171:, touch, and emotion. The site was set up to allow designers, artists, and craftspeople to promote and sell their hand-made work directly to customers; the only requirement was for the vendor to be resident in New Zealand. Vendors paid a deposit and a small fee per listing, as well as 5 per cent commission to Felt. Arnold's intent was for Felt to support small local businesses and provide a platform for craftspeople beginning their careers.
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167:, at a time when online shopping was still a new concept for New Zealanders, suggested that such a business was workable; Trade Me was a poor fit for craft vendors, as it only allowed items to be listed for one week, and was designed for bargain-hunters. The name Felt was chosen after three weeks of brainstorming because it evoked the material
191:: its premises was red-stickered for demolition and all computer equipment was lost. In June 2011, Felt had 15,000 to 20,000 registered users; this had grown to 64,300 by 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic boosted sales, as part time crafters began to sell their wares online. At a COVID media briefing on 14 April 2020, Prime Minister
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by a Felt vendor. This led to surge in sales and visitor numbers to the site. By 2023, Felt goods were being sold by 1500 vendors to customers in 56 countries, with the most popular categories being jewellery, infant clothing, and garden art, and vendors were collectively making over $ 1 million in
184:-originated Craft2.0 events in Christchurch in 2008 and 2009, Arnold organised an inaugural Christchurch craft fair, A Craft Affair, in July 2010. Along with two other crafters Arnold began Crafty Business, a monthly meeting for crafters to discuss marketing and princing their goods.
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arm warmers for friends and family, eventually selling them on Etsy. She decided to create a New
Zealand version of the site that allowed people to buy locally-made handcrafts and compete with imported mass-produced goods. The success of the New Zealand auction website
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The website experienced initial rapid growth, with 500 sellers and 2600 registered users by May 2009, and was one of the top three trading sites in the 2010 New
Zealand Netguide Web Awards. After Felt supported the
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sales annually. Nevertheless, Felt was still a relatively small business, run by Arnold and three staff working from their homes in central
Christchurch.
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is an online marketplace founded in 2007 for New
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154:. Arnold, in her mid 20s, had bought a sewing machine in 2005 and made
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graphic designer Lucy Arnold, in response to the US craft-selling site
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Lau, Matthew (8 October 2015). "Website supports craftspeople".
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Kirk-Anderson, Mary (28 May 2009). "A feel for the handmade".
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Lloyd
Jenkins, Douglas; Hammonds, Lucy (11 October 2014).
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293:"Small Business: Craft businesses - Lucy Arnold, Felt"
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384:Ezzy, Maddie (21 June 2011). "Making her market".
318:"Crafts and applied arts - Craft as object, 2000s"
419:McRae, Katy (23 June 2010). "Marts & Craft".
195:wore a pair of feather earrings crafted from
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253:Napier, Abbie (23 March 2013). "Hands-On".
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496:New Zealand companies established in 2007
322:Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
501:Internet properties established in 2007
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228:Gooch, Carly (29 April 2023).
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462:"Good Kiwi Craftmanship".
402:"One-off goods at fair".
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490:Categories
448:2024-09-19
302:2024-09-19
239:2024-09-19
204:References
182:Wellington
85:E-commerce
53:; try the
40:link to it
422:The Press
405:The Press
387:The Press
365:The Press
345:The Press
297:NZ Herald
43:. Please
161:Trade Me
99:Founders
81:Industry
118:Website
91:Founded
175:Growth
156:merino
142:Origin
36:orphan
34:is an
234:Stuff
329:2024
169:felt
165:eBay
152:Etsy
136:Felt
123:felt
94:2007
76:Felt
443:RNZ
127:.nz
125:.co
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