Learn about Pop Shop Houston Summer Festival June 13th-14th

Stay Cool this Summer with the Biggest and Most Cozy Summer Festival in Houston

This June 13th and 14th, Pop Shop Houston will be back to Silver Street Studios for the last event of the season. It’s been Pop Shop’s biggest year with over 6,000 in attendance at it’s Holiday Festival and over 15,000 at their events last year. Pop Shop Summer Festival will feature over 90 Houston-based artists, small businesses and makers of unique design goods. In addition there will be a live mural by Up Art Studios, life size sculptures by Jon Clark, murals by Nicky Davis, open artist studios at Silver Street Studios, Dj Ceeplus Bad Knives, No Fun, and FREDster, and food tastings by local eateries like Whole Foods, Topo Chico, Pistolero’s, cool tech projects from TX/RX Labs, and DIYs by Pop Shop America.

Learn more here.

Get VIP Passes Here.

Purchase a craft workshop pass here.

Discussion Recap: Etsy Houston Meetup April 1st

The Etsy Houston Street Team Hosted their first Meet Up at TX/RX Labs Makerspace

Every time we meet we get into a hot discussion full of great ideas about how to grow our businesses. Here are the things we discussed April 1st and a few questions we came up with. Please comment on this blog if you would like to continue the discussion.



Apps are crucial to having strong Etsy Shops. We all had different favorites. You can find official Etsy Apps here: https://www.etsy.com/apps/. There are a ton of apps with lots of different functions. You can browse by popular apps or search by category. Make sure you browse the Sellers Apps - look at the top right where you can distinguish between buyer and seller apps.
       Recommended: https://www.etsy.com/apps/1039482342/bestautorenewcom
       Recommended: https://www.etsy.com/apps/343185661/shipstation
       Recommended: http://www.etsyonsale.com/
       Recommended: https://www.etsy.com/apps/505670/1-product-photography-fotofuze

Why Auto Renew? Etsy has it's own internal SEO. It wants shops that are the most active to appear at the top of the pages. Funny thing is, it doesn't know the difference between a sale and reposting or just a reposting. Auto Renew will help you repost your listings - at a fee of course - which will rank you higher in searches.

Why Ship Station? The best shipping fees for USPS, Fedex, UPS, and DHL with easy at home printing. It automatically links with your Etsy and notifies the buyer. It can give you statistics about who is shopping and where they live.

Why Etsy On Sale? You can manage multiple shops at once. You can autorenew or run sales on multiple items all at once. This could be especially useful for Cyber Monday - style sales in which multiple items, or multiples shops are being changed at once.

Why Fotofuze? Product photography means everything on Etsy. This app helps whiten the backgrounds of photos without losing color in your foreground. AMAZING! Plus it's made by a company in Dallas and supporting local businesses is our thing, right?



Other apps we <3:
Fotor for Mac - Whitagram for Iphone

Questions for the Group that Came Up:
Do people prefer Society6 or Etsy? Why?

Want to join the conversation? Join us at our next meet up May 6th at TX/RX Labs 205 Roberts 77003.

What to Bring to The Etsy Houston Craft Party this Friday!

Fellow Makers!

Just because we're technically full doesn't mean you can't attend the Annual Etsy Houston Craft Party! It just means that it would be extra helpful to bring supplies and resources that we can all share. The goal of the craft party is to have some fun, meet and greet our fellow makers, and create something together. The topic this year is transforming old photos into new treasures. Here's the list of items to bring:

1. Things that you have personally made for trading with others or giving away.
2. Snacks of any kind but especially healthy snacks!
3. Drinks, drinks, drinks! BYOB-please feel free to bring whatever you like and especially wine and beer!
4. Old Photographs for transforming
5. Scrapbook material, fancy papers, and stickers
6. Pens and Markers for drawing on the photos
7. Frames, matte board, and scissors
8. Party supplies and party decorations - especially if you want to come early and help set up.

Hope to see you there at:

New Living 
Friday June 6th 6-9pm
6111 Kirby Houston, 77005

The Winners of the Houston Maker Awards!

Click here to learn about the winners of the 2012-2013 Houston Maker Awards!

What's In Store for 2014 and a Review of What We've Achieved

Dear Etsy Houston Members,

Thanks so much for being a part of this great organization. During the last year we've managed to get more organized and find a forum to communicate, toss ideas around, and share in our experiences as makers here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/443126935751222/ If you are a maker, please join our conversation.

We had our first Etsy Houston Holiday Bash December 2013 in which members of Etsy Houston sold their wares to raise money for this non-profit. Last year, the street team won a Etsy Fellowship which all gave us a small amount of funds and a lot of cool swag that we were able to give to Etsy Houston Street Team members and give away to attendees of Pop Shop Houston.

What to do with our small amount of funds, we have yet to decide. But will have some time to discuss at the next Etsy Houston meeting which will take place at New Living in a few weeks. Fundraising is a current priority for the team. Space Montrose, Cactus Music, and Pop Shop Houston have made donations to the team to help us in our fundraising efforts!

All in all we've had a great year and hope to continue our growth into the future. Please check back often for more info and join our group if you haven't already.

Etsy Houston Holiday Bash this Sunday December 22nd!

Please join us at the first ever Holiday Craft Sale and party at Westheimer & Dunlavy to benefit the Houston Etsy street team. We'll have free craft beer tastings and loads of art and design objects for sale that will make perfect holiday gifts. The Reverberation DJs are going to play some vintage vinyl classics so come have some fun on the last Sunday before Christmas!

When: Sunday December 22nd 12pm-6pm

Where: Pavement Clothing (at Westheimer & Dunlavy)

How Much: Free! Raffle tickets are $5 and you can win awesome prizes.

Vendors include: Jessica Grundy, The Barking Bunny, Kelly Kielsmeier, The Boy & Her, Tiny Deer Studio, Tim & Ben, Forgotten Arts Clothing, Pop Shop Houston and more!

The First Annual Etsy Houston Holiday Bash!

Join us at the first annual Etsy Houston Holiday Bash hosted by Pavement Clothing and Leopard Lounge Vintage. December 8th from noon to six pm 1657 Westheimer St. Houston TX 77006 We'll have free DIY workshops to make your holidays hip and free beer tasting by local craft brewers Buffalo Bayou Brew Company. 

Interested in vending? You must be a Etsy Houston member! Join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/443126935751222/ and then fill out the normal Pop Shop Houston application here- http://www.popshophouston.com/apply.htm.

From Art Star to Hunter Gatherer: How Teresa O'Connor has helped shape Houston craft

Houston craft would be quite different without Teresa O’Connor. This sculptor turned boutique owner helped pioneer the indie craft culture of Houston with a pop up shop called Art Star founded in 2004. Art Star was located inside of art galleries, bars, and later Retropolis in the Heights. I asked Teresa some questions about her history of being a maker.

Read the rest of the article here on Pop Shop Houston news.

Pop Shop Houston: Indie Craft Fair, Art, and Music Festival

It's coming up so soon! May 11th and 12th are right around the corner.

https://www.facebook.com/events/280459912068362/

We hope to see you there!

Say goodbye to Sunshine and Hello to Twinkle Lights!

After April 21st from noon to six, The Folk Market is going to change to a night program to beat the summer heat.  Come say goodbye to gorgeous weather by hula hooping, eating an ice cream by Fat Cat Creamery, and listening to some awesome records. This month we have another round of great giveaways to the first few people that attend.  We can't wait to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/630345550316132/

Folk Market at AvantGarden March 17th!

Don't miss the very special Folk Market at AvantGarden on Sunday March 17th. Bravado Spice Company is cooking up a special cocktail and food menu, the Houston Mini Maker Faire will have activities and engineering projects for guests to get the hands into, and Chloe Sunshine from NYC will be performing live. 

The Folk Market at AvantGarden is a European style market of indie craft, art and design from noon to 6pm. A ridiculous amount of giveaways to the first and last few in attendance will happen at the event. Here is the total list of giveaways: a tree free journal from 1+2=Love, a leather cuff by Barking Bunny, 4 8x10 wood prints by Jessica Grundy, 4 8x10 prints by Chris Grundy, 4 prints and 4 pocket mirrors from Tiny Deer Studio, 4 bottles of Bravado Spice marinades, 1 pack of organic healthy dog treats by Doggiee Snack Bar, 4 goodie bags courtesy of Lisa Chow, a men's t shirt from .506, a slim leather card wallet and a heavy duty lanyard by ML Leather, and 3 pots of Minx lip color from X.

BE THERE MARCH 17TH!
The Folk Market at AvantGarden
Every third Sunday of the Month
411 Westheimer St. 77006