Shop Talk :: Shop of Navarone

Could you describe your shop?

My Folksy shop is fairly new and contains illustrations detailing the inner workings of dangerous animals, silhouettes on what my mothers professions were, and a strange abecadarian called the dark alphabet. Most of the pieces are box frames comprised of vinyl on glass with vintage mixed media behind. I’ve also just started making lots of small black and white greeting cards and prints of my drawings. I like to make dark, silly or bizarre little works.

Is this your day job?

Yes, making stuff is my day job now. I worked as an industrial engraver and signwriter for 8 years but over the last year I’m trying to get back to designing and making things for fun, getting my work into quirky one-off shops and maybe trying to sell at craft fairs. I’m loving being self-employed, I’m a bit poorer but a lot happier.

Have you been into craft and the handmade lifestyle for long?

I have always enjoyed making things, I went to art school and loved it, but like a lot of people felt slightly lost when I left because I still didn’t know what regular job I wanted to do. The recent surge in the handmade movement and lifestyle, and seeing so many other people making a variety of things, made me realise it might be possible just to do what i enjoy more seriously and make that my job. I should have realised that sooner, it just strangely didn’t occur to me.

Where do you promote your stock?

I daydream about owning a brick and mortar shop like everybody else, but i’m content with enjoying this in its infancy and slowly making as many different things as I can. The great thing about drawing and making your own stuff is you slowly accumulate a large range and it’s yours to sell forever, or at least until everybody is sick of the sight of it.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about opening up a shop here on Folksy?

Hmmm well, I’m fairly new myself, but i would say if you are thinking about doing it, be confident in your stuff and do it, because it’s good fun most of all. If you are new to making your stuff I would say force yourself to be organised and business-like even though the most fun part is the creating stage. Learn what time of day you work best and exploit it. Make a rough assembly line from the first step, right through to packaging and have as much prepared in advance and to hand as you can because making things run smoothly is important for your own growing confidence and the quality of the product. and i suppose just try to get people their item as quickly, with as little fuss as possible and maybe give them a little more than what they thought they were getting.
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