Kathy Alexander, a longtime member of the Guild and seasoned Etsy seller, has been knitting & crocheting since she was ten years old. She got curious after watching her mother knit, decided to try it, and hasn’t looked back since!
She first started selling her sweaters at work – after seeing the sweaters she had made for her grandkids, her coworkers started placing their own special orders. After that, she started selling her sweaters at craft shows. To reach even more customers, she opened up an Etsy shop – back in 2009, in Etsy’s infancy!
Kathy loves selling on Etsy because she connects with people all over the world. She even sold sweaters to Universal Studios! Her advice for those considering selling on Etsy? “Give it a try – you never know how you’re going to do.”
She recommends Etsy over Ebay because Etsy is less expensive and has a more targeted community of users – users that are looking for quality handmade items, rather than trying to score a deal.
Although she loves selling online, she wouldn’t give up selling at local shows for anything. Kathy’s favorite thing about shows is that she can reconnect with the friends she makes over the years. She does both summer and fall shows. Her biggest piece of advice for crafters doing shows across different seasons is to offer seasonal items, rather than the same products throughout the year. For example,
Kathy sells mostly sweaters during her fall shows, but makes tote bags, baby sweaters, and rugs for her summer shows.
If you’re interested in seeing more of Kathy’s work, check out her Etsy shop, or visit her booth at the Erie Guild of Craftsmen Fall Show!