Name of your website?Psychedelicat Vintage & Antique Sewing Goods
Your name?
Denise
Your Location (city, etc)
Seattle area, Washington
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We sell vintage and antique sewing items, ribbon & trims, along with a carefully-chosen assortment of vintage jewelry and home decor items.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I also own a webdesign business, and have owned other websites as well. My longtime love of things vintage, and the need for a site that offers a wide range of vintage sewing trims inspired me to launch Psychedelicat.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was Empty Mirror Books (http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com). It is still in operation, and has expanded from strictly a bookselling site to also include many articles about and interviews with authors, poets, artists, and musicians.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
When we first launched the website, our focus was mod '60s & '70s decor items and psychedelic fabrics & trims. We chose Psychedelicat as a combination of "psychedelic" and "cat."
As the site has evolved, so has the scope of items offered, which now range from the Victorian era through the 1970s.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
I know of no other website which offers as large a selection of vintage silk ribbons, seam bindings, and embroidered trims.
Aside from the selection, our customers appreciate the quality of our merchandise, the good customer service, and that we add new items to stock weekly.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My goal is to continue to find great vintage items and expand our offerings even more.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I've found that with any website, it takes a lot of time to properly maintain the site, process sales & customer inquiries, and to get the word out. But I don't mind this, as it is very satisfying to see the results.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is getting the word out about the site. We are constantly promoting it.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and our repeat customers have been very helpful in this regard.
We've also designed the site to be easily found in a search.
A newsletter, and most recently, Twitter, help us announce new additions to the site and keep our customers connected.
We also sell on eBay, and a number of our eBay customers have also become Psychedelicat.com customers.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
We launched the Psychedelicat website in 2007 and are continually striving to offer more of what our visitors are looking for. I'm looking forward to many more years!
What is your website address?
Psychedelicat Vintage & Antique Sewing Goods
