Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrina Kelley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katrina, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

I love my customers. It is all about making them happy, because I make things for them and wouldnt be here in business without them liking my work and returning for more. Its the basis of any business but especially mine being a ‘handmade’ product. My business is 80% online with 20% being in person summertime events.

I reward my customers all the time. I want them to feel special, because they really are to me. I send handwritten notes with every order. i email them special coupon codes for secret sales. i reward returning customers and large orders with extra gifts (like a free pickle with your burger). When one of my customers places an order and gets to use a bunch of codes and scores a great deal… i don’t sigh and think about how much less income it is, i rejoice for my new friend that just scored a sweet deal because i know that feeling!

When i have in person events i like to spoil them with delicious treats and door prizes. I always want them to know how grateful I am that they spend their hard earned money and precious time with me and my business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Seamstress & I love what I do. Sewing has been a part of my life since i was a toddler. My mother was a seamstress and taught me how to sew very early on and it was a large part of my life. It was something that I loved to do but I never thought I could make a career out of it.

For many years I ran other people’s businesses and in my early 30’s I decided to pursue my own dreams. I started my craft from scratch and worked with what I had, did online schooling to learn the “proper” business side and grew from there.

Throughout my life linen has held a place of memory and comfort, from clothing to sheets. I love it all, but the items that intrigue me the most are home linens. I love designing and creating something that is beautiful and utilitarian, that can hold a place of memory for you and those you love in your home & life… the tea towel in the kitchen that you use religiously, your favorite cloth napkins that you took on that picnic, the pillowcase that soothes you to sleep or the body towel that makes you forget the kids are screaming and you feel like you are in a spa. I love creating linens that help you clean the messes and make more memories.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think a big part of my ‘brand’ is actually me, the human behind it. My company/brand is know for quality made linens but my customers also know who *I* am. It’s not like a big box store where you couldn’t even guess who the boss was, let alone talk to the seamstress or the shipping department. Around here it’s just me and if you need anything *I* am the one you reach out to.

I am a maker of my own goods and everything I make has a piece of my soul in it. I make everything one at a time in small batches so that my quality remains high and my waste remains low. It’s the craftsmanship that I bring to the fabric & the love that i pour into my product and business that shines through the murky waters to find my ‘target market’ or better stated… my people.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I started out on Etsy but there were just too many restrictions and oddities, plus i felt lost in a sea of makers. How was anyone going to find me?

I switched to using Squarespace for my ecommerce platform. Admittedly sometimes they are a little behind the other service providers but I like the company, love the setup, and customer service is great. They have come a long way in the past 6 years that i’ve been using them. I like having control over everything and having everything in its place. I have analytics, sales, marketing and emails all in one place.

I look at my ecommerce website as my brick and mortar. Every day I wake up and drink my coffee and ‘open the shop up’. I look through the pages and analytics for any issues just like sweeping the floor for dust and dirt, i make photo changes on my homepage like im changing up the window display, I put more popular listings at the top of the page like im rearranging my merchandise racks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amphitritestudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amphitrite.studio/

Image Credits
All photos by Melissa Keyser of The Quarter Moon Studio