I'm debating

about what I should do.

For a while now, I've felt that our Etsy shop is too "cluttered" yet I haven't wanted to open a second shop. Too much work to market two shops. I've liked having all our product in one spot so people can easily see what we have to offer. On the other hand, we've been able to kick out so much product that we're ending up with pages upon pages to search thru.

There has been much hubbub on Etsy about their new changes. I felt like we were on a roll thru March and April, sales-wise, only to have them nearly stop in May. Looks like we're not the only ones experiencing the sudden drop and some are blaming the changes Etsy has been making. (Something about how the listings are being submitted to search engines.)

Last night I decided to "bite the bullet" and I opened an ArtFire shop. I'm still fairly torn about the whole thing. ArtFire is an "up and coming" site with high hopes.

My swirling thoughts:

• How should I divide up our stuff between the two shops since most of what we make is a one of a kind? Some things can be duplicated but not all.
• What if someone wants something from both shops, then what?
• Do I put some kind of announcement in the shops regarding combined shipping?
• I like that ArtFire lets you have a cart on your blog.
• ArtFire is super easy to list product on.
• ArtFire has a flat fee every month. It makes more sense to list magnets on there than it does to list them on Etsy.
• I feel like I've "sort of" figured out a bit of a marketing strategy so two shops doesn't really scare me anymore.
• Should each shop have a different "personality"?
• Should we stick to paper products in one shop and fabric items in the other, or mix them all up?
• Was I nuts to open the ArtFire shop?
• It's easier to organize an ArtFire shop.
• Etsy has more traffic, for now.
• You can buy from ArtFire without opening an account.

Definately food for thought. My solution? Go sew some more....