Etsy Seller Interview with Alison of TreasuredTapestries

How TreasuredTapestries 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?

Treasured Tapestries is a specialty shop that sells most completed tapestries. I do have a small number of blank canvases and some partially completed tapestries.
When we moved to France, tapestries were on every other stall at Vide Greniers (Car Boot Sales or Yard Sales ). There is such a wide range of subjects, and they are mostly beautifully executed, that we thought that they would benefit from being made available to a global audience, which is why I opened my Etsy shop.

Favorite items

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

It is quite difficult to have a favorite item as, despite being made from kits, they are all slightly different depending on the skill and care taken by the person who has completed the tapestry. We get a lot of Breton Men and Women canvases, usually in pairs.  The ones that stand out most are the ones that depict phoenixes; they are quite rare, usually completed in bright colors, and they are very striking.

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?

We had to wait before launching the shop so that we had a decent stock to give people a good choice of canvases. Probably 90% of the tapestries we buy have been framed so that they can be hung on a wall. We removed them from the frames and then the mounting board so that they are ready for the buyer to remount and frame to suit their house decor; however, not all of them are displayed like this. We have sold a number to people who use them for upholstery or to make bags.
From memory, the first sale came reasonably quickly following the launch and has continued ever since. The pandemic saw an almost complete lack of Vide Greniers, and we have had to look to other sources to maintain our stock of tapestries. Before the pandemic, we had around 400 tapestries; this dipped to under 200, but we are building our stock back up towards 300.
As well as tapestries, we also have a small selection of cross stitches.

Managing TreasuredTapestries

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?

Most of the work is done by myself, although my husband helps with the buying and preparation of the tapestries.
Once prepared, each tapestry is pressed, photographed, and given a SKU number. Our stock is currently at 267 tapestries.

The future of TreasuredTapestries

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

We want to build our stock level back up to 400 items. What was previously our main source, Vide Greniers, haven’t fully returned after the pandemic, however, there are growing numbers of Depot Ventes (Thrift stores) and this is allowing us to slowly build our stock level but it is taking longer than we hoped.

Advice for new sellers

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

For anyone thinking of starting a new shop in a niche market, do your research to make sure that the market exists, and if, like me, you are buying a product to resell, make sure that you will be able to keep buying your niche item. Other than that, you need to believe in your product and have patience; sales will come.