Get Togethers with the Ladies of the Purple Iris

In my previous blogs I mentioned the Purple Iris yarn shop. Well, I would like to tell you a little about the Purple Iris yarn shop and the ladies of the Purple Iris Yarn Shop. 

The Purple Iris Yarn Shop

The Purple Iris yarn shop, established in November of 2005, was located in my hometown of Marshall, MN. Marshall is a small community with a population of about 13,000. Whenever you went into the yarn shop, you knew you would find at least one or more of ladies of the Purple Iris yarn shop there. They would be either helping out the owner, Jana, or were sitting at the table crocheting or knitting with other regular customers who also shared the same passion. 

Every Thursday evening from 5-7 p.m. was knit/crochet night. Anyone could come down to the yarn shop; work on their projects and socialize. Sometimes the ladies would organize potluck dinner. Everyone who knew about it would bring a dish to pass. If you just happen to come in that night without knowing about the potluck, there was plenty of hotdish to go around. Everyone was always interested in the projects others were doing. 

It was also a place where anyone who had an interest in knitting or crocheting could take a few lessons for a nominal fee. Peggy and Jana were the "go to" people when whatever you were working on wasn't turning out quite right; messed up your stitches or didn't quite understand the directions.  They seem to be able to fix and explain anything. 

The other 2 ladies of the Purple Iris yarn shop were Nancy and Amy, Jana's right hands. They knew where everything in the shop was located and would always help you find that perfect yarn for your project.

The Purple Iris Yarn Shop was a staple of our downtown in Marshall, MN. However, last fall Jana decided to retire due to some medical issues and tried to sell the yarn shop. Unfortunately there wasn't any buyers so our wonderful yarn shop closed. This was an article in Marshall Independent our local newspaper. www.marshallindependent.com. 

Purple Iris yarn shop to close this weekend November 15, 2013 By Karin Elton , Marshall Independent Save | Post a comment |             MARSHALL - The store that has been supplying area knitters with an assortment of yarn, knitting needles and how-to books will close for good Sunday. "I'm retiring," said Purple Iris Yarn Shop owner Janna Milbradt. Milbradt chose Nov. 17 to shut her doors because it seemed fitting - that's the eighth anniversary of her opening. Article Photos Photo by Karin Elton The Purple Iris is having a 75 percent off liquidation sale as owner Janna Milbradt is retiring. "I wanted to end on a positive note," she said. "It's been a great eight years - no regrets." Milbradt said her future plans include spending more time with her children and grandchildren. In the meantime, she has been liquidating her assets with a 75 percent off sale. She has coffee and bars on a table available through Sunday as "a thank-you to the community," she said. "The community support has been phenomenal," she said. All remaining inventory will be consigned to an online liquidation company. Fixtures and decorations that haven't been sold by Sunday will be for sale Nov. 21-23 at the shop in a kind of garage sale format, she said. Milbradt has use of the location through November. Her husband, Marc, has already moved his business, the Marshall Sewing Center, from the Purple Iris to the Fabrics Plus building on Main Street in Marshall.

We, the loyal customers of the yarn shop, were sad that it was closing and there wasn't a buyer for the shop. Not only was it a yarn shop, but it was a social gathering place as well. Where were we going to gather to chit chat and do what we loved? 

Sara

Jana

Well as it turns out, Sara. the owner of the Hunan Lion, offered the restaurant as a place to meet and do our craft. The Hunan Lion is a Chinese restaurant that's located a few doors down from the former Purple Iris yarn shop. So every Thursday at 1 p.m., people meet; have lunch if they choose, and crochet or knit until 3-4 p.m.

The Ladies Enjoying Their Craft at the Hunan Lion
On the right side of the table are Peggy and Jana (Ladies of the Purple Iris)

Joyce and Nancy (One of the Ladies of the Purple Iris)

For myself, I wish I could get there more often than I do. My Etsy shop keeps me busy because I also do a lot of sewing. Lately, I've been making bridal and special occasion clutch purses.  Perhaps this Thursday I will be able to make it. I hope so. In the meantime I suggest that if you ever get to Marshall, MN on Thursdays, you can always make a day of it. Stop in at the Hunan Lion for some lunch and socializing. And oh! Don't forget to bring something to do.

Finding Etsy and Opening a Shop

Hi, I'm Mary and the owner of an online shop on Etsy called Purse O'Nality by Mary. Never in a million years did I ever think about opening an online shop. But here I am. I would like to tell you how it all began. This is part 2 of a two part series.

In the first part of this series I talked about how I started making purses and how surprised I was when my prototype was sold on the spot followed with 2 more orders. Well, I have to say that really inspired me to continue making purses. 

I had heard about Etsy  a couple of years before I started making purses. I was in the Purple Iris Yarn Shop and it was knit/crochet night. There was a group of us sitting around a table talking. Someone mentioned Etsy. I had never heard of it and asked her about it. She told me that it was an online shop for individuals who wanted to sell handmade goods.  I have since learned that it's a place to find great vintage and supply items as well.

 Sweet County Girls Talks

                                                 about Purple Iris Yarn Shop                                             

So when I sold my first purse, I decided that I would make a few more and display them in the yarn shop. I remembered the conversation about Etsy. So I decided to check it out. There was a link that said: Open a Shop. Of course I clicked on it. I was curious. It took you through the steps of how open a shop. I decided to upload a picture of one of the purses I had just finished making. It was a cute crochet pink purse. I really wanted to see how it all worked. It was an experiment so to speak. Actually, I was a little nervous and wasn't sure if I really want to open up a shop. So I left it all in limbo for 9 months. 

Crochet Pink Purse

During that time life went on; events happened and things changed. I started to get more serious about it. I still continued to make purses and also added some knit ruffled and jersey scarves.

I began putting more items on the shop page, but I still didn't open up my shop. I wanted my shop to look inviting. There was also a lot to learn. I tried to learn as much as I could, and I figured my business degree would serve me as well. Etsy has lots of good information about selling in general and how to sell online. In addition, you can always ask other Etsy members for advice. After all, some members have been on Etsy since it opened in June 2006. 

Finally on September 20, 2013, I opened my shop and was ready for business. I listed nine items. Today I have more than 50 items in my shop and made a total of 7 sales as of this month. I didn't get my first sale until mid December.  

My first sold item

 I have found out that an online shop takes a lot of time, patience and determination if you want to succeed. The saying, "If you build it, they will come." is a fallacy in one way and extremely truthful in another. If you think that by opening your shop, you will get sales without doing anything more then you will fail. However, if you work hard building up everything in regards to your shop, including good customer service, then you will succeed. In addition, a successful shop will continue to learn about how to succeed with an online business.

So if you are considering opening an online shop, even if it's just a hobby, you have to be committed. As I stated in the beginning, never in a million years did I ever think about opening an online shop. But here I am and this is how it all began. Etsy has some really interesting shops. You can check it out by going to www.etsy.com. While you're there, take a peek into my shop and tell me what you think at www.purseonalitybymary.etsy.com. I'm always interested in feedback.

Here's a peek at what coming up in the next few blogs.

1 The Ladies of the Purple Iris Shop

2.What is Search Engine Optimatization (SEO)?

3. A featured Etsy shop.

* Video by Jeff Rouse

Never in a Million Years Did I Think I would Open an Online Shop!

Hi, I'm Mary and the owner of an online shop on Etsy called Purse O'Nality by Mary. Never in a million years did I ever think about opening an online shop. But here I am. I would like to tell you how it all began. This is part 1 of a two part series.

The Beginning

I taught my daughter, Michelle, to crochet when she was in her teens. Like any other teenager, she picked it up for awhile, then moved on to other things. Somehow, she managed to finish a blanket. Michelle would teach others how to crochet by letting them work on this blanket. It was just a simple single crochet stitch. It wasn't until years later when were were in the waiting room of the Mayo Clinic that she learned how to double crochet and treble crochet. From that point on Michelle was crocheting constantly so it seemed. She started designing her own things. I was amazed that she didn't ever need a pattern. She said they were too limiting. But then again, Michelle is my "free spirited " daughter and an artist by nature.    

Michelle

So about three years ago, she designed a purse for my granddaughter for her birthday. Although she liked it, the purse wasn't being put to use. Her mother, my oldest daughter, decided to use it. She got lots on compliments on the purse. However, she thought some improvements on the purse would make it sellable. So one day in July when the family had a get together at my oldest daughter's house, she and Michelle began talking about the purse. This peaked my interest since I crocheted. I wanted to see if I could crochet a better purse.

The purse that started it all!

A few days later, Michelle and I were in the Purple Iris Yarn Shop. I inquired a out getting some yarn to crochet a purse. Peggy, who taught knitting and crocheting lessons at the shop, directed me to some Fantasy yarn in a pink variegated. It was 100% cotton and so that made this purse washable. I didn't really have a pattern in mind, but Peggy and I discussed needle size and a crochet stitch. I also decided to use the current purse that I was using as a basic guide for the size of the purse. I had really liked that purse so it seemed logical to proceed in that direction. My next step was to figure out how many chain stitches is needed to get the required width of the purse. 

When I had completed the front and back of the purse, I used my sewing talents to put a lining into the purse. I used my sewing machine to sew 3 open pockets for miscellaneous items on the lining of one side of the purse and a nice size pocket with a zipper on the other side. I also sewed in a zipper to enclose the main inside compartment.                                                                                                                                                         

Inside of Purse  

Well, I'm not a fan of hand sewing so whenever I can use my sewing machine, I will always take that route. I had never machine sewn crocheted yarns pieces together, but I thought I would experiment and see what happened. I set my stitch length for a little longer stitches and thought that if it didn't work than okay, fine, I would hand sew the sides together. Well, it worked! What I didn't know at that time and what most people don't know is that yarn is a fiber just like cloth. Therefore you can machine sew yarn pieces together. Isn't that great?!

Peggy

When I finished the purse, I got lots of compliments from friends and family. I decided to take it down to the Purple Iris Yarn Shop where I had purchased my yarn and show it to the owner, Jana. Jana had just stepped out and Peggy was minding the store for her. She really liked the purse and asked me how much I wanted for it. I told her and she bought it on the spot! Then she ordered 2 more!!

Sold!

 She wanted them as Christmas gifts for her daughter and daughter-in-law. I was shocked to say the least. So that's how I got started making purses. In part two, I will tell you about how I found out about Etsy and my decision to start my own shop.

 Please feel free to browse my shop by going to:

www.purseonalitybymary.etsy.com