This shop started really simply with a coloring book in 2010, and since 2015 it's expanded to also include: stickers, postcards, magnets, patches, pins and apparel.
My love of drawing led to my first real job as a commercial artist for Trader Joe's. I worked at various grocery stores, in different neighborhoods and cities, and learned the importance of making art that reflects the community. In fact, the coloring book that started my Etsy store was encouraged by a bunch of folks that I worked with at one of the stores.
I started off with Trader Joe's doing shelf tags and rotating end cap displays, and worked my way up to more permanent store decorations including mural pieces. Some of my murals are still displayed in stores including: Glenview (Northwest suburbs of Chicago), Chicago Lakeview (Diversey near Clark), Chicago River North (Ontario near Wabash), Milwaukee Bayshore and Milwaukee Brookfield.
After concentrating the first independent years making city-specific designs (2015-2017), I branched to statewide North and South Carolina designs and decided to re-approach the character art that I used to do for the grocery stores.
The most growth has happened since July 2015, when I started seeking out retailers to carry my products..usually arriving with the products in-hand, and asking if they'd be interested in carrying them.
It's worked well so far, and after more than 9 years my products (primarily stickers) are carried by over 150 active independent retailers.