Carolyn Said Nov. 25, 2016 Updated: Nov. 25, 2016 6 a.m.
Brothers Chris and David Steinrueck turn wood into planters, ties, cufflinks and sunglass frames. Sharon Zimmerman makes edgy metal jewelry inspired by nature, architecture and science. Rebecca Saylor sews whimsical pillows out of reclaimed fabric.
All left traditional jobs to earn their living by crafting items for sale. And all use Etsy, the large online marketplace for handmade goods, to reach buyers worldwide, on top of selling on their own websites.
They’re among some 200 local artisans at this weekend’s fourth annual SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium, a pop-up crafts market at Pier 70 in Dogpatch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Founded in 2005, Etsy is now a global phenomenon, with headquarters in Brooklyn and offices in San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere; 1.7 million sellers worldwide; and 41 million unique items on offer to some 26 million shoppers. Total sales last year were $2.4 billion. The company charges 20 cents an item to list it, and then takes a 3.5 percent cut of the sale. Besides its worldwide reach for marketing, it offers tools for payment processing, order shipping and financial tracking.
Last year’s Etsy market at Pier 35 drew 60,000 people over two days, up from 10,000 a year earlier. That overwhelming response led to long lines. This year, the fair has many more crowd-control measures, including 20 security officers, a passenger drop-off lane and 17 portable toilets.
Etsy, a 900-person company, is on the leading edge of the gig economy — a shift toward self-employment and microbusinesses. A McKinsey study last month showed that more gig workers are making money by selling items on online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy than driving for Uber or Lyft, for instance.
However, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson said most Etsy makers would reject the gig-worker label.
Founder Chris Steinrueck cuts recycled wood for ties at Wood Thumb shop on Monday, November 21, 2016, in San Francisco, Calif. Brothers Chris and David Steinrueck and their Wood Thumb shop are among 200 sellers exhibiting homemade wares at the SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium.
Etsy isn’t directly involved in the San Francisco crafts fair, but lends its name and helps with marketing. It encourages sellers to help one another, both through its online forums and in-person meetings.
Some Etsy makers always had an attraction to handicrafts.
“I never could keep my hands still; I picked up crocheting, knitting, drawing and beading,” said Zimmerman. A few years ago, she realized she wanted to leave her retail customer-service job. She took a metalsmithing class and realized she’d found her metier.
Since then, she’s expanded her own website, with Etsy now contributing up to 15 percent of her sales. Her rings, necklaces and earrings ran from $40 to over $2,000 for an engagement ring.
Chris and David Steinrueck likewise grew up immersed in crafting. They attended Waldorf schools, whose philosophy emphasizes practical and artistic hands-on activities. Their dad had a wood shop; their family baked its own bread and churned its own butter.
They started off at San Francisco’s TechShop, a co-working space for makers, with a focus on unique “gifts for guys” for $30 to $60, such as bow ties and ties made of wood. They quickly found some stores to sell their wares through existing contacts, and then turned to Etsy to sell directly to consumers. Now they have their own website as well as a thriving side business of do-it-yourself woodworking classes.
She approached the transition methodically, writing up a business plan, and then testing a bunch of different ideas. Pillows ended up being what clicked.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.