January 6, 2025 will be my 19th Etsy-versary! (Oh friends, that date is not lost on me.) However, long before 2005, when my friend, Heidi, casually mentioned to me, “Have you heard about this new handmade selling platform called Etsy?”, that date had major significance to me. It was the date in 1990 when I married my first husband, Mik, in Santa Fe. It’s Three Kings Day. Epiphany. Anniversary. Etsy-versary.
The shop Montclair Made was created on January 6, 2010, but my first Etsy shop was named after my brick and mortar shop at the time, Copabananas, and was created on January 6, 2006.
OG Etsy sellers like myself remember the interactive and creative features of baby-Etsy like Treasury, Treasury West, Pounce, Shop Local, Street Teams, the Forum, Etsy Studio, Etsy Wholesale…if you know, you know.
I taught plarn making (yarn made from plastic bags) at an Etsy Labs Craft Night in April of 2010 at Etsy HQ in Brooklyn. The accompanying blog post can still be found here.
It’s been a long journey filled with joy and frustration. The platform has changed so much over the years. So many times I threatened to quit over changes they made, “fixing things that weren’t broken”, and increasing fees while reducing search visibility. Despite that, I stayed on the rollercoaster ride called Etsy.
The early friendships I forged with other sellers shaped my brand and guided my artistic journey. And I’m grateful for every sale I make there, each one an opportunity to make a connection through my products that I may not otherwise have made without Etsy.
To celebrate 19 years on Etsy I’m offering 19% off, starting Monday, 1/6/25. The sale runs for a week.
With much appreciation!- Claire