BESTeam Feature Blog for May 20, 2012 : Featuring Danielle Saletzky and her shop Chicky D’s.
The Boosting Etsy Shops Team's goal is to offer support
and promotion of one another's Etsy shops primarily through our
personal Blogs, and also through our Twitter Accounts and Facebook Fan pages.
Commitment to this common goal is what makes our team the BEST!
and promotion of one another's Etsy shops primarily through our
personal Blogs, and also through our Twitter Accounts and Facebook Fan pages.
Commitment to this common goal is what makes our team the BEST!
Danielle Saletzky’s off line base is Peru, Illinois, USA and she has been operating two Etsy shops - one concentrating on vintage photography and ChickyD's which specialises in decorative items for personal and home adornment. She holds down a full time graphics design job as well, so I was very grateful that Danielle felt able to answer some questions with which I’ve been able to craft this post.
Your Profile indicates that ChickyD's was something of an afterthought in your business activites originally. Is that still the case?
The initial start of Chicky D's came completely by chance. I wasn't setting out to start a second Etsy shop at all, but once I got going and began learning more and more styles of accessories it was no longer an afterthought, but rather my main focus.
Do you propose to continue both enterprises indefinitely - as well as your "day-job", or will one ultimately take over?
I've basically phased out promoting my first shop, Danizabeth. While I am still passionate about the photographs I captured, the success I have seen with Chicky D's has made me put the focus on that shop. There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to put forth as much energy as both shops deserve.
The Shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/ChickyD’s currently offers 77 separate items - divided into six different decorative areas: among them are:
Boutique Bows
Loopy Bows
- and on a slightly larger decorative stage, pillows.
While visiting the shop, you’ll notice I became rather fixated with the colour Pink - not a normal colour in my pallette but caused by the items that caught my eye particularly.
How to you divide your time between the three different lifestyles - and cope with home life too?
I started Chicky D's during a time in my life where I was needing an outlet to cope. It filled a void that I was needing and since then my professional and personal life has changed for the better. Because of this, I do find it a struggle to dedicate as much time as I used to. I think the best advice I could give, and one that I am still working at, is to set aside a specific time for your hobby or craft. It will give you something to look forward to - and also hold you accountable.
Do you have any difficulty obtaining the raw materials for your pillows, ribbons and accessories - and are there any particular difficulties you encounter during your business activities?a
Any difficulty in obtaining material would come about from custom orders and I have been able to still fullfil the orders. The town I am in is not a large city with several retail options at my disposal - so sometimes extra planning and trips to bigger cities are necessary to create certain products.
Where do you hope to see ChickyD's in, say, 5 years' time?
I hope that in the future I am still seeing success with Chicky D's. Ideally, I would like to have a specialty item figured out by then.
Do you have any particular favourite materials with which you like to work?
For my shop grosgrain ribbon has been the most useful and best for me to work with. Recently, in my personal crafting adventures I have become obsessed with burlap. It seems to be somewhat trendy right now and fits with the decor I'm trying to transform my space into.
My thanks to Danielle - both for her help in creating this post for me, and for the experience in visiting her shop. Why don’t you follow me in and see for yourself the beautiful decorations on offer? You will not be disappointed.
Her shop can be found at www.Etsy.com/shop/ChickyDs.
This forms part of my commitment to the BESTeam - where we undertake to feature members' Shops. It's a great way to promote our products and we'd love to be able to do the same for anyone else who'd like to come and join us! We're a great bunch! Why not call in and find out for yourselves?
