Etsy Seller Interview with Mandy-Jane of TheFoundAttic

How TheFoundAttic 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?

I opened my Etsy shop in 2012 while I was in college, initially selling handmade bags I made in my free time as a creative outlet. My grandmother used to sew and had an entire room full of fabric, so I would raid this for fun vintage prints. After a couple months, I realised I could also sell vintage items I had purchased for myself but didn’t fit. My mom then asked if I could sell some clothes from her youth that she had held onto. This slowly expanded to me intentionally purchasing items for resale, but it wasn’t until 2016 that I grew my shop to its current size of about 250 items. I like to rescue articles of clothing that just need a little love (stain treatment, seam repair), though a lot of the items I have for sale are things I just thought were neat in some way and that I wanted to get into the hands of someone who would love them.

Favorite items

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

As a vintage item seller who primarily stocks unique items, it can be difficult to narrow down my favourites. However, of the items I currently have in stock, I think it would be this embroidered dress, this plaid dress, and this piece a friend of mine printed on (she carves her own designs and hand prints everything):

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 happened 12 days after I opened my shop; it was a bandana! I’d found a classic bandana print fabric in my grandmother’s stash and finished the edges. As far as attracting customers, I try to take good-quality photos and stock my shop with interesting items. I post new items to my shop’s Pinterest page and have dabbled with Instagram, but I don’t post to Instagram regularly enough for it to pull in customers (I’m hoping to get better about this). I’m currently in the process of refreshing my shop, both in terms of inventory and branding, and I’m hoping to even have a new shop name soon.

Managing TheFoundAttic

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?

I handle the majority of operations regarding my shop, but I’m lucky enough to have a mom who is willing to help me out. I sell a lot of things for her, and in exchange, she houses my inventory (in my childhood bedroom) and ships things for me. I don’t currently use any other tools to run my store, as I’ve primarily simultaneously worked a full-time job alongside it and haven’t had the time to try to grow, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to look into more.

The future of TheFoundAttic

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

A long-term goal is to one day open a physical location and turn this into a full-time operation. In the immediate future, I’m primarily looking to hone in on my "brand" and create a memorable space that people want to return to. Part of this will hopefully include streamlining my listing descriptions to make them easier to navigate for potential customers (i.e., making measurements easier to read), and I’m also hoping to more effectively use social media to help market my items.

Advice for new sellers

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

My biggest piece of advice would be to stock your shop with things you love. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try to find your niche, but I think a shop owner’s passion comes through and attracts prospective buyers. However, don’t get discouraged if sales aren’t there to begin with; it can take time to grow your customer base.