Gena: A Pandemic Surprise

Gena is the owner and founder of GenasCountryAccents on Etsy. Recognized as a Star Seller, she designs and creates country accents. She’s had an amazing journey since 2020, building one of the most popular handmade quality home décor shops on Etsy and generating more than 25,000 sales!

ETSY SHOPS

About Me

When did you start?

I started my physical storefront 26 years ago in Breckenridge, MI. However, because of the pandemic, I needed another channel for my business. My daughter recommended Etsy, and I started my shop in 2020.

Are you doing this full-time? 

Yes. Along with my physical store, this is my sole income. 

What was your inspiration? 

Before I had Gena’s Country Accents, I’ve always been in retail. I went to college for retail/merchandising. My first job was at JCPenney, and I worked there for 17 years in retail management. We live in a small town, and I wondered what it would be like to start my own business. With the support of my husband, I was able to find a small space in town. My love of merchandising and crafting led me in this direction. I watched my mother and grandmother create things with their hands, and I picked this up from them. I love creating and trying new things. My daughter now is the backbone of my Etsy shop.


Tell me about your first days on Etsy. What challenges did you encounter starting up your business on Etsy? 

  • I was not a user of Etsy at all. Thankfully, I had my tech savvy daughter who helped me with everything. I had over 400 items, so it was challenging to get everything up and running. Over time, I have found my business to prosper with more products (vs other shops that only have 10-15 items). Our photos are not sophisticated; you’ll see that the background and setup are essentially the same. There are about 8 different backgrounds. We just used our smartphones, and there’s not a lot of photo editing. My daughter handled the keywords and descriptions.
  • The challenge now is coming up with new products that will bring people back to my shop. I have some great loyal customers that consistently purchase from me.
  • My Etsy shop took off during COVID ($1000 in sales per week). In the following years, I’ve consistently seen a 3% - 5% revenue increase each year. During COVID, I also had mail orders, Facebook orders, and pick-up orders from the storefront.


What was that experience like? 

Overall, we were excited. Once the shop was live, we announced it on Facebook to over 3K followers, and printed fliers to hand out at the store and at our ten craft shows. Our first sale came quickly in the first month, and we were thankful for all our great customer reviews.


Tell me about your decision to use Etsy as a marketplace (other marketplaces)? 

Since my daughter recommended it, I went along with it. We didn’t bother to research any other marketplaces. Plus, we needed to do this quickly since I couldn’t open my storefront due to COVID.

What part of the product listing process takes you the longest or gives you the most challenge?

Initially, it took a long time to set up because there was a learning curve and the sheer number of products that I needed to list. Today, I have over 500 products on Etsy.

Tell me about the tools or platforms you use to assist you.

I don’t use anything, just my smartphone for photos. In the beginning, we searched out competition and looked at their keywords. My products fit neatly into certain categories which are easily found. We don’t find it difficult to come up with keywords or descriptions because the products are straight forward. Etsy pricing for my products is $1 to $2 more so that I can cover shipping. I don’t charge higher prices online because I have a lot of customers who shop with me in-store and online.

Are there factors that would influence you to try a platform or program?

Cost - small business owners are very price sensitive.

If you could build a tool to help you optimize product listings, what would you like it to do?

I have a significant number of products, and it would be great to bulk list my items if possible. SEO baffles me so I would like a tool that will just figure it out for me. I do like the idea of being able to change my background for my photos. Our backgrounds are simple right now. 

How is Etsy helping you? 

Etsy has been a great channel for us especially during COVID ($1000 per week). However, it hasn’t continued recently this year. Now it’s like $200-300 per week. I’m okay with it because I have my storefront, but something has obviously changed at Etsy.


How is Etsy not helping you? 

There is no one to talk to. All automatic messages. It’s frustrating especially if you want to help your customer; there have been times where I just send the product out again for free which is a loss for me. I understand higher fees are just part of business, but what is the seller getting out of it? It doesn’t seem like they’re helping sellers.

Why are you continuing to use Etsy?

Guaranteed income…for now. It helps that they already have an audience.