Well, as of today I am no longer a full-time etsy seller. My flapper doodle sales have been on a steady decline for the last several months, and no amount of frantic title tweaking, advertising budget increases or new product releases seem to have made any difference. I'm still trying to keep things afloat, but I also faced the inevitable and decided to apply for a real job.
And yesterday I got the call that I was hired, by my favorite local ice cream parlor! I think it's a perfect fit for me, and I'm really excited about working there. It's a part time job so I can still maintain my (albeit floundering) shop. It'll be so nice not to have to worry about my loss of income and I really think it's a job that I'll enjoy. Flapper Doodle will remain open (as long as my sales are still trickling in, I suppose!) as will Sweet and Lovely. The only obvious change will be that I'll probably have more interesting things to blog about than the weather and my tv viewing habits ;)
I was really lucky to have had a successful etsy shop for as long as I did -- I can't even express how thankful I am that I was able to work from home the entire time that I had Hypatia, since it enabled me to spend so much time with her. She was a special needs cat and needed a guardian who could care for her constantly, and I'm so grateful that I was able to do that. I treasure every single second I had with her, and thanks to Flapper Doodle I had so many more seconds than I would have had if I had to leave for work each day.
I'm incredibly sad that Flapper Doodle is losing steam and that reviving it seems to be out of my control, but I'm also very excited about this new chapter in my life! I've been self employed (before etsy I sold my art at outdoor street fairs full time) for ten years so this is going to be quite an adventure! But I'm really looking forward to hopefully making some new friends and having some wonderful new experiences! I'm also a teeny bit scared since my decade of self-employment has turned me into a bit of a reclusive hermit but maybe this was just what I needed to come out of my shell :)
cardigan - forever 21 | shoes -asos (similar) | belt - h&m
