Spotlight on Mizz Shelley

I'm happy to put up our second team member spotlight, the fabulous Shelley of Mizz Shelley's Vintage Finery and Findings.   She's a keeper!

First, Please tell us a little about yourself.
have you ever heard of dahlonega, georgia?  didn’t think so - that’s where I grew up and went to college.  after school i moved to atlanta, where i lived for the past 12 years prior to moving to vegas last summer.  currently i like:  working for myself, learning how to play golf, and exploring this crazy city.  the only thing I truly dislike is cauliflower.  it is disgusting.
 
Your shop Mizzshelley's Vintage finery + findings has some real neat vintage items including jewelry, buttons and hairpins.  How did you get started collecting them?
well, that would be my mom’s fault – she raised us on antiquing!  to me, vintage buttons are tiny works of art - the amount of detail in some of the older ones is just mind-boggling.  A lot of the headbands I make come from vintage fabrics rescued at estate sales – it makes me so happy to save someone’s handiwork from (heaven forbid) the dumpster.   i think it’s really important to respect the past,  luckily I get to do that through my work.

In this economy it is hard to make ends meet.  Do you have any tips for keeping costs down in your business or improving sales?
i recently started blogging about this topic at www.mizzshelley.blogspot.com …i don’t think I would have been in business this long (7+ years) if i didn’t practice what i preach! 

here are 5 tips off the top of my head:
1. learn how to take good photos.  read the boring camera manual. you’ll be glad you did it. 
2. don’t think you have to pay someone to do everything for you!  the internet is an invaluable tool for finding free ways to make your own photo booth, blog banner, website, etc.
3. don’t be intimidated by your computer – learning new technology can be scary, but it can also be rewarding and save you money. 
4. package your products in a way that helps customers understand what it is or why it’s special.  if you do craft shows, make your booth eye-catching and your displays effective. 
5. focus.  believe in what you make and why you make it.  that will shine through to your customers!

Is there any advice you wish you would have had prior to starting your own small business?  If so, what is it?
try to attend a craft show once before deciding to participate in it.  spending alot of money on booth fees, even if it’s only $40 here and there, really adds up at the end of the year (especially if the show wasn’t profitable)!  time is money: a saturday spent at a bomb-of-a-show could’ve been a saturday spent making new items or working on your website.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
yes! In honor of the anniversary of my first year in vegas, i’d like to have a little contest.  there are two ways to enter:  1. post a comment about a mizzshelley.blogspot.com post – be sure to mention handmade in vegas or etsy in your comment (each comment gets you 1 entry)  2.  become a follower of my blog (good for one entry). 

enter as many times as you’d like!  the winner will be drawn from a hat 1 week after this interview is posted, and will receive 1 complimentary item (with free shipping) from my etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/mizzshelley).  good luck, fellow las vegans!