Etsy Seller Interview with Ariane of lfrMaterialshop

How lfrMaterialshop 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?

My husband and I used to work on international film productions, but with a newly born family member, that was no longer possible. 14 hours a day, seven days a week, is not uncommon on big productions; that leaves no room for a baby. So I started doing what I've always loved—sewing. Cushions with names, rattles, and nursery bags with retro motifs I was lucky: in Berlin, my hometown, I quickly found a few shops that wanted my items in their assortment, and so things grew quickly. After about two years, my husband joined me, and when Etsy appeared on the scene, we thought, Finally! 

Finally, a platform that brings together small but creative brands. Of course, we joined immediately!

Favorite items

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

My favourite articles? All of them! I've always had only one rule: I only do what I feel like doing and what I would buy myself. I think that's what Etsy is all about: the love in things. But I guess you'd like it to be a bit more concrete, so here's a project from the heart.  I always have a strawberry tag on my kindergarten bags. Everything I offer is made in Berlin, except this strawberry. It's from Bangladesh.

I've been working for over 15 years with an NGO that trains women there to become seamstresses. The strawberry is part of the training. I pay them fair wages and donate to them for every bag sold. My husband has visited the project twice. What impressed him the most: How much self-confidence the women get from their training. Financial security is very, very important! A livelihood. But that there can be dignity in a small cloth pendant—who would have thought that?

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?

Well, I can only repeat myself: I have always been lucky that my products are well received. We had our very first sale on Etsy practically immediately after posting the item, and we celebrated it very much. It's always an adventure to start on a completely new platform and see what happens. Does it work here too? Etsy is much more international than our Berlin shops. But yes, it works. And suddenly we have great conversations with friendly people in Finland, Australia, and Ecuador. How great is that? Etsy has made us more international than we could ever have dreamed.

What are we doing today? What we have always done is sew with love. And of course, we use all the tools that Etsy makes available to us. But I don't have a special marketing strategy or an insider tip. Just the one: If you are friendly, your customers will be too. We are always happy about this nice exchange. That's neither rocket science nor an insider tip. But it works for us.

Managing lfrMaterialshop

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 have a small shop in Berlin, and, as it is in the 21st century, we are also represented on other platforms. We use software (Plenty Markets) that distributes our items on different platforms and centralises all orders. That's a great labour saver.

Our team strength has been fluctuating a lot lately. The pandemic and inflation, as well as the terrible war in Ukraine, are all factors that naturally influence a business. At the moment, I'm working alone. Maybe someone will join us again sometime. We will see!

The future of lfrMaterialshop

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

Goals? Hmmm ...  I have started to produce items that I find really beautiful. This was and is my goal. Maybe la fraise rouge will grow, or maybe it will stay as it is. Over time, I have heard such beautiful and sometimes sad stories about what a cushion means to people. A music box or a bag. How it helps or inspires others. What could I add to that?

Advice for new sellers

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

Don't forget why you started. When I started sewing, I didn't think, This will be my business! I loved to sew. I like beautiful fabrics, and the best feedback is children's shining eyes. I don't want to say that you can live off air and love. But to look back from time to time and check:

Is the love still there? 
Am I still doing what I wanted to do?

If the answer is yes, the rest will somehow find itself. (Even if this "somehow" can be hard work!)