One Little Decade of Etsy!
A Wholesome Origin Story on this Small Business Saturday
Ten Years ago I Started an Etsy Shop
I was 20 years old, fresh into my junior year at art school in Savannah. It was either a Thursday or a Friday and I was driving down the Harry S. Truman Parkway after an early morning Bible Study that I led for Young Life high-schoolers. I would zip up and down this local parkway a few times a week, letting my mind wander with random ideas as I mindlessly made my route in my 2009 Toyota RAV4 (rip). This particular morning the word “Small” kept popping into my head.
One Small Car Thought
I can’t recall the full thought-path… but I was simmering on ideas of a shop of my own. A little online store to sell things I make with the word “Small” incorporated in it. I genuinely think it was a God-inspired thing… like idea of my life being small and humble or something along those lines. I really think I wrote a blog post about it in my college blog days (if you were an OG subscriber- what a lucky duck you were!), but I can’t track it down. I wish I had a thoughtful explanation for my business name.. but all I can confidently say is that it was a subtle nod to my desire to live a simple life that honored God, while having a *small* shop. 10 years later and I’m relieved to say I still want these things. To quote my Instagram post:
“I named the shop “The Small Creative” because I wanted a small shop, and “The Small Shop” was already taken. And all you suckers think I chose my business name because I’m 5ft tall!!”
As an Illustration major, I hadn’t considered any entrepreneurial paths for my post-grad. I thought you went to art school to get an art job. The last time I had dreamed of a business of my own was when I was in 6th grade gym class. We would spend every day walking around the school track, and my only friend in that class was a girl from India who would kindly listen to me rattle off about my dreams of having a store of my own called Alliworks. Alliworks (insert trademark here) would be a brick-and-mortar shop full of all the random things I enjoyed making in middle school- skinny kitted scarves, bottle cap necklaces, bouncy ball earrings, paintings of smiley faces- just to name a few. Don’t worry folks, there will be justice for Alliworks one of these days and she’ll get her own newsletter.
Anyways! As all successful business foundations are laid, I made an Instagram account.
The Etsy shop followed. At the time I was having a kick of making hand-bound journals from recycled papers. I also was ordering prints of my school projects and selling tiny prints. Really nice friends (screenshot shown below) provided my first three orders.
Consider me endeared! Anyway, I continued my Junior year, and that little shop was just hanging out on the internet. I still thought I would get an art job once I finished art school. To wrap this origin story up, it wasn’t until winter of my senior year when I realized I was going to at least try the freelancer thing. Four years, a few part-time jobs, some craft markets, and lots of custom portraits later… and I reached the point in 2019 where I could finally do art full-time.
Currently
Now I can’t imagine doing anything else. I LOVE working for myself. Is it dicey for my nervous system sometimes? Of course. Do I feel purpose and joy doing what I do? Yes! What a gift. What a journey. I have so many thoughts on being a small business artist girly, but for now I just want to bask in gratitude for 10 years of this small shop that’s all my own. 6th grade Allison on the track (+ really nice Indian girl) would be so proud.
Etsy is only a portion of what my livelihood has evolved to- there’s also corners of my business that involve original paintings, wholesale, murals, commissions, puzzles, licensing… But Etsy will always be my starting block for this whole situation. And on this 10 year lap of Etsy-dom, I can now proudly say it makes up a good chunk of my monthly income! Wild stuff.
Insert Small Biz Saturday Plug
I’ve been so grateful for all the Etsy love I have received so far this gift-giving season!! Wanted to take this Small Business Saturday to let you know that every time you order something from my Etsy, I get a little sale notification on my phone and I grin. Even when inflation gets ugly and I start sweating a little on the financial side, God has really met my needs and has taken care of my little business. Every purchase literally helps me buy groceries, pay rent, give back, pay for my health insurance… It doesn’t go unnoticed!
Supporting any Small Business today is so fun!!! Most small businesses make 40% of their yearly income during this season. The materialistic, chaotic nature of the season is a bummer… but if you need to put things under the tree, why not buy from someone who is supporting themselves and their families with the creativity of their hands? There’s a human story behind every small business, and maybe sharing a story can help us slow down a little in these overstimulating times.
Below are some new prints I have on my Etsy these days, just in time for my anniversary sale! We’re offering 10% off all purchases, and 25% off if you spend more than $100.
10 years wow! So I guess 1/3 of my life has been spent on this Etsy Shop. Also to add to the origin story factoids: my sister called me out for forgetting to mention that during our family beach vacation in summer of 2014, I read “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Etsy” from cover to cover. This was indeed before TikTok could teach me how to Etsy. Never forget where you came from.
Whenever you hang art on your walls, you are making it a part of your life and your home. I am so honored so many of you have chosen to look at my art every day and make it a small part of your life. My pieces are made from my love for friendship, joy, and peace. I want people to feel a sense of comfort when engaging with my work. Life is beautiful, simple and deep- and goofy. Lean into what’s real while remembering not to take yourself too seriously. That’s the foundation of this Small Creative thing. Thanks for tuning in!
- Allison “Alliworks” Hall
<3 love this Allison! So fun (and inspiring!) to read your story and journey adn CONGRATS on a decade of sticking with it and honoring your artist heart ;) Thanks for sharing!