Interview: Perfumes from StephanieK

StephanieK sells natural perfumes and beauty products. The perfumes are plant derived and contain no synthetic aromas so they are great for people with chemical sensitivity or allergies. 

Describe what you sell in your shop. 

My shop features my line of 6 all natural perfumes, plus a few beauty products like lip balm, facial oils and sugar scrubs.  About 10 years ago I started making my own perfumes with essential oils, and I just fell in love with the botanical essences and the art of old-style perfumery.

What is your favorite feature on Etsy? Do you use any other websites?

I love the Etsy Local feature on the mobile app. It lets you find Etsians in your area and see all the events where you can meet them in person. 

What is your creative process like?  

There are so many benefits to having your own website, I could go on and on about it. I would encourage any seller to start one as soon as they are able to do it. If you're up to tackling a learning curve, you can DIY your site and save a lot of money, but hiring a pro is the smart choice if you're serious about running it as a business. Either way, you do need to be able to commit time to operating and marketing your site.  It can be more challenging to operate on Etsy and a website at the same time if you have one of a kind products, because you'll have to sync inventories. But I do about half my business on my website and half on Etsy.  If you can only do one, go with Etsy because it's easy to operate and it has a built-in audience.

Where do you get inspiration?

I feel inspired by so many things! Music, food, stories, experiences, travel. Getting out into a more natural setting like a park or nature preserve. 

What is your favorite way to promote your shop?

Instagram has been something I've been getting into recently. I'm camera shy myself, but I like taking pictures as a way of sharing my feelings and telling my story.

Describe your studio space. Where do you work?

My studio space is a work room on the upper floor where it's cool and quiet, so it's great to have a space that is separated. My dad built for me a perfumer's organ, which is a steep tiered stand which holds many bottles so you can access them easily. We also made these great wooden vials holders for filling. Also a LOT of glassware. The whole space is inundated by lab glassware, blending bottles, big vials, tiny vials and perfume bottles of all shapes and sizes.

How do you package your products?

Packaging is really important to any product, but here I am selling perfume online. If I can't attract someone with a photo and a text description there's just no way! It's really challenging to figure out great packaging on a small scale. I design and print my own labels at home and add nice details by hand to my boxes. I like to use recycled paper where I can, and of course glass which is both reusable and recyclable.

Do you ever experience creative blocks?

Oh yes... I'm good friends with creative block. To run a shop you have to take on so many different roles, so there's a lot of opportunity to get stuck. If I start to feel anxiety about a task, that totally blocks up my creativity.  I just have to set it aside until that anxiety fades. Working on another task or even just goofing off seems to be the best way to bring it back. Great ideas most often come when you're not trying to think of great ideas.

Do you sell wholesale or consignment?

Yes, I do offer wholesale now and I am open to working out consignment deals. My items have a broad appeal so they can fit right in with nice boutiques, salons and spas, and even health and wellness retailers.

Do you ever do craft shows?

I do a few craft shows per year. Right now I'm only doing shows in central Texas so I that don't have much travel overhead. My biggest show is actually a renaissance faire. Every spring I spend 8 full weekends out at the Sherwood Forest Faire near Bastrop.

What do you hope for the future with your shop? 

People who try my perfumes so often say they're so much better than anything you can get in a store, so I really need to work on getting the word out. I hope to have my samples in beauty boxes and full size perfumes into retail spaces in the next 6 months. It's been a long time since I released a new perfume, so I also want to creating two or three new fragrances this year.

Thanks for having me here! I'd like to encourage everyone to enter my monthly drawing. Enter here for a chance to win a free perfume --  http://stephanieknaturals.com/