Spotlight on...

shopsouthernyankee Fresh - Vintage - Handmade

1. Tell me a little about yourself! What inspired you to open an ETSY shop and what is your business?
It all started years and years ago. My grandmother, Inez, learned to sew at a very young age. She then taught my mom, Nancy, when she was little. And then when I was about 10 or so, my mom taught me! Over the years, I have had many, many "businesses". I had my own clothing line, which I "sold" to my friends, a jewelry line "Junk to Jewels by Jen" clever right?? A nail salon out of my dorm room at Texas Tech (actually this one was profitable!) I was a Fashion Design student, so I could put my sewing & creative talents to work.

So after graduation, I moved to NYC. It was Christmas of 1998 that this latest business took off! I had recently married (the Yankee), and wanted to do something fun and cute as our "first Christmas card." The response to my card was overwhelming and a coworker even urged me to sell them! A friend (a fellow ZTA alum) was opening a stationery store in New York City, and agreed to let me use her as my "test market." And so I kept busy creating new and exciting handmade cards. And I haven't stopped since!
The rest is history.

2. What ETSY team(s) are you a part of?
The Etsy Tristate Area Team, Connecticut & Fairfield County Connecticut Etsians

3. When did you begin your business?
1999

4. What inspires you to create?
Anything & everything... and of course VINTAGE!

5. What do you envision your business in the next five years?
Would love my website to be the main stay...

6. What is the best business advice you have ever received?
Go for it!

7. What are three of your favorite ETSY shops?
Vintageinbloom, Clothandpatina & Backhomeagain

8. What is something that you tried crafting, that turned out to be a disaster?
Tablecloth skirts.. did NOT look cute :-)

9. What are three things that few people know about you?
Hhhmmm that's a tough one...I laugh when I am nervous, I hate coffee flavored icecream (but LOVE coffee!) and i thought I was going to be a super model when I grew up!

10. Check out this fabulous seller at:
shopsouthernyankee (www.etsy.com/shop/shopsouthernyankee),
FB is Southern Yankee, LLC (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Yankee-LLC/317381739411)
Twitter is Southrnyankee

Thank you so much!!!!!

Enjoy ;)