Who: Christine Shelton of
This Fine Day, an online wedding boutique selling hand crafted wood place card holders, candle holders and handmade hair accessories, located in Portland, Oregon USA.
How It All Started
What inspired you to open your Etsy shop?
Actually my friend was preparing for her wedding and wanted to add a bit of Portland to her destination wedding in Fresno, California, and asked me if I knew anyone who could make some little round stump place card holders. My husband used to run a contracting business and had all sorts of saws, and we also had a shed full of wood from a fallen tree, so, I told her to give me an hour and I would make one for her. It was perfect and just what she wanted. We made 200 of them for her wedding and about a week later I decided to put a few up online to see if anyone else would be interested in them. It turned out they were a hit there too. Now I'm focusing on developing new products and keeping up with other wedding trends however the rustic wedding theme never seems to go out of style luckily!
How did you come up with the name for your company?
I remember thinking of the band
A Fine Frenzy and how their songs and videos made me feel. I wanted the name to be sweet and simple but memorable. I liked the flow of
A Fine Frenzy, especially the word fine. I figured
This Fine Day would embrace the present tense: while every day is a fine one, collectively you are building the blocks towards that special day (your wedding day).
How long have you been in business?
This Fine Day has been open since May 2010 however, I also run a jewelry shop one Etsy that has been in business since 2009. When I opened the jewelry shop, I always paid special attention to the Etsy success stories, tips, articles and the seller handbook to help me learn what would and would not work with setting up shop (with images etc.) When
This Fine Day started to take off, I really put my research to work to build my shop and shortly after (October 16, 2010) I quit my job as a web publisher to work for myself full time.
Why the wedding industry?
I kind of just fell into it. I was planning my wedding while I opened my shop and was very into DIY projects and organic products. While I was planning my wedding simultaneously with my friend, I realized just how much people spend for that one day even if they are trying to keep a low budget. People will always get married no matter what the economy looks like, I just need to have a broad range of products to accommodate every type of budget.
How soon should a bride place their place cards and other accessories?
My goal is to have orders shipped within 5-7 days by priority mail (so orders arrive 2-3 days after shipping). I recommend planning for 10 days total before you need the product. I am able to accommodate rush orders and have successfully delivered products to the brides front door in 5 days total.
What makes your Etsy shop so unique?
My market research shows that there is only one other wood shop that has more than 85% of their items geared to the wedding industry. At
This Fine Day, when an order comes through I am the only one who handles it from beginning to end, allowing me to stay organized, prioritize orders as well as offer superior quality control over each place card holder I produce.
What are 3 must have items from your shop you think every bride should have?
That's tough because not every bride can incorporate wood products into their wedding theme. So from that perspective I'd say the
Ring Pillow because it comes with a variety of different coloured flowers and ribbons, the
Ivory Chiffon Hair Flower and the
Custom Love Bird Wedding Signs.
Having Fun And Getting Personal
What do you do when you’re not creating and designing custom favours?
You can find me spending time with my amazing friends, my 2 year old nephew and family, playing bass in a local rock band called
Love Lies Dying, cooking, dreaming, running, painting, and designing web pages...whew!
What are 5 things people don’t know about you?
Well there isn't much that my friends and family don't know about me but I'd have to say the following for everyone else:
- I feel inclined and almost determined to do a dare if confronted with it.
- I'm pretty reserved but can bust out some mean moves on the dance floor. Including but not limited to the worm and what I have trade marked as a "happy dance". It really can get quite hilarious at times!
- Apparently I'm a pool shark. For years I was terrible at billiards and was determined to turn that around, and have finally succeeded.
- I'm deathly afraid of heights and of growing old.
- The one thing I wish I could do but can't is sing.
Final Thoughts
What is new for Spring/Summer 2011 for This Fine Day?
A line of bridal jewelry, possibly cake stands (need a large band saw) and centerpieces.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would love to hear ideas for custom orders or new products if anyone is inclined.
How can readers connect with you?
