Monday, June 7, 2021

Shop Reopening: In the Cards

It's finally happened; after one year and nearly three months, I've reopened my Etsy shop!  Now that I've been vaccinated and am freer to move about the cabin, I feel comfortable returning to the post office.  It's funny how being offline so long has given me a fresh perspective.  Kind of like that Daria episode where Mr. O'Neil assigns Daria a creative writing story about anything and she gets so stuck by the possibilities that he has to provide the parameter of a game of cards.  Only then is she able to spin a tale set fifteen or so years in the future where she's a renowned columnist "waking up the world" and her sister Quinn is married with kids.  So, I assigned myself my own game of cards.  Instead of just clicking renew for each item in my shop, I stopped and said, does my shop really need all this stuff?  I spent last week picking the best of the best, paring my listings down from six hundred plus to a lean, mean two hundred and twenty-six.  Working with a smaller pool of items meant that I could take the time to edit each one, tweaking pics, correcting grammatical errors (the horror!), and trying to make them look and sound all around more exciting.  And you know what?  I think I succeeded!  

The recently rephotographed and gauchely glam (glamly guache?) Lady, You're a Lion Necklace

It feels good to be live on Etsy again.  I even saw that one of my barrettes was in somebody's cart!  I know this doesn't mean that the person will buy it (who among us hasn't filled a virtual cart full of [to make another Daria reference] "doo-dads and things" only to jettison it all for a Psychic Friends call or the gas bill?), but it was still thrilling.  As if I'd said, hey, world, I'm back! and somewhere out there someone listened.    

I know you already know this, but this Tote Trove thing is my labor of love.  Maybe that's weird coming from a woman who's never had children.  But even if I'm not a mother like Quinn, in my own small way, I'm making a difference.   

Like Daria.  Only without the glasses.

9 comments:

Evi Erlinda said...

Hi Tracy, congratulations on reopening your shop!
Good luck and best wishes to you!

Samantha said...

Congratulations on being live on Etsy again!!! How exciting, after so long! ❤️ I love the photo of the shipping goodies; I can instantly recognize it as the style of The Tote Trove! That's great that you organized your shop and the "Lady, You're a Lion Necklace" is amazing! Your accessories definitely make a difference; your brooches have added instant colorful glam to some of my outfits! 😃

bread&salt said...

Dear friend! Glad to hear you vaccinated and reopened your Etsy shop. Bye the way, Lion Necklace looks cute, beautiful.

ellie said...

Awesome! I am happy you are open for business. Great to hear. Love the Daria references too. All the best to those trips to the post office.

Ivy's Closet said...

Sounds exciting! But I'm sure it's a little strange at first too. All the best to your shop! & more.

Caitlin'nMegan said...

It's a whole new world! Loved the post. All the best to moving forward!

Kathy Leonia said...

i do not use Etsy:D but it curious me;)

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

The post office has been a scary place and I have at least one friend who stood online for 20 minutes inside and links it to a possible cause of his case of Covid. (this was 6 months ago pre-vaccines). Anyway I still kept my new cookbook sales during Covid and sacrificed my husband to the post office to mail out my books which was only crowded twice and luckily he was ok. Congrats on getting back to Etsy..

Jewel Divas Style said...

Very cool necklace, though. Whoever buys it will be very stylish.