Yellow Bee Vintage, An Awesome Etsy Shop

I always like to see what other online sellers are up to, especially people who enjoy searching for cool vintage finds. Some of the best sellers for unique vintage items are on Etsy, and Yellow Bee Vintage is a great example of a well-curated shop.

Yellow Bee Vintage sells a variety of clothing, accessories, and home decor items, including handkerchiefs, sewing patters, depression glass, and jewelry. The items are easy to find and browse because of well-thought-out categories within the shop. And while the shop carries a variety of items, I feel like they are all united by the seller's aesthetic, which leans toward mid-century modern and the eras just before and after that time of beloved 20th century design. For example, I admired the shop's collection of mid-century wedding dresses that are very reasonably priced.

The shop owner, Nicci, is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Nicci's day job involves working in the renewable energy industry by day. Then she spends her weekends hunting for vintage treasures. She describes her tastes as "a bit eclectic"--personally, I would say that she has a good eye for quality and for items with a classic, clean design.

Nicci also says that she loves how vintage items have stories behind them--and that she believes in creative reuse as a sustainable, planet-friendly practice. I can't argue with that, and hey, it gives me even more reason to indulge my own treasure-hunting pursuits...!

The Funky Chair: An Example of Finding Your Niche

When you read about how to find success with selling online, one of the common tips is to find your niche. And I have talked with sellers who have built up their businesses on the basis of having a unique product that they know and love and want to share with buyers. I just found a great example in a story called The Funky Chair.

The site was started by Elena Travis. After working in the furniture and design business for five years, she decided to branch out into furniture imports, and she focuses her efforts on selling chairs online to customers in the UK. Her site has a particular specialization in bar stools.

It's a great example of narrowing down a niche. Furniture > chairs > bar stools. I love it. And hey, bar stools aren't just for bars (though a lot of people do set up bars in their homes or on their patios). They are great for kitchens, dining rooms, and more. They can also work well in professional settings, from restaurants to offices. Honestly I never knew there was such a variety in bar stools out there until I browsed Elena's site. Lots of colors, lots of designs--from futuristic styles to retro mid-century modern, you can find most anything.

Elena works to find fashionable chairs made from quality materials. Check out her site for a great example of successful e-commerce at work!

The Value of Finding a Good Niche

I recently learned about a great story of an independently run online business based here in Washington state. Recently on my With Five Questions blog, I interviewed Charlotte, co-founder of Save On Tapestries. The story of her business is an inspiring one as it really demonstrates the success you can find as an entrepreneur when you find a unique niche--and when you cultivate good relationships with craftspeople and other suppliers.

Though the company is based in the US, Save On Tapestries specializes in importing tapestry work from artists in Europe. There are a variety of designs to choose from on the site.

Plus, customers feel comfortable ordering from the business as it has been operating since 1998 and is a privately-owned, family-run company.

The business owners also put a lot of emphasis on customer service, and they are very knowledgeable about their products. Anyone who is running a business can improve their own company by focusing more on these two aspects of operating a successful enterprise, big or small.

I never thought of ordering a wall tapestry before I visited Save On Tapestries, but the site has opened my mind to tapestries as a unique way to furnish a home or office. They would make really neat gifts, especially as there are tapestries to fit many different themes, from religious imagery to nautical imagery, from Pre-Rafaelite style art to Art Nouveau.

Customers benefit from the experience of the people behind Save On Tapestries: you can find the products you want at reasonable prices.

Indie Entrepreneurs Are Doing It for Themselves

Of course I love eBay, or I wouldn't have started this blog! But I also love stories about independent business owners who got their start on eBay and similar selling communities and then expanded into their own web businesses that they host themselves. I just wrote up a profile of one such shop, Cartrell General Merchandising, on my With Five Questions blog; I hope you'll check out the story. You can also click directly over to Cartrell General to explore the site for yourself.

I have also enjoyed learning about a lot of people's stories by following a few different online selling communities on Facebook. If you search for "eBay" on Facebook, you'll start finding a lot of groups. I have followed a number of different groups and ultimately found a group I really like. It can be inspiring to talk to other online sellers, especially when you're having a moment of frustration.