What could you gain by teaming up with other Etsy businesses? A stronger sense of community, maybe, or a new platform for selling your products? These shop owners accomplished big things by partnering with other small-businesses in their area. Cooperatives, or co-ops, can take many forms, but ultimately they’re about like-minded people sharing their time and expertise to help each other accomplish their goals. Whether you dream of starting a vintage store where local thrifters can sell their finds or building a network of shop owners to lean on when you need support, you’ll be inspired by these stories of community efforts.
Team Up To Find More Time for Your Dreams
Rachel Aughtry imagined that one day she might sell her Rachel Elise line of handbags out of her home in Denton, Texas. Her retail dreams became a reality in the form of The DIME Store in downtown Denton where she sells her own line — and stocks handmade wares from close to 50 local makers. After meeting at the local art and produce market in 2010, Rachel and a handful of fellow Etsy sellers started the Etsy Denton team to keep in touch, now known as DIME (Denton Independent Maker Exchange).
The group began doing craft shows together and eventually organized their own selling events. While at a networking event for local makers, Rachel and her business partner Shelley Christner of decor shop Home Again, Home Again saw an opportunity. “There’s all this creative energy in Denton, but people are leaving left and right for Portland and Austin. We both thought it was time to open a space and create jobs for ourselves and our makers,” Rachel says.
Rachel and Shelley opened The DIME Store in April 2013 and stocked its shelves with locally made products purchased from individual makers on a wholesale or consignment basis. They use the DIME team as an outlet for updates about the store and a virtual gathering place for Etsy shop owners in the Denton area. In June 2014, feeling burned out from trying to keep up with their personal business goals while running a retail store, Rachel and Shelley decided to bring in some help. Who better to represent their brand than the artists whose work they had chosen to sell in the store? Now, five fellow Etsy sellers work shifts, meaning that Rachel can work at The DIME Store a few days a week and still have time to design and make bags for her own wholesale orders.
As co-op members, the sellers get a better consignment rate on sales of their own products in return for their time spent working at the shop. “Having people work in the store for free is obviously a winner for our business, but I wanted to make sure it was fair to everyone,” Rachel says. The co-op members can work on their own designs during downtime, giving customers an intimate peek into their process. They’ve also become more invested stakeholders in the business.
Pro Tip: Make new connections. Rachel got the opportunity to meet makers in her community through The DIME Store, but she realized one day that they didn’t know each other on a deeper level. Now, she hosts networking events at the store. “Next week we’re having a happy hour for our makers to talk to each other about their strategy for the holidays,” she says.
Get Out of the House (and Get the Word Out)
Brainstorming new product ideas, managing your shop, packaging and shipping orders — running your own business can be isolating. For a group of shop owners in Western Australia, working together to do occasional pop-up shops provides an opportunity to get out of the house, network with other makers and learn new business skills. The Montage Collective was formed in 2011 when a group of sellers active in the Etsy Forums found a retail space in Fremantle, Australia that was available for a few weeks. The first pop-up was such a success, the group and a rotating selection of guest artists continued to sell together when locations became available. They recently completed their ninth pop-up in the Northbridge neighborhood of Perth. Annie Rawle of Osmosis Designs, helps find spaces and coordinate the group’s efforts.
During the pop-up shops, which can run for a few weeks or a few months at a time, each of the 14 members takes a role in running the shop or promoting it via social media and on the Montage Collective blog. “Being in the shop gives you some sales as well as some promotion for your own label,” Annie says. “But it also teaches you how a shop works and all the things that go on behind the scenes.” In addition to gaining some retail experience, Annie appreciates the friendships with other shop owners that have formed through the group. “Friends who don’t have businesses don’t quite relate to the same problems,” she says. Through the collective, Annie’s met like-minded people she can bounce ideas off of.
Hosting their pop-up shops in visible parts of Perth has also turned Annie and the other collective members into ambassadors for handmade businesses across Australia — visibility that’s beneficial for everyone. “We do it partly to introduce more people to the idea of shopping handmade,” Annie says. “That everything we sell is made in Perth is quite a draw as well.”
Pro Tip: Thinking about hosting a group selling event? Make sure everyone’s sales are accounted for. Montage uses labels that include a code identifying the maker (OS for Osmosis Designs, for example) and a code indicating what the item is. When the sale is logged in the group’s inventory tracking spreadsheet, it’s easy to see who sold what. Read How to Organize a Craft Show for more advice.
Find a Family of Fellow Makers
For The Maker Co-Op in Austin, Texas, meeting once a month to talk openly about the struggles and successes of running a handmade business provides a much needed reminder that other shop owners are experiencing similar highs and lows. “For most of us, running a business is pretty uncharted territory,” says member Caitlin McClain of paper and fabric goods shop Little Low Studio. “Most of us went to school for design or art. The business side is a learning process and that’s where we feel we can learn the most from each other.”
The members, representing 12 Austin-based brands, meet in each other's homes or studios to talk about everything from paying taxes and hiring employees to launching new product lines and making licensing agreements. “We’re all very open with each other and are always more than happy to share whatever resources or experience we might have in the hopes it might benefit someone else,” Caitlin says.
The group has sold together at local events around Austin, including an Etsy x West Elm pop-up. They split hotel rooms and travel expenses when attending out-of-town shows together, including NY NOW in New York City. They’ve also hosted their own pop-up markets. The camaraderie has proved invaluable to growing their businesses.
Pro Tip: Want to start your own co-op? Don’t be afraid to reach out. Caitlin recommends approaching brands you admire at local markets. “Shop owners can seem closed off, but that guard really falls down once you go talk to them,” she says. Check out Making the Most of Your Online Tribe for more tips on teaming up with fellow entrepreneurs.
Are you part of a co-op? Share your experience in the comments below. If you're interested in starting your own co-op, join this discussion in Etsy Success to connect with other sellers who want to collaborate or join a local Team.
Words by Taylor Combs
