We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shari Escott. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shari below.

Shari, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Paper Cutz was not a business at first. It started as a Friday night crafting get together with a friend. We were both going through difficult times personally and we didn’t have the energy to be around people so we started a therapy crafting night. After a few months of this, we realized we needed to do something with all of our creations so on a whim we applied for a local artisan market and were accepted for a holiday show….and that’s how Paper Cutz was born! A business that two friends started out of tough times.

What Paper Cutz was 11 years and what it is today are vastly different. We knew we were on to something with using books and vintage materials to create. At first we made paper flowers and book wreaths. On a whim, I bought a vintage horizontal frame and knew I wanted to make a picture for it. I decided to make a Cleveland skyline out of vintage papers all relating to Cleveland. I used vintage newspapers, matchbooks, postcards, playbills, etc. After it was completed, we both knew this was the direction that we needed to take and we started searching for materials at vintage shops, thrift stores, antique shows, etc. I started making all different images and I created them by using all types of vintage papers and all the papers all related to the picture. I hand cut all the original pieces, with tiny tweezer scissors, because the paper is so fragile. I sell all the original images but I scan them first to make prints and cards. I can only make about a dozen new images a year because they can take up to 100 hours to create an original image. I have over 40 bins of materials in my studio which contain vintage newspapers, wallpaper, matchbooks, magazines, catalogs, sheet music, maps, books, comic books, green stamps, playbills, photographs, trading cards, concert and sporting event tickets…the list goes on and on!

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

I grew up in Staten Island, NY and always wanted to go art school. I would travel into the city (Manhatten) often and loved buying art and unique creations from street vendors. I was always doodling and cutting up my clothes to make crazy designs. I always thought I would continue my love for creating in art school but my father talked me out of it and convinced me to go to UNLV for B.S. in hotel management. For the next 20 years I did nothing with art and just focused on family, raising my two son and working. I moved to Cleveland after I got married and started working for a large insurance company, and 27 years later I still work there. As I describer earlier, my business was birthed 11 years ago from a therapy craft night with a friend. My friend and I built this business together, she would handle all the sales and day to day business and I created all the images. Five years ago, I took over the business completely and became a one woman show. I was absolutely scared to death because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the business on my own along with working full time and a family. But I did it and I’m still doing it! This is probably one of the things that I’m most proud of. Now with that being said, I’ve sacrificed time, sleep, friends and so much more to run this business. I also can’t really scale it while I’m working a full-time day job but I believe one day I will be able to.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love podcasts and I never miss an episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz. It has impacted my entrepreneurial thinking by providing stories of inspiration from the journeys of successful entrepreneurs. Listening to the stories of how these individuals overcame challenges, embraced failures, and pursued their passions has taught me valuable lessons in resilience, determination, and creativity.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I do sell on Etsy and have since the start of my business. Etsy is known for its focus on handmade and vintage items and it appealed to a niche market. The exposure was great in the beginning and I have a steady stream of sales from Etsy and still do. There are definitely cons to this platform as well. Etsy has become saturated and you have to pay for their marketing or your shop will get lost. I still sell on Etsy but I am exploring other platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://papercutzvintage.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papercutzvintage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papercutzvintage