Paper 'n Stitch is an online exhibition space for talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods and independent boutiques. Following is an interview with the creators of Paper 'n Stitch, Brittni and Jeff.
Who is behind Paper 'n Stitch?
Papernstitch is run by me (Brittni) and my fiance Jeff. I am an artist and art teacher, and Jeff is a designer. I run the site day to day, corresponding with our exhibtiors, answering emails, curating the exhibitions, taking care of the blog, etc.
Jeff, the other half of papernstitch and all-around talented designer, built the site from scratch and handles all the technical stuff (new site features, updates, etc). Before papernstitch, I also ran an online magazine called CREATEjacksonville (RIP) which I started in 2006, which featured artists and makers in the surrounding Jacksonville area (where we currently live).
Why was Paper 'n Stitch created?
In addition to wanting to collaborate on a project together, there was another, more important reason why the site was created. As an artist myself, I felt like I was always struggling to get my work seen, but just didn’t have the means to do so. I had a website and a shop, but needed an extra boost. I thought, if I was having trouble, there most be others with the same issue. And that is how papernstitch came to fruition.
Who can register at Paper 'n Stitch?
Tell me a little about the submission process and what you are looking for? Anyone can register for the site. We have made it super easy to sign up. You create a username, password, and enter your email adress, click submit and you are done! No waiting for email confirmations.
Once you are registered you can submit your own shop(s) and comment on other exhibitors products, etc. The submission process is pretty painless. We wanted to make it as easy as possible. Once a shop is submitted through the site, potential exhibitors can check their status through the admin tool on their profile homepage, and will receive an email 1-3 days from the submission date to let them know one way or the other.
I spend a lot of time looking over submissions. Yes, I do actually look at every product in each submiters shop. We are first and foremost always looking for high-quality work with originality. Other considerations include product appeal, photographs and styling of images, and design aesthetic. We encourage potential exhibitors to browse the site before submitting to see if their work would be a good fit.
How can Paper 'n Stitch help handmade artisans?
The most obvious thing is exposure. Our loyal visitors know that we carefully hand-select our exhibitors, and are always excited to find new shops and products to drool over. Customers can easily access our exhibitors at the click of a button, and don't have to worry about weeding through Etsy, Dawanda, Artfire to find the what they are looking for: quality, stylish goods.
There is also the domino effect...Many of our exhibitors may start with us having very few sales (less than 20) before being on papernstitch, and then are mentioned on sites and blogs, receiving wholesale orders, and magazine mentions as a result of being on the papernstitch site. Before you know it, they are making multiple sales each day. Of course this doesn't happen with every exhibitor, but it does happen a lot. And that's why we are still around: it works.
Read testimonials and press mentions here.
What are the fees for promoting ones work at Paper 'n Stitch?
We want our exhibitors to keep as much money in their pocket as possible, so we do not charge a commission on any works that are sold as a result of the exhibition. Instead, we charge a small fee for each exhibition for exhibitors, which helps to pay for advertising papernstitch on other major sites (in turn driving more traffic to the site and to seller's products). Currently, the monthly fee is $45 for new exhibitors and returning exhibitors pay just $35 per exhibition. Payment is not made until after your shop is accepted, and you can stop at anytime.
What advantages does Paper 'n Stitch offer over similar promotional venues?
Something that was very important to us from the launch of the site in October of 2008 was making a well-designed, easy to use site that focused on great products. And that is certainly one of our advantages: the site is super easy to use and fast to set up an account. We have an Etsy import feature that allows exhibitors to directly import products into their papernstitch storefront in seconds. We offer more features than other sites, at the lowest price possible.
We cover all bases and are constantly growing... Papernstitch has a design blog that is used to cross promote exhibitors as well as outside sources of great design and other handmade notions; and it has quickly gained readership of close to 1,000 subscribers in less than a year. We send out weekly/ bi-weekly mailers to our steady base of more than 2,500 email subscribers. Site traffic is continually growing, with over 120,000 pageviews per month. And most importantly, we personally work with our exhibitors and communicate with them through email (sometimes even by phone) frequently. I, personally, don't want anyone to feel like they are just a number or we are too busy to help them individually. I would never want to be treated that way, and I keep that mentality with our business. I am not unreachable and am always here to help however I can.
I feel just as much a part of the handmade community as an artist as I do as a business person. Because of this, Jeff and I came up with a way to give back to those that support us by offering a cash prize EVERY month to the two highest rated shops on the site. We both love contests! Who doesn't? Anyone who visits the site can cast a vote (little heart at the top left of each storefront) for as many exhibitors as they would like, and at the end of the exhibition, first and second place are awarded $150 and $50 respectively, in addition to securing a free spot in the next month's exhibition. This has been very successful so far and we will happily continue to do this.
How can sellers use Paper 'n Stitch as a promotional tool?
We provide a clean and professional looking storefront with not only individual storefronts, but also individual pages linking to products. That means that things are easy to find, bookmark, and come back to, etc. But it is more than that...
There is a social aspect to the site as well. Anyone can comment on an exhibitor's products to start a dialogue and also have the ability to heart someone's shop if they like it (which casts a vote for that exhibitor to win the cash prize). We have a built-in readership of visitors and exhibitors are able to take full advantage of that.
What tools do you provide to buyers to make shopping easier?
Every day we highlight one new shop at the top of the site that we call the Shop of the Day. This helps showcase sellers in a more individual way, to make shops even easier for buyers to find. We have a product filtering system, where buyers can shop by category or color, or both if looking for something specific. And my favorite tool is something we call Friend Favs, which is a monthly guest curator spot from a different person in the design/ handmade community. In the past we have had Erin of Design for Mankind, Marichele of Heart Handmade, Amy of Pikaland, and this month is Ez of Creature Comforts. Each guest curator is asked to select their top twenty products from the site in any categories, and those twenty products are then featured right here. It's like having your favorite blogger as a personal shopper.
In what ways are you advertising to bring in buyers?
In the past, we have advertised on blogs and sites like Decor8, Creature Comforts, Design for Mankind, Indie Quarter, etc. And we will continue to do this, but in the coming months we will also be focusing on the possibility of print ads. In addition to this, we receive a lot of referrals from blogs and sites that write about our exhibitors and link to us. We would not be anywhere near successful as we are without the help and support from the handmade community, so a HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who has shown us love.
What are your plans for the future expansion of Paper 'n Stitch?
Well, we have a lot on our plates right now, considering we both have day jobs in addition to the site and are getting married in less than two months. But we have BIG plans for the site that will begin kicking off mid August. Starting later this summer, I will be leaving my day job to dedicate myself to papernstitch full-time and we will hit the ground running. I don't want to give too much away because then it wouldn't be a surprise (I love surprises). But we are always looking to the future, and I can promise that you can expect more great things from us very soon!
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