Do you know what day it is? Etsyversary

It's July 13th, 2011. Nope, it's not my birthday. It's my ETSYversary. Today, 4 years ago, I started my shop on Etsy. At the time I was really depressed because I didn't have a place to sell my dolls and doll clothes. Dollmaking was a hobby and I made dolls for friends and family - and gave them away. But once all the nieces and nephews had what they needed overcrowding became a bit of an issue...

I felt so lucky when I first discovered Etsy. A mom at my daughter's preschool told me about Etsy. Like me she was also a doll maker and struggling artist. She made different kind of dolls: Art dolls for collectors. But our plight was the same. If you live in a small US city in the middle nowhere - how do you find people who value your art?

I instantly loved the simple format of Etsy! When I first joined found myself rushing over to the computer each morning to check what had happened. Like a teenager in love. Wow, I had a sale! I'll never forget that morning when I woke up and someone had bought over half of my store: 33 items and paid a total of $850. Finally I could afford a good sewing machine...Unfortunately this never happened again. But I am happy to report that since I started I have had 1265 sales. I got nearly 1000 Feedback reports. Impressive, no?

I love the Shop Stats feature Etsy put on the site a while ago. It neatly shows you all the numbers in a graph. It's also a close reflection of what is going on with the economy. Not that I am an economist. Lucky me! Starting a business in the middle of a recession... Who has money for handmade dolls clothes and dolls when people (including myself) need to put food on the table for the family? But considering all of that - I have not done all that badly, and I am proud of my little business and my creations!

Here I am just another immigrant living the American Dream. Maybe one day I will make it and my little business will take off and provide our family with an income one can actually live on. I thank Etsy for helping me get a little bit closer to that dream...