I started my Etsy shop in 2014, and my first design was a Lallybroch t-shirt for the Outlander series. I sold a shirt that very first evening.

 

Back then, there weren't many fan designs available for it. Competition was low on Etsy, and there wasn't POD (print on demand) back then. Things have changed a LOT in ten years!

 

 

 

 

For about 8 months in 2023, I rented vendor booth space in a mall where I sold shirts that I made as well as vintage stuff. I loved having a booth. It was also fun to go out thrifting and hunting for finds to sell. Every Friday, I would go clean and restock it for the weekend, which were the days when I got the most sales. By the end of my lease however, the economy was definitely in a slow down and sales were down all over the mall.

 

 

Our direct-to-garment printer made it convenient to print up some awesome full color designs to put in the booth. I could play around with designs that would never be allowed on Etsy. But the machines are expensive to maintain and fix when they inevitably break. And so now, it sits idle as it awaits us having an extra $3000 to repair it!

 

So, I'm back to offering solely hand screen printed shirts, which is where I started in 2014. Screenprinting remains the best process for shirt printing.

 

 

I have been a homeschool mom for around 20 years. I just graduated my 3rd child from homeschool, and my time has freed up a lot and I'm hoping to put more love into my shirt business. I wish online selling was as easy as stocking my local booth - there is so much extra to think about. Like social media, web shop design, good photography, etc and I am trying to get everything ready for a relaunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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