Anyhow, while I was reflecting on the past year, I realized that my company wouldn't be where it is today if it wasn't for Etsy providing us (and a couple hundred thousand others) with a great place to setup shop and sell all of our wonderful handmade (and vintage) items online.
Also, you would say that we also got our "big break" from Etsy too. Back before Merlin's Bark Products even had our first Etsy sale one of the co-founders (Jared) interviewed me for a feature story on Etsy.
So in celebration of the end of 2008, I decided to rerun my blog post on my Etsy Spotlight interview.
My Fresh Shop interview with Jared was published today! I am so excited about it that my little bunny butt has been shaking in a frenzy for awhile now. I reprinted the whole article below, but feel free to check out the article and all the nice comments people have been leaving me about my shop on Etsy's Web site.
*******
Fresh Shops: Merlin's Bark Products
Story by jared
Published on July 31, 2008 in Spotlight
Recently, I was clicking through Pounce Undiscovered with my right hand while rubbing my dog’s head with my left. I saw this great (well-crafted and simply designed) elevated dog feeder (in red-stained chestnut) by Merlin's Bark Products, and I ah-ha’ed aloud.
I love finding good woodwork on Etsy. This shop couples creative carpentry with a design sensibility that’s driven by deep compassion for animals.
So far, merlinsbarkproducts features an assortment of feeders and little wooden homes for an array of animals, such as bluebirds, bats, butterflies, flying squirrels…and of course, dogs.
I put a few questions to the creators behind merlinsbarkproducts, Sherry and Jerry:
There is a great beauty and variety of wood in your items. What are some of the benefits to using sustainably harvested or recycled wood?
It is very important to me that we use wood that comes from trees that are managed and farmed in ways that ensure the protection of the environment and other natural resources. Also, I would hate to think that I was contributing to the removal of old growth trees. I know that a lot of different animals depend on those trees for housing. Also, you can find a lot of beauty in old recycled wood. We get a lot of our recycled wood from a local building material recycling center. I am hoping to use some of their old barn wood for owl house I have in mind.
The designs of your animal homes seem strangely inviting...
I love to lay outside in my yard and watch all the different animals run around. When I’m watching them, I start to think about what type of houses and feeding station they would need.
One of my favorite products is our condominium for flying squirrels. It is just amazing! It is over 3-feet tall and has four floors. I came up with the design after watching our own flying squirrels and wondering what type of house they would need if our old pine tree didn’t exist anymore. I did a little research and came up with a house that any flying squirrel would be proud to call home.
I also realized the need for Purple Martin houses when a whole colony of them decided to move into our gutters this spring. I did a little research trying to figure out why they moved in and found out that Purple Martins are the only birds that totally depend on humans for housing. So now we will be adding Purple Martin houses to our product line.
Your blog details a very interesting story about how you turned an idea into a real company. Can you talk about some of the challenges you faced and how you resolved them?
One of the biggest challenges was figuring out what type of products I wanted to concentrate on. At first I was thinking about making products for animals and humans, but I have found myself concentrating more on products geared toward animals.
Though, humans benefit from our products too. Whether it is from installing a bat house and having Mother Nature’s little pest control experts take the place of using poisonous insecticide, or being entertained by song birds eating out of a feeder, the enjoyment our of products can be shared by animals and humans.
Our product line continues to evolve. I love receiving feedback and suggestions from customers. Recently we had people ask us about elevated cat bowl feeders. I had never thought making those before, but now we will be adding elevated cat bowl feeders to our product line. I also continue to do research on animal husbandry to see what other types of products we should be offering.
You are a member of the Abandoned Wild Babies Animal Resuce (AWBAR), who also keeps an Etsy shop. How does being a member of such a compassionate organization affect your role as a shop owner?
Since I’ve joined, I’ve been helping to spread the word about AWBAR through my blog and also on forums. I recently donated one of our dual feeders (a feeder that can be used by both birds and squirrels) to the AWBAR Etsy store. I can’t wait for it to sell. All of the proceeds from the sale will go directly to support the care of the baby animals at AWBAR.
******
I'll be barking to you later!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment