Worldwide community

I usually think of Etsy as a community in the abstract sense. There are forums, teams, comments, feedback, treasuries, and messages on the site, all designed to let us members communicate with each other. You can get a general feel for the culture there, and you can start to recognize names of people who participate a lot. I've had a good experience with all of these things and have gotten a warm friendly feeling from the time I've spent on Etsy.

But today broke into new Etsy-community territory for me: I met someone in person who I'd only talked to online through Etsy! And someone from the other side of the world, no less!

Liz from Laelia In The Sky had contacted me a few weeks ago saying she'd like to buy 40 red hearts. No big deal, right? I get custom orders like that pretty often. But what was different about Liz is that she lives in Australia! She said she was taking a trip to the West Coast of the U.S. and would like to meet up to make the transaction while she was in Portland! I was totally charmed. I love meeting the people who buy what I make! That's why I love craft shows. There's this mutual appreciation between people who make things.

So we figured out the logistics. I knew that I could not let her, a maker also, leave Portland without visiting Tender Loving Empire. It's the quintessential destination for anyone who cares about local handmade goodness! We met there and the transaction was complete– and I got to match a face to the online person with whom I'd been exchanging messages on Etsy.

Sometimes I forget that the people online are real people too. And sometimes one breaks through the surface and reminds me that there is so much more to all of this than just transactions. Thank you Liz! It was great to meet you.