A Power Lesson of Etsy Shop Storytelling

I LOVE Etsy ya’ll. I have my complaints and criticism as much as the next person. I have concerns about some of the things the platform is doing and where it will lead. But I still browse Etsy daily and regularly purchase from there. I love the experience of Etsy and I especially love how amateur shop owners create branding and storytelling experiences.

Once in a while, there’s a shop that sticks out in my mind. This one I had to write about! 

So I wanted to make my glass frame with dried flowers for my kitchen. I’m sure you’ve seen them around on Etsy. They’re costly, and being in a crafty mood, I sourced my flowers and frames. But to put it over the top, I wanted to frame a poem or quote right in the middle. The problem was, my printer sucks, and I was not looking forward to sourcing quality paper, creating the design, and all the work in between.

So I searched for quote notes and found Studio Lupino. I found the perfect message and ordered.

Not only was the note on much better quality paper than I expected, but the packaging itself was lovely. Well, it isn’t the packaging so much as storytelling it achieves.

Branding is all about storytelling.

I’ll explain in a minute, but first, just the note cards are worth talking about.

The thank-you note and note card talking about the shop are both tastefully layered with patterned paper at the top. It created plenty of white space (designer speak for unused space on a page) to create a higher-end design. Not only that, while both used different patterns, they matched enough to be cohesive. The paper quality is fine, textured, and the thank you was handwritten.

Work like this is what I appreciate the most in Etsy: it’s thoughtful and straightforward.

I’m not done, though- let me explain storytelling now.

Branding is storytelling- we’ve heard this. It’s true. Any fashion collection generally has a vague conceptual story behind it to hopefully bring about a feeling of cohesion and purpose. But storytelling is also a tool to give your brand and shop its own life.

I won’t quote the informational card- partly because I want you to shop there and get one of your own. But here’s a point on each paragraph:

• I (artist) spent my life collecting snippets and quotes of paper, even scraps of words she heard in passing.
• There’s beauty in everything, but words have a special power to make us feel connected
• My handmade things share that magic and connection
• “But equally as lovely is for the artist to feel they’ve sparked something in the viewer.” Artist loves knowing how her work makes an impact.

The author wrote this card beautifully- it makes use of writing techniques to make the passage feel poetic and even atmospheric. It’s well done. But secondly, she’s able to write about a big picture, herself, and bring it back to YOU, the buyer.

She talks about the story behind her shop- the WHY and HOW. She started it as a collective hobby because words can capture the beauty of the world.

She talks about how it benefits YOU: connection, sparking emotion, and sentimentality. Why her shop is special: handmade is more about connection.

The big picture and purpose of her shop are to bring connection. She wrote a few simple paragraphs to convey this artfully.

This is a brand story that feels authentic (very important as I wrote here) and was unexpected when I purchased my order. I thought I was buying a scrap of paper with some Rumi poetry on it. But I was impressed as a buyer, someone in branding/advertising, and a mediocre shop owner. She does all the things I talk about and read about right.

So check Studio Lupino out and order your piece from her. She isn’t aware I was writing this, so this isn’t a sponsored post.

Some quick shout outs to other shops I am loving:

• Kaushalam Creations for incredible hand painted teapots
• Spiffy Hippy Creations for resin crafts
• Radically Kind Goods for queer/trans support stickers
• Relateable Printables for cute printables by a shop just starting out

Also, if you need a quick branding routine to jump-start or refocus your shop’s brand, check out my One-Day Branding PDF.