, but I’m happy to see that they still remain a popular staple in my shop! These paved the way for me to bring additional styles into the shop, increase shop exposure, and redirect potential customers of other products to my shop.
And last but not least, the leather valet trays. These beauties have been filling my house, friends' and family members' houses, and, of course, customers' houses pretty much since the beginning. They are super functional, and they look great with just about any style of decor in someone’s house. Nothing beats having a handsome place to empty your pockets after being out and about all day that isn’t on your floor! Using high-quality leather is a huge selling point for my leather goods (I source my leather from Horween Leather Company out of Chicago, IL, the longest-running tannery in the United States), and it really makes a difference in the final product.
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?
My first sale came within the first two weeks of opening my shop—I was elated and couldn’t believe that someone not only found my shop but also trusted a brand new seller enough to spend nearly $100 with me! The first sale was of a prototype of an iPad portfolio case that I’d designed along my journey in the months leading up to my shop launching. It was completely hand-stitched, with around 200 stitches bringing it together, and being a beginner, it took me around 15 hours to complete—I was just grateful to have made something that someone wanted!
Currently, I try to drive sales to my shop using primarily Search Engine Optimization techniques that I’ve learned over the last 10 or so years running online businesses. This has definitely had the greatest impact on creating sales opportunities, and I’ve had the greatest increase in traffic as a result of constantly staying up to date on the current Etsy SEO changes. On top of this, I will use Etsy ads, Google Adwords, and other off-site ads sparingly, but more so during the busier seasons (holidays and wedding season). I think one of the best ways to generate revenue for your shop is to reward current and past customers using promo codes and other incentives. I always include some form of a thank-you card, which also includes something to bring the customer back to my shop to place another order.
Managing 1202SupplyCo
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?
My shop is run entirely by me (with the help of my shop dog, Chonk)! For now, everything from start to finish goes through my hands, but I do hope that someday I’ll be able to grow to the point that I can bring somebody on board. I run my shop primarily using the tools that Etsy provides for order fulfillment, as well as their integrated shipping tools. This makes processing orders super easy, and Etsy automatically notifies customers as their order moves through fulfillment. On top of that, I found an app called "Vela" that makes managing and updating listings SO much easier than it has been in the past. I’m able to adjust tags, keywords, descriptions, titles, etc. in bulk rather than doing this individually, which saves me a ton of time. I also use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for photo editing, landing page updates, packaging materials, and the like.
The future of 1202SupplyCo
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
I think, in terms of goals, I would really like to grow the shop to a point where I can bring on a team to help out with everything from customer support to packaging and shipping orders. I’d also really like to expand my product line to reach more potential customers, which is something that I’m always working on! I try to add a new product or two every month or two, depending on how busy I am with processing orders. A lot of people are unaware of the time and dedication it takes to bring something from prototype to being officially for sale, and I take pride in making sure that everything I sell is customer-ready. I think there are definitely some tools that I’d like to invest in to help drive all of these goals, but I am of the mindset that if I can make do with what I currently have, then I will until it becomes unnecessarily time-consuming or holds my shop back from growing!
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
I think it can be really easy to get discouraged in the early months of launching your shop, expecting instant success. Although there are definitely outliers that do have success right out of the gate, these are absolutely the minority and shouldn’t stop you from trying your best to grow at the pace that is meant for you and your shop! I’d also suggest taking it slow with launching products on your shop, making sure you not only fine-tune the products themselves but also that you take time to research titles, keywords, competition, pricing, etc. It’s a huge undertaking to bring a single product successfully to market, and overloading yourself, in the beginning, is a surefire way to put out the flame before you get off the ground.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help—whether this is through Etsy or other online forums, Youtube, or even other Etsy sellers. You’d be surprised how willing other shop owners are to help! Obviously, you shouldn’t ask them to hold your hand throughout the process, but if you have general questions about getting your shop going, there is no one better to ask than someone who is already in the position you’d like to be in.
Finally, I think it is so important to truly get to know your market and audience before you try to start selling to them. If you don’t have a target to shoot for, you will have a hard time gaining traction, and you will be working tirelessly for little return. You don’t have to try and sell to everyone—that isn’t realistic, and you will very quickly wear yourself out. It is perfectly okay to acknowledge this and build your brand to meet the expectations and desires of your share of the market! It truly is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time, grow as best you can, and don’t let that spark burn out; it is SO worth it!
