Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The CraftStar Featured Artist: A Sign of Success


http://asignofsuccess.thecraftstar.com



My name is Wade.  I've lived in New York City since October 2012 (the day before Hurricane Sandy) with my partner Sunny. 


I worked as a Commercial Property Manager with over half million square feet of mixed use properties in my portfolio. When the economy took a bit of a slump some of my tenants should have been doing all they could to bring in customers but they were not. I noticed they needed window signage to directly market to those that walked by as to why they should come inside.  

Your Business Name on Your Glass Front Door or Window


I found that most of them didn't want to spend the money as it was expensive.  So I bought a small machine to cut vinyl and helped them get the signage they needed at a reasonable cost. 


Unfortunately the property management couldn't support me full time so I thought it was easier for me to focus more on the vinyl business and see what I could do. And now after a few years with great support from my boyfriend the business is doing better and better. 

Just Married Vinyl Decal For Your Car



What are your hopes and aspirations for your store and where do you see yourself going from here? 

I will always have a presence in websites like these but do plan on putting my own website out there in the world. I will be adding more and more items that my customers deem they need but expect to be with The CraftStar for a long time. 

Mustache Chalkboard For Your Kitchen or Office



Have you experienced any major accomplishments or recognition? 

For me, because I have some social anxiety, I have been creating a larger local customer base. This means I walk from store to store and tell people about my business and what it can do for them.

SPECIAL - Store Front & Store Hours Signs

Both For One Price



What are three tools in your work space that you could not live without? 

My vinyl cutter, my dental tools (yes I use these) and the internet. 


Have you ever experienced a craft disaster? What happened? 

Last year I was creating the largest decal I had made to date. It was 40" tall by 110" wide and was too big to do in my shop. So I had to move the operation to the living room. I should have had help because at some point the sign folded over on itself and BAM completely ruined. Had to start over and get help. It was an expensive lesson but glad it happened. 



Two Vinyl Footballs For Kid's Bedroom Wall, window or  Decal For a Computer



How important is marketing for your small business and what has been most effective for you? 

I think marketing is very important. Not too many people knocking on my apartment door looking to place an order. ha. I've tried Facebook ads but it really only got me likes. Which isn't a bad thing. I've done Google ads but not sure I wrote the ad properly to market to my customer. I still want to give that another try.  

Facebook Button Decal For Your Store Front Window


What item in your shop is your top seller or is your favorite design? 

My best sellers are my store hour signs for sure. But my favorite items are usually the custom orders using custom logos and such.

Window Decal For Store Hours 


What are your 2 favorite items from other shops on The CraftStar? 

I love anything to do with wine, wine bottles or wine glasses. These are so awesome. 

Wedding centerpiece White Triple Wine Bottle 

Candle Holder Hurricane Lamp




Love the color green and bikes are awesome. Enough said. 

Mini Wallet - Card Case - Vinyl Business Card Wallet - Bicycle How I Roll Design


How much do you social network?

It has to be a daily occurrence but still I struggle.  Social networking is not a natural process for me. I tend to be quiet and think what I have to say doesn't need to be blasted. But as a small business it would be hard to survive without it so I do what I can each day even if its not something directly related to a product I sell. 

FOLLOW WADE!

Twitter: @ASignofSuccess

http://asignofsuccess.thecraftstar.com




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