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

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I actually came up with the name Goth and Posh for a blog/podcast I was going to do with a friend. Her and I were very tight knit and you’d never think it considering she was very preppy, girly and I appeared to be the opposite. She decided she wanted to try a blog on her own and I respected that but I still wanted to give it a shot. The name stuck with me and when I decided to open my small business I thought it would be perfect! My personality is everything “goth” and “posh”- I love all things pink, glittery, and cute while also loving bats, black, horror and heavy metal! I just attended my first comic convention and the name really resonated with a lot of people. They loved it and felt represented because a lot of people are just like me!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

It was the early beginnings of the Covid pandemic. Everyone was scrambling to understand what was going on, how to prepare and trying their best to stay safe. My brother and I stepped into a Wal-Mart to try and gather whatever food we good find. People were trying their best to mask up with silly costumes and strange ideas. We walked past the fabric section and I saw some Star Wars and Nightmare Before Christmas fabric (fat quarters) and elastic. I decided to snatch them up to attempt to make masks for me and my family.

I’ve picked up a sewing needle before while I was in high school so I didn’t feel entirely lost or intimidated by this project.

I went home, searched some YouTube videos and made my first ever handmade mask. The stitches were uneven, crooked but it was sufficient enough! I started doing more and more but I was taking too long.

Back in the early 2000s, my mom gifted me a sewing machine. I’ve never used it before and we never had a chance to sit down and learn it together. I took it out of my closet, dusted it off and then realized I needed a cord because I had lost it. After it came in, I went back to YouTube to try and figure out how to use this thing! After a few attempts, I was getting the gang of it. Trial and error! By the time I knew it, I had friends and family, even friends of friends and family, reaching out to see if I could make them a mask. They started asking for certain designs and colors. I started shopping online, finding fabric groups, buying off eBay and Etsy. In the first year of the pandemic, I probably sold about 200 masks!

Slowly, medical grade masks had become more available and the fabric mask requests slowed down but I was hooked to sewing. I was enjoying the different patterns and fabrics so much! I decided to go to Pinterest for ideas and then try something new like zippers or interfacing.

This is when I decided to open my Etsy shop. I had been curating fabrics and working on small projects like coin purses or keyfob wristlets but they were just going to sit in my craft room. I figured Etsy was a good way for me to make the money back I was investing in this hobby and to also not have a closet full of coin purses.

It’s been 2 years now that I’ve been on Etsy and my catalog has grown! I can make things like scrunchies, keyfob wristlets, coin purses, zippered pouches, boxed pouches, tote bags, pyramid pouches, bookmarks, fabric buttons, fabric earrings and more!

Etsy has been doing great and with the support and encouragement of my husband, I recently hosted a booth at the Victoria Texas Comic Con in January 2024. It was a hit! People really loved the diversity my booth had to offer not only in terms of the products but also the designs.

I pride myself on curating unique and custom fabrics. Things you may not find on a shelf at a Hobby Lobby or Joann’s. This makes people feel like they have something exclusive and they do!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Because I had made masks over the summer, I had a few extra dollars in my pocket. I’d use that money to invest in more fabrics and extra things like zipper, elastic, keychains, hardware for my keyfobs, etc. Anytime I received a deposit from Etsy, it went right back into my little business. I didn’t feel comfortable taking out any loans or credit cards because I kept telling myself “this is just a hobby”.

In 2022, I made about $5K on Etsy but spent just as much. Trying to build an inventory of fabrics, switching platforms to try and sell on, buying patterns, designing business cards etc.

In 2023, I made more than double but still feel like I’m constantly investing.

In 2024, I just came back from my first convention and made almost $2K which immediately used to invest in more comic con conventions this year, some fabrics for those special conventions but this time I came out on top with profits!

Moral of this story is that you can take it slow. I wouldn’t dive right into taking out loans for a business you’re still in the early stages of navigating. Now that I’m going into my third year, I have a better grasp on my brand, my capabilities for creating and sewing, and a vision of where I can see my little business going.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

I’m new to being a small business owner and there isn’t really a lot of free help out there when it comes to taxes.

I received a letter from the state of Texas back in October asking for my financial information – how much I made, how many sales were in Texas, taxes collected etc.

I was so lost! Etsy does everything through a 1099-K form and collects/charges everything. How would I have any of this information?

I let a few months fo by and didn’t think anything of it because I thought Etsy would handle everything and that this letter didn’t effect me. Then, I got a bill from the state of Texas for almost $1K with an estimation of taxes due. How could I owe that much money for a quarter of the year when I didn’t even make that much in that time?

I had to jump through a few hoops, found a really nice lady to talk to and she helped me understand how to report everything correctly. It turns out I didn’t owe that money and now I know what to do every 3 months to be compliant.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gothandposh.etsy.com
• Instagram: gothandposh
• Other: TikTok: gothandposh

Image Credits
Photo of the girl holding the black and white striped Scream bag is @1melmarie on Instagram. Photo of man and woman holding the red Scream tote bag is @shelby.perez on Instagram Photo of woman holding Harley Quinn bag is @girlgillainc_cosplay on Instagram I took all the photos.