Out of my Studio: Celebrating Karmabee

Karen Berelowitz in her Karmabee Store in Kingston NY

I wanted to write this blog post to celebrate Karen Berelowitz of Karmabee and to congratulate her on her amazing 4 years of business in her bricks and mortar store on the Strand in Kingston.

Karen has decided to close her well loved store for the time being but is set to continue being a fixture at local farmers markets, craft fairs and of course online.

The store opened its doors in 2011 and was one of the first to capitalize on the renewal of the area which today sees many visitors to the historic waterfront site and to the new stores, cafes and restaurants  that have since opened.

 

Karmabee Store

In her time on the Strand Karen has been instrumental in local community events including the monthly night markets, events such as Sinterklaas, Hooley on the Hudson, the Shamrock Run and many more. She also joined Re>Think Local and regularly contributed to small business shopping events.

 

 

 

The store not only sold Karmabees distinctive range of hand screen printed t-shirts, onesies and cards but Karen also championed local craft makers including many from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team. Thanks to Karen many of us have been able to count on regular sales from Karmabee and we have also benefitted from having a local store that we can send our customers to.

Personally I have really enjoyed popping into Karmabee every couple of months to bring in new stock and  to chat with Karen about what we have both been making and craft fairs we are doing. Working on a small craft business from home can be quite a lonely pursuit and having people like Karen to touch base with once in a while was such a blessing.

 

Gorgeous Karmabee themed cake at the store closing party

I hope everyone is together with me in wishing Karen  every success in her future endeavors. We are excited to see what plans she has in store for Karmabee.

In the mean time Karmabee can still be found on Etsy and Amazon and in the warmer months she will be returning to the uptown Kingston Farmers Markets.

 



Look out for Karmabee at local farmers markets and craft fairs

 

Good Luck Karen and Good Making!

 

Sarah

So Handmade

Out of My Studio: A Walk in Woodstock

'A Walk in Woodstock' baby fabric book by SO Handmade

I have been busy in my studio developing, printing and making my new fabric baby book  'A Walk in Woodstock'. To mark its launch I thought an actual walk in Woodstock would be in order on this beautiful spring day.

Woodstock has many facets to which I pay homage in my book including its musical heritage, the famous Sunday drum circles, the Woodstock Windchimes and the peace movement. But in recent times many wonderful new stores and cafes have opened to appeal to visitors and locals alike.

A Walk in Woodstock

New eatery Shindig is situated right in the heart of the village and offers 'an open door, a warm seat, and a much needed sip and nibble'. Organic, local and seasonal ingredients are lovingly prepared by Chef Page Moll into heartwarming comfort food just like your Mom used to make.

Shindig

Amongst the exciting new stores is a little gem called 'Shop little House'. Owner JoJo Ans has a wonderful eye for combining fine vintage with modern Americana with artisan made gifts and homewares including those of our own HVEtsy team member Hudson Naturals.

Shop Little House

Woodstock Music Shop

 Two wonderful stores in Woodstock will be carrying my book The Golden Notebook and Illuminated Baby so call in and have a look!



"Woodstock had a tremendous impact on artistic American life"  P.J. O'Rourke

Hope to see you in Woodstock soon!

Good Luck and Good Making!

Sarah

SO Handmade

Etsy Visits Karmabee - Kingston, NY

I recently had a visit from Etsy as part of their seller studio tours. Etsy staff visit sellers because, as they explain in a recent blog post, "...nothing beats visiting a seller in person to witness her creative process in action and the challenges she faces on a daily basis." It was lots of fun! The five Etsy staff who came to Karmabee from both the Hudson and Brooklyn offices had great questions about my business, and I got a chance to ask questions and make suggestions about all things Etsy.

Etsy visits Karmabee in Kingston, NY

First I gave them a tour of my store, which sells both my own Karmabee products and items by local artists and makers, including quite a few members of the Hudson Valley Etsy Team (many of whom have been with me since I opened in 2011!). We discussed my experience running a brick & mortar store and what a typical day is like.

I then showed them around my studio area, which I've reorganized many times since I opened, with its separate work stations and table surfaces that allow me to work on many different projects at the same time, as the multitasker in me loves to do. Unfortunately it's the the office portion of my studio that gets the most use, and they acknowledged that most sellers spend at least 50% of their time running their business rather than creating. They had lots of great questions about my systems, such as how I manage my inventory (my weakest area!), handle shipping, and manage social media.

They were very patient with my various questions (and a couple of complaints) about the technical side of Etsy. For example, I mentioned the problem of not being able to adjust shipping rates for different quantities in the same listing (e.g., 1 notecard vs a pack of 10: either this has to be two separate listings, or buyer has to pay crazy shipping for the single item). They are aware this is an issue, and explained that this feature was originally intended for color/size variations of the same item, and thus wasn't set up to handle different shipping weights, which makes sense. I also begged for more bulk editing options, especially for tags, titles and descriptions (as Craftopolis and Betsi offer), and they said they're on it! Yay!

After many more questions and ample time satisfying my dog Annie's need for belly rubs, they perused the store and made some purchases, which I really appreciated. I used my Etsy payment swiper for the first time, and learned that it's a great way to have in-person sales adjust online inventory and to gather customer reviews.

As both Etsy and the controversy surrounding Etsy's definition of handmade continues to grow, I am happy to know that the company dedicates time and effort to hearing from sellers. We all hope Etsy finds a way to support handmade sellers in a marketplace free of cheap mass-produced competition.

Karen - Karmabee