Atomsart interview

Day157
http://www.cafepress.com/atomsart?pid=4370506

1. What drew you to opening an online store? Were you in a related field?

I have not got such a great job at the moment so I was hoping I could sell some of my designs to help me get a bit more money. I also really wanted to show people my abstract art and get some feedback on my work in general and having the designs on t-shirts allows me to both make profit and show my art at the same time so I thought it would be a great idea.

I have also recently decided to make some designs in a fun way with things that people would probably want to wear on a t-shirt which is a change but I have enjoyed making the new designs, they can be found here -

http://www.cafepress.com/atom_world?pid=4370506

I currently have a total of 21 designs but I enjoyed making them all so I plan to open more stores at some point.

2. When did you open your store?

I have been a member since 4/15/200. I opened my first store on that day then later updated it to have separate pages for each design. The links to the different products can be found at the top of the pages for both stores.

3. What is harder about doing this then you thought it would be?

For me at the moment it would definitely be selling stuff, this may be because I’m currently using the basic shops service and a lot of people say the premium service sells a lot better so I will probably be trying the free 15-day trial CafePress offers soon and see how things go.

4. What do you like best about being an online shopkeeper?

I like getting good feedback from people about my designs. I’m sure I will like getting money when I finally start to sell stuff, but for me good feedback from others is definitely the best thing for me.

5. During the very first month, what do you wish you had known then that you do now?

Probably that there is not as much interest in abstract art as I would have hoped. Through the CafePress forums I have recently learned this. Also that basic stores can be quite hard to sell stuff with, as they don’t show up in search engines very well.

6. Could you share some of the marketing you’ve tried so far (on or off line) and what has worked and what hasn’t?

I have added keywords to all my pages and designs, submitted my site to google etc, put links to my stores and posted on forums. I currently have not gotten any sales yet, but I have gotten some good feedback from various people.

7. What other sites, blogs, etc. do you have if any?

http://www.cafepress.com/atomsart

http://www.cafepress.com/atom_signs001

http://www.cafepress.com/atom_world


Nancy’s comments – I think when he gets his premium shop, it will be much easier for customers to navigate. I did really like the Fractal Greeting cards! See if you can find them!