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If you love shopping for unique items, you probably spend a lot of time browsing through Etsy. We are always on the lookout for Etsy sellers that stand out from the crowd.  One of our favorite discoveries is a wonderful shop called All That’s Rustic. They specialize in farmhouse, rustic, and industrial-inspired décor with many different textiles. They are famous for their Lighted Hanging Mason Jar Sconces with Flowers. Custom orders are always welcome and they will even match your décor!

The owner of All That’s Rustic was kind enough to share some of her most popular items with us. She also provided some insightful information regarding her Etsy business. We thought this information would be useful to prospective buyers as well as to those thinking of opening an online business of their own.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with All That’s Rustic!

How long have you been in business?

We have been on Etsy for 4 years. Our date of opening was May 25, 2015.

What inspired you to start your own business?

“I always enjoyed home décor, designing, and transforming homes. My husband and I always had an interest in remodeling homes. We would remodel and DIY style it all as we just didn’t have the income to purchase some of the items we really liked at the time. We have always considered ourselves in deep with DIY projects! Once we started making our own home décor we both fell in love. We realized that we could be doing this for a living, so we took a major leap of faith, worked extremely hard, and prayed a ton! Thankfully we have grown to be able to both do this full time and focus on growing our business and growing as business professionals as well. We have learned so much over this time period and continue to learn every day as we set sail to have growth goals for the future!”

What is your background and how did you develop the skills to start your business?

“We both do not have any background per say in the home décor industry, but we both flipped each home we have lived in, remodeled and sold for a profit. We feel some of those experiences have led us to understand the business world a little better. I have a teaching degree and taught first graders for 3 years prior to this and my husband, Jonathan, went to college for about a year and worked as an order filler for Walmart Distribution Center. My husband’s job was a factory job that paid very well, but through his experience there he claims he now understands the “behind the scenes” on some work issues, rules, and regulations that are in place as we now understand a sense of production to our line of work! I would say we mainly have learned this as we have gone, but we do have other family members that are business owners as well that have helped with guidance along the way.”

Are the Mason Jar Sconces your most successful product?

“We have gone through some waves already of some really high-volume selling products! I would say our number one seller and beloved item that was fully created and envisioned by me was our “Lighted Hanging Mason Jar Sconces with Flowers”. So many took to the design and concept of them. They are warm, inviting, and can match your décor colors perfectly! It essentially can go in any room in your home and can be used all year round! It is a very versatile piece. It can also be used with real fresh water flowers! We feel the price is also fair for a Set of 2 with lights and flowers. These are 100% handmade by a small family business and you can pick the colors for ALL of it! We use high quality wood that is ¾ inch thick unlike the “China” selling ones you see and we also use high quality flowers for a perfect full look. The look is farmhouse rustic with a flare of shabby chic!”

“Our second biggest seller is probably our toilet paper holder planter boxes that sit on the back of toilets on the tank! The ones with the bathroom humorous phrases sell the most! They range from sayings like “Hello Sweet Cheeks” to “Nice Butt” to “Take A Seat Sweet Cheeks” and “Seat Yourself”. Our planter boxes are solid made and of wonderful craftsmanship! This is real wood and not your light weight China mass-made products! We paint the phrases onto the box so they are high quality and not vinyl stickers! We also have options to add a mason jar and flower in there for a flare of décor to your set! This product also can be customized to match your décor colors to the tee for a seamless and unique look in your bathroom! Options for the fonts are also available! They are wonderful for holding toilet paper rolls, room spray fresheners, décor, essentials, and Knick-knacks! These sell for $26 for the box and phrase only or at $38 for the box, mason jar, and flowers. The mason jars can be also used as tissue holders! So many ways to create the look of your needs!”

“Our next biggest seller lately has been our Get Naked Just Kidding. This Is A Half Bath. Don’t Make It Weird. Bathroom sign! These signs are painted and no vinyl stickers! It is also made to match your décor color scheme! It comes as a cute modern style font that is quirky and fits right in the farmhouse theme era. Perfect for hanging on the wall or displaying freely standing on a bathroom floating shelf. The phrase is so cute and hilarious. Buyers tend to gift these as well as they are a perfect and affordable funny gift for any occasion! They come in various square sizes and colors! These seem to be our number one hit at the present time along with the above toilet paper holder boxes. Bathroom Décor seems to be the highlighted aspect at the current date!”

“Another popular favorite we sell is our 5-piece mason jar bathroom sets that include a flower! These are wonderful for holding bathroom essentials all in one place and also give some flare to your décor! This item can be customized in the color schemes needed and the artificial flower can come in color needed! These have had nearly 16,000 favorites on Etsy! The grey tones are definitely the number one-color scheme sold! These are so cute and practical! What is not to love about these unique hand painted mason jars! We can safely say we are the number one seller in painted mason jar décor on Etsy if not worldwide! We hand paint and use high quality materials and practices. They represent quality.”

“Another hit has been our Flip, Stir, Whisk utensil holder sets! They are super functional and hold a ton of cooking utensils! This is also cute and practical. These are 100% painted jars… no vinyl sticker!! This is what makes them so unique! We sell a ton of these sets. They can also be done in color scheme of choice to match your décor! They also have the option of coming with a rustic wooden tray to match! These are $40-$42 for the whole set! These are also ball mason jars that have smooth surfaces that make the writing on them so clean and fresh! This is an original design by us here at All That’s Rustic! We have matching hand and dish soap dispensers and salt and pepper shakers to match the collection!”

Why do you think All That’s Rustic has been so successful? 

“One of the reasons I think our shop has become successful is due to the fact we do not get caught up in policy. We do not tie ourselves into policy driven rules. However, of course we do have certain guidelines and policies we have to go by to keep things fair and professional, but over all if there is an issue with a customer or their order we are always there and willing to help! The goal is to keep customers happy (reasonably of course) as this makes the chances of their experience better and also chances for them to return or share their experience with us even better! This is the goal, to GROW! Growth and customers have a major role in this aspect! We want to make sure we stand by our products and customer service number one. Having a good reputation goes a very long way! Also, we feel we constantly try to make sure we are trendy with the recent décor styles in our category! We are also always looking for ways to improve or change products to make it even better for customers out there!”

What sets you apart from your competitors?

“Basically, the things stated above are what we feel sets us apart from competitors. The best secret is our competitors actually helps us! Yes, help us! We constantly compare and contrast the market and our competitors to keep things up to par and push our beyond our limits! They are pushing and challenging us and they don’t even know it! That is the wonderful part about business. Those around you can influence and drive you even more than you knew! This is essential to a growing business! You must always be aware and stay up to par and try to always think of ways to set yourself apart from others so you stand out as unique and true to your designs! We feel our customer service and the quality materials we use to make our products set us apart as we try to refrain from using low priced/low quality materials on our items. Our painted techniques for our mason jars also make us feel the quality is high for the line of work we do! A ton of people can paint a mason jar, but there truly is an essence to making them look professionally painted and distressed AND sealed so they last for years to come!”

How would you describe your typical work day?

“Our typical work day is non stop from the time of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. We have 5 employees that work along with us and we are all geared in during those times. We are all hands on deck! It definitely takes a dedicated team effort to get all our custom orders out in a timely matter! Some days we can feel burned out, but we always push forward and try to also be as efficient as possible! We are definitely a line of production, but the fun and best part is that it is a line of production in something really cool and unique and you probably won’t see a lot of hand painted mason jar or rustic home décor production lines out there.” 😊

What advice would you give someone going into business for themselves?

“My best and number one advice is if you feel it in your heart and you have a passion for whatever it is you want to do, do it! Do not hold back, be hesitant, just do it! Think clearly beforehand of course, but if you want it go get it! Nothing is impossible and if you love something enough and work very hard for it you can do it! Going into business is tricky of course and can pose some risks, but if you are smart on decisions, take baby steps along the way to become established and prosper towards goals, anything is possible! Your business will be how much effort and time you dedicate to it. I always say you probably need to be obsessive about it.” 😊

Can we expect any new products from your shop in the near future?

“Absolutely! We are constantly adding new products and designs to our collection! Not many know this yet, but we are actually about to be moving forward in a major way! We will be doing CNC/laser work by offering engraved products! We will be doing engraved wood and metal products, designs, home décor, jewelry, etc. so our market will definitely be expanding in the months to come! We cannot wait to explore this and hopefully grow our business to the next level and offer a wide range of popular goods to wonderful people all over the world! 😊 So everyone stay tuned on this! Oh and another secret! We will be launching our own website once our CNC laser products begin!! We hope to make All That’s Rustic its very own solid brand!”