New Year, New Store for Caffeinated Papercuts!

One of my goals for 2014 was to finally open a second, larger online store for Caffeinated Papercuts. Etsy has been good, but I was among the many that fell victim to smaller views, less sales, and never getting found in search results in 2013. Between that and a good, hard look at just how much I pay them in fees (trust me, it hurts) it was time to branch out. I'll still list a few bestsellers in the Etsy shop like the printable wedding invitations and chevron gift tags, but the move to a new shop has begun.

I researched for weeks to find another site that would fit my needs, and learned all the buzzwords; shopping cart app vs. ecommerce site, SEO, relevancy...honestly, my head is still slightly spinning! In the end it came down to IndieMade and Storenvy for ease of use and the ability to import my existing Etsy listings. While I still like the look of IndieMade, I couldn't justify the $15/month right now, so in the end the entirely free (unless you choose to add extras) Storenvy won. What can I say, I like free and the thought of not being out any funds if this bombs.

So, you will now see at the top of my website two links; one for the Caffeinated Papercuts Storenvy store and one for the Caffeinated Papercuts Etsy shop.

So what's the difference?

Right now, the Etsy shop has more items while I work on importing everything into the Storenvy shop. They do both have our latest Valentine listings (like our adorable Valentine Card Kits for the kiddos!) but going forward all NEW items will be listed in the Storenvy shop.

Love Bugs Valentine Card Kit

As time goes on, the Storenvy shop will grow to be the main shop with the Etsy shop simply being a smaller, more specialized shop. Everything listed on Etsy will also be on Storenvy by the time I'm done.

This is a big leap leaving the relative safety of Etsy, and let me tell you, it's also scary. Pessimism and self-doubt easily works its way into my thoughts; what if I fail? What if no one buys anything ever again? What if, what if, what if? In sharing those doubts with a good friend of mine, her response gave me the kick in the pants I needed: "oh, that. Never mind about that, worry about it next month when you have more time."

Here's to putting off the worries, whatever they may be. Happy 2014 everyone, the year of hope and new beginnings!

New logo for a new shop and a new year!

Happy Crafting!