Before There Were Toms

I don't know about other states, but I see people wearing TOMS all the time in Southern CA.  I have yet to buy a pair because I rarely buy anything new for myself and after having kids, I couldn't bring myself to shell out $50 for a pair of shoes.  (Not judging others that do, fyi.)

Espadrilles have been around for much longer than TOMS, which was established in 2006.  Before there were TOMS, there were these gold woven pair of espadrilles from the 1970s I found at a thrift store.  I was going to list these pair of shiny delightful shoes for the shop.  I tried these on to model them, but once they were on me, I knew that I was not going to give these up.  I've been on the look out for some flashy flats and I have finally found what I've been looking for!  What's even better is they're extremely comfortable and cushiony, so I will definitely be wearing a lot of this pair once the weather warms up.

Do you guys own any flashy flats or espadrilles? Do share and have a great weekend!

My Left Foot

This blog post has nothing to do with the award winning movie "My Left Foot." It has to do with how awkward my feet are when posing for shots for the shop, especially my left foot. I don't mind poking fun at myself- in fact, I'm quite good at it and I frequently do so.

As an Etsy shop owner, I experience the ebb and flow of views and sales daily and currently, the views are low. Whenever I take a short hiatus, the shop suffers and I realize I need to keep things fresh in my shop with new items and new ways of tracking new views. Putting clothes and accessories on live models seems to be a great way of getting more views, and it's something I don't mind doing once in a while. So I thought I'd give the modeling shoes thing a shot since it's quite difficult to receive good traffic for these items for me. I had no idea that modeling shoes would be so difficult and because they are close-ups, would be so detailed! What a humbling and funny experience it was.

My shots just kept getting more awkward because I think I started trying too hard.  Initially, with the red shoes, I just had no idea where to point the toe.  Then, I started to point the toe at an angle that made my left calve seem much larger than my right.  I proceeded to adjust my footing, only to cause even more weird leg positions and more veins to stick out of my unevenly tanned feet.  I was sweating during these shots, but I think it provided more views.  I just put the burgundy heels up in the shop and they received a considerable more amount of hits on the first day than the other shoes on their debut days (althought, no hearts, haha.)  So, maybe i'm on to something (or not).  Either way, I've got to figure out a way to control these joints of mine.  Any advice or should I just stick to no live model shots for the shoes.  I really won't be offended if you tell me to stop! ha.

Shop Update: Yellows, Blues, and Browns

 1950s Shirtwaist Autumn Colors Dress

1960s Blue Waves Print Dress. LOVE this print!

 1940s Yellow Chiffon Dress

1970s Black Wrap Dress, 1970s Blue Floral Dress

1980s Angora Vest, 1980s Pinstripe Blazer

1970s Plaid Pleated Skirt

Little Girl's Embroidered Dress

 Unisez Saddle Shoes for Toddlers

 1980s Brown Ankle Boots

1960s Butterflies Ring

Doesn't sound like a yummy color palette, but I like my shop update.  Please come take a look!  These items are aching for views!

Oh, and I've decided to stick with Revolving Styles Vintage.  Thanks to those who voted!

Shoes Shoes Shoes

My closet is overflowing with vintage shoes and in need of some room for the boots that are coming in.  Until October 24 at midnight, get 25% off any pair of shoes.  Here are some of my favorite shoes listed in the shop right now.

Bass Fringe Loafers

1980s NOS Fuchsia Woven Moccasins

1940s I Miller Heels

1970s Pumpkin Oxford Heels

NOS 1950s Patent Leather Springolators.

You can find these and all the other shoes in the shop here!

Blowfish Shoes

Top left to right: Butter, Casita

Bottom left to right: Garren, Gimmik

I just recently discovered Blowfish Shoes through one of my favorite blogs- Keiko Lynn.  With the warm weather and my impending freedom to wear whatever shoes I'd like because my balance will back, I think I will award myself with one of these shoes. It will be my own push present, because the last push present I received from my husband was not exactly what I wanted, albeit very nice and thoughtful, but I really did not want a video camera.  I wanted a purse or laser hair removal.   Anyhow, which one do you like?

Vintage Treasures~ lisazain aka vintageshoelove

Out of my vintage collection, shoes outnumber all other apparel.  So, interviewing one of the best Etsy vintage shoe shops proved extremely exciting for me, and you'll love her answers!  Lisa of lisazain scours and finds the best variety of vintage footwear!  Not only does she have incredible taste in shoes, but she seems like such a down to earth mama-to-be and one of the best Twitter buddies!  Hope you enjoy the interview because I loved reading her answers!

Explain your reasons for starting an Etsy vintage shop.

The short answer to this question is that I have always wanted to have some sort of junk/vintage shop ever since I was a little kid. Thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets, etc., have been some of my favorite places on earth for as long as I can remember.

In the summer of ‘08, the restaurant that I work (now part time) at closed down for two weeks for cleaning and to get new floors. A little mechanism went off in my mind. “I need an activity and an income while the diner is closed!” That is when, what i so lovingly refer to, “the shoes” started. The first items in the shop were vintage and thrifted shoes of my own that I decided to let go of. As soon as I started, it just snowballed. I was thrilled with my early sales and even after the diner opened back up, I kept up the buying and listed regularly.

Where do you store all your items for the shop and how do you store all these items?

(see above picture...amazing!)

When I found out that I was pregnant this spring I realized that my “etsy room” was going to be quickly and happily transforming into a baby nursery! My wonderful husband and father-in-law came to the rescue and transformed an entire wall of our front room (which triples as my etsy space, a dining area and our band’s practice/music space) into floor to ceiling shelving for my shoes with my packing desk snug in the middle of them all.

I used this photo of myself with “the shoes” for an ad in N.E.E.T. this September. The packing table is really a changing table that I purchased and it works perfectly because it is at a comfortable height to stand and work at. In the drawers are canvas sneakers and sandals, and in the cupboard portion I keep the purses/wallet/odds and ends that pop up in the shop also.

What is your most favorite pair of vintage shoes you own?
My favorite pair of vintage shoes right now are these beautiful cobalt blue strappy gladiator/ballet style flats that I purchased from the lovely Anja Verdugo of Clever Nettle.

(wow!)

Close runner ups are these from pineapplemint:

image via pineapplemint

and these from OldBaltimoreVintage

image via OldBaltimoreVintage

and last, but not least, these from kenaione:

image via kenaione

What is your favorite vintage era for shoes and why?
For wearability I would have to say 80s. The 80s go back and reproduce and are influenced by every past era before it. I love the amazing flow of leather and wood shoes that came out of Brazil in the late 70s and early 80s. They were sexy, saucy and made to last! As for look and aesthetic, I LOVE the 1930s/40s, especially the shape of the oxford heels from that era.

love these from her shop!

At what age did you start your vintage shoe collection?
Consciously? I’d say about 10 years ago around the time that I got my own car (a super nerdy white Chevy Lumina mini van) and started thrifting for myself. But long before that (middle school?) I can remember my mom giving me the best round toe rust suede “hobo” oxford flats that she had purchased at a yard sale in Canarsie, Brooklyn (where she had a house for about 15 years of my childhood). So, in all reality, thanks to my thrifty parents, my vintage shoe collection probably started in my super early years!

 How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Personally? I would say somewhere in the 80 pairs range. As for the shop inventory, it is at a little over 200 pairs at the moment with 170ish online and 30+ more waiting to be photographed and listed.

 Which item is your favorite in the shop right now?
Honestly I CAN NOT believe these high heels are still around! I love them!

rose printed fabric 60s pumps with oversized pointy bows on each toe

These peep toes:

taupe leather triangle pyramid woven peep toe low heeled pumps

& these comfy moccasin oxfords:

cream nubuck leather woven oxford sneakers

(she couldn't choose just one, and I don't blame her!)

 Which states have you gone thrifting and which was your favorite?

OOh this is going to be a fun list, and in no particular order: NY, NJ, CT, VT, ME, VA, NC, SC, FL, CO, UT, MT, CA, OR, ID, SD, IL, OH… and possibly a few more in between. Favorites have to be in my home state of New York, and also Oregon. The Goodwill bins are the stuff that dreams are made of to someone coming in from NYC and there are tons of other good shops and stores there too!

Is there an item you sold that was hard to let go?

Number one regret:

There were tons more in the size 6 (tiny!) range that were hard to let go of, but for reality based purposes there was no reason to keep them. Now at least I know to keep something for a little while if I love it, to see if I actually work it into my wardrobe, before deciding to sell it off right away.

5 words to describe yourself:

Talkative, patient, cosmic, hilarious, daring.

Since you have a baby on the way, will you be on maternity leave from your Etsy shop? What are your plans?

Phill and mine’s first baby, a girl, is due Dec. 8th. That is a little scary since the before holidays at etsy is often my best times of the year! I will be relying on my husband to help me with all of the packing and shipping up until that point and then afterwards, I will probably close the shop down for a few weeks, allowing customers to continue purchasing shoes, but not promising anything shipping wise. I guess I am just going to see how I feel, play it by ear and keep in contact with all of my wonderful customers the best that I can.

As for right now I am still serving 2 days a week at the restaurant I work at and will keep doing that as long as I can. I look forward to being able to stay home with the baby for as long as possible while still keeping the store up and running. If I didn’t have my own business and my income from Etsy, there would be no way that I could imagine being a stay at home mom realistically- so for that I am very grateful and excited. It has always been my goal to make “the shoes” my full time job, but at the same time have never found the real reason or courage to fully leave my restaurant job (I will probably go back to part time after some quality stay at home time with the baby!) so this will be my chance to see if I can really do it.

(Agh, so excited for you!)

Since you’ve been around on Etsy, what advice would you give to sellers, particularly new ones?

New sellers, welcome! It may seem daunting to open a shop with so many other great shops established, but that is the wonderful part about Etsy! Your listings will be right up there with the big dogs.

I think that the number one piece of advice that I have for new sellers is to pay careful and close attention to the quality of your photos. Good lighting, good thumbnail cropping, and clear/bright/visually descriptive images are the only physical “connection” that your potential customers have with your items. Don’t settle for “just so.” Make your photos pop! Even if you are just getting started, and you don’t have the best camera out there, you can always re-shoot and improve.

Uncluttered backgrounds and natural lighting do wonders for a variety of products, so don’t be afraid to experiment and upgrade your listings as your photos get better.

Start a twitter and network with other sellers and your customers.

Re-list some of your best items every now and again to get them back to the top of the searches.

Consider advertising on blogs! There are a variety of Etsy/vintage/handmade etc. blogs out there that offer very affordable advertising, and even if you do it a month at a time here and there, it still gets the word out.

Lastly, don’t give up!  Remember that sales will ebb and flow.  Nothing is as consistent or “solid” when you work for yourself, but that is the trade off for the freedom and satisfaction you will get from running your own shop.

Hope you enjoyed the interview!  I love how her personality really shines through in the answers. 

You can follow her on Twitter and tumblr also for daily musings and shop updates!