Etsy Seller Interview with Shellie of BoopiesCloset

How BoopiesCloset 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?

Boopies Closet is an online mini-hat boutique that specializes in extravagant designs for special occasions! We design for birthdays, themed events, distinct occasions, dance/pageant competitions, and holidays. I am a mother, a grandmother (Nonni), and a wife. I have always been a working woman. My first job ever was as an arts and crafts teacher at a children's summer camp. Back then, I was a budding artist with no real direction, but as the summer camp was my family's business, the running of that business had to start somewhere. After 25 years, I had worked every job in camp and made my way to the director's chair.

In 2011, after decades of service, it was time to retire. I had given my life to the family business. My children had grown and experienced extraordinary opportunities, and I had reached a goal in life. Now it was time to find my own direction, and that was a return to art. The question was where to go. I focused on art in high school and college, majoring in marketing, art, and design, and advertising. As a youth in Girl Scouts, I learned to sew. As a mom, I helped my mother, who was an incredible seamstress. The world was my oyster, so to speak, but what would satisfy this next chapter of my life? That same year, my first granddaughter was born. She has a beautiful given name, but my husband and I call her Boopie. Right from the start, she was this adorable little package of joy. My daughter asked if I could make a tutu for Boopie, and so the spark was lit.

Boopies Closet started at craft fairs and local outlets. We specialized in the art of the tutu, and as our business expanded, our product line expanded. We made boys clothing items, themed birthday mini hats and outfits, newborn and shower gifts, and then we took the next step and went online. We opened our first Etsy shop in 2012. Warehouse space was limited for inventory, so we decided Etsy would be a good place to produce custom designs, thus reducing inventory storage and making only what we sell. That same year, we purchased an embroidery machine, and then everything blossomed! We personalized t-shirts and birthday-themed hat and outfit sets; we made a ton of personalized baby gifts and wedding gifts, like monogrammed towels, napkins, and tablecloths. and we still continued our art of the tutu. We wanted to provide that special item that everyone needed, but in doing that, we became "jacks of all trades" crafters, masters of none.

At the same time, the market became flooded with crafters making similar items, and when Etsy opened to mass producers, we could no longer compete. We had to make some changes. So, we pivoted to mini hats. Mini-Hats gave us the opportunity to focus on one genre and become masters of the art. We make everything by hand, one at a time, and with so much love that your Boopie will know they are special. We are able to work one-on-one with customers to create a unique topping for their holiday or special event! Our listings give them a starting point, but then we allow them to customize the color or finish they want, etc., so they have a custom piece. The most thrilling orders are still those where a client asks, "Do you think you can make something like...?" Our creative juices fly into overdrive!

In 2020, we were very worried about how we would survive. Fortunately, people were still celebrating via Zoom, and when an occasion came up, we were ready. For instance, an entire family of 12 people wanted us to design a special birthday mini hat for their Zoom birthday party guests, so we did! They each ordered separately; we made all 12 and then shipped them all over the country to arrive in time for the Zoom celebration! We used the opportunity to pivot again, and now we include the whole family in making mini hats for men, women, children, and pets! Boopies Closet is a mini-hat boutique where you can find designs for special birthdays, themed events, distinct occasions, dance/pageant competitions, and holidays.

Favorite items

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

Our Military Sparkle 3-inch Mini Top Hat is a best seller. We offer it in about 10 color choices, with two trim colors (silver and gold), two finishes (shiny and matte), and about 10 ways to wear it (alligator clip(s), elastic, or hard headband). Once complete, it is one of a kind!

My favorite is too difficult to decide as they are each a little piece of art for your head. Some notable designs would be the Popcorn Box Mini Hat, the Artist Palette Fascinator, the Equestrian Mini Top Hat, or the Peacock Top Hat. The popcorn box was a special request from a customer for a vendor convention. It has now found its way into other themed parties, like movie, circus, and theater events.

The Artist Palette is a favorite of mine as a nod to my spirit self, who is currently painting on the banks of the Seine River in Paris, France.

Our Equestrian Mini Top Hat is for my mother, who was one of the top horseback riding instructors in the USA before she passed way too soon. She would have loved this hat and worn it often.

The Peacock Mini Top Hat is my creative side let loose without the strains of a monetary budget. This design is one that I let myself just create after looking at our available stock.

There are more, but I’ll stop there for now.

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?

It's been a while since I opened my Etsy shop, and unfortunately, I don’t remember how long it took. I don’t remember it taking too long, thankfully. Great customer service is how I attract customers. I work very hard at quick communication with potential customers. I word emails so they feel they can continue to ask questions. I'd rather answer a ton of questions to increase the possibility of a great sale and a satisfied customer than limit questions and have to deal with the reverse. I don’t have many cases filed against me, and 99% of the time, if someone is unhappy, they did not read the descriptions; mine are detailed, or they did not ask me any questions. These are phone shoppers who see it, click it, and expect it to show up two days later. We are not Amazon, and we do not list ourselves with them for that reason.

I have a good number of return customers, thankfully, and I find the 10% coupon for return customers works well. Especially after they know my work. Finally, I make sure to use all the tags I can think of to draw in the buyer. Anytime someone types ``mini hat," my products come up in the search. So that helps. Once they come to the shop and read a little, I usually have them My prices are decent, and I have little competition.

Managing BoopiesCloset

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?

It is usually only me, but during the busy season (August–October), I do have help. I am a perfectionist, like many artists, so it's difficult to find the same level of perfection in others, even in something as simple as packaging.

Packaging and shipping: I think of everything about the customer experience from start to finish, and opening the package is one of the last first impressions you’ll get to make. People who don't share that passion or where it's not their own business don’t care about an even fold or purposely placing the stickers. They just do it and move on to the next one to "get it done." I have a love/hate relationship with my busy season because I must use help as I can’t be everywhere. Control freak? Yes, a bit.

Tools and apps:  My tools are my imagination, hands, and design experience. I don’t use apps per se, but I do use social media for posting listings and links.

Fulfillment: normally I will sit down to complete a specific number of orders at once and then move to package those same orders for shipping, and so on. I plan the production schedule to stay within the ship-by dates. I work six days a week, off Sundays, and on Mondays I make the production schedule so I can flag if there will be a production or shipping issue to deal with and make the adjustment as needed.

The future of BoopiesCloset

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

Developing new designs keeps me happy. I love the design part, but manufacturing gets tiring at times. Once, when I was doing tutus, I had an order every day for the same design—for a month! I got so tired of making it that I gave it a huge price increase, but that did not stop the orders from coming in, so I had to give the listing a break for a while to rest and re-spark my desire to make it. Sometimes the products need to be rotated to keep the listings fresh, and other times it needs to be done to keep the artists fresh! Currently, I am updating our offsite website to expand our reach, and I am developing a full-size hat and fascinator product line for adults. Similar to those worn at the Kentucky Derby, large themed extravagant creations for the head!

Advice for new sellers

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

Make your bed every day. Get dressed and start as a professional! Make a space to conduct only business and set boundaries for your family. If you have small children, you must plan a schedule and stick to it!

Never stop learning. Absorb as much information as you can about your business, Etsy, the internet, the industry, your competition, other sellers, the professionals you work with, etc. but use only what you need. Don’t get bogged down with others' negative energies or experiences. Those are theirs, not yours. Chart your own course. Take regular long-term looks at your short-term and long-term goals.

Know your worth and pricing structures! Make sure, as an artist, you are paying yourself and not giving anything away. Those who want the cheapest products are not your customers, and great customers may take more time and effort on your part to find.

Do the work! Keep moving the cheese! (Great book, a must read... Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD If you do that, eventually the high and low fluctuations of small business won't impact you as much, and the lows will be wonderful opportunities to take the time to analyze, develop, and create!

Get your photography up to speed! Great pictures are required when selling online! It's all the customer has to base the purchase on.

Lastly, use social media! Find your creative side in this medium, and you will draw in customers.