Spotlight Saturday presents: Creative Corks N More!

   

Okay, so you know when you come across a shop and your mouth literally drops open? Then you feel dumb because no one is around and you're home alone? But then it's replaced by pure excitement for finding something awesome? That's how I felt when I checked out Creative Corks N More!

Introducing Tanita & Devon, the creative brains behind Creative Corks N More

My mind was blown away by their items and I'm not the only one. With just a little under a year of opening shop, Tanita & Devon have had over 1250 sales!! Wowzers!! I sent them some questions about their shop, who they were and what advice they had for other shop owners. Here's what they said:

1.) Who is behind Creative Corks 'N More? Who are you guys? Creative Corks N' More is operated by Tanita & Devon; A very happily engaged couple! Creating is something of a passion for us, which we love to share with others.

2.) When did you start creating? Devon and I have both grown up in crafty families so creating has always been daily activities for both of us in our childhood lives. We decided to start sharing our creations on Etsy in March of 2011 and since then, all of our dreams have come true. Both of us have been able to successfully quit our day jobs and we would not feel any more blessed than we do now. 

3.) In your own words, what makes your shop stand out? I would say that the main thing that makes our shop stand out is our originality. All of our products are one of a kind and made with either recycled, reused, or repurposed materials.

4.) What does handmade mean to you? Handmade to us is something that is made by someone, with their thoughts, their passion and their time going into it. Handmade is not mass-produced and is not created solely by machinery. It is created by hand. When you buy handmade, you are buying more than a product. You are buying a story.

5.) Where or who do you get your inspiration from? We believe that there is a purpose for everything and the inspiration to create comes from absolutely anything. I would say that our main inspiration comes from the recycled materials we are working with.

6.) What do you like to do when NOT creating? At this point in time, there is not a time that we are not creating. Since we have both been blessed with the opportunity of quitting our days jobs, we are able to dedicate our heart, soles, and every minute of our time to our shop.

7.) What's the best part about running your own shop? The best part of being self employed is the flexibility and being our own bosses. There is nothing that I love more than being business partners with my friend who is also the love of my life.

8.) What's do you like about selling on Etsy? Without a doubt, the community. We absolutely love interacting with other artists!

9.) Any advice you'd like to give other shop owners on Etsy? Honestly, I could go on and on with the tips and advice that I would love to share with fellow shop owners. The best advise I can give is to self promote! Promote is Etsy Teams, Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and have beautiful pictures of your products so others want to share your items on Pinterest, in Treasuries, and on blogs! Self promotion is key to a successful business!

10.) Where do you see yourself/your business in 10 years? This is a very difficult question for us! We tend to focus on all of our short term goals and have never thought about 10 years down the road. I can only image how our business will evolve in the next ten years.