Etsy offices entrance and reception area. Do you not just love it!?? That owl in the entrance way is HUGE - like 2 metres high or more? Also I love that cute handmade Etsy sign above the reception desk! Adam introduced this guy as the 'manceptionist'. ha! Most photos here by Glen Jackson Taylor of Core 77.
Oh YES that's right! Last week I was lucky enough to visit the offices of Etsy.com! Agghhhh! Deep breaths. Too exciting! (I'm so very appreciative to Glen from Core 77 for hooking this up for me! Also all photos here are by Glen - thanks again!!)
Etsy are based in Brooklyn, and utilise an fantastic old industrial space which used to be the offices and factory of a printing press company. It seriously seems like the most fun place to work. It feels like some kind of kooky, fun-filled student-union office set up, characterised by the stunning original timber panelling (from the print company offices), beautiful persian rugs in every room, lots of plant life (especially tiny succulents!) in every workspace, and of course - handmade cuteness everywhere!
Did you know Etsy has grown astronomically since first created in June 2005 by a guy called Rob Kalin (aged 28 at the time if you don't mind!)? Their merchant sales in the first year were around $166,000. Last year they were $87.5 MILLION! Can you believe this kind of revenue can be generated by handmade goods alone!? How awesome is that? However it is also super awesome to learn than Etsy are not some kind of massive corporate machine... behind the scenes Etsy's personality as a workplace is very much in keeping with its online presence - quirky, DIY-driven and heaps of fun!
Our guided tour was conducted by the lovely Adam Brown from the Marketing team. After seeing that each Etsy staff member has their own cute customised labcoat(!!), I demanded Adam wore his for our tour - he charmingly obliged! You can see him below with colleague Christina Batch-Lee looking super gorgeous in their matching coats! Thanks so much for the tour guys!
Marketing offices - Christina Batch-Lee and Adam Brown looking gorgeous in their etsy-lab coats!
Hallway, entrance way. Loving that wood panelling.
Top is the Engineers room. See the cute 'we heart engineers' sign?! These guys do the tricky tech stuff for the website. Here they are having a 'stand-up'. Apparently this is quite common in NYC? It is a stand-up meeting - good because it forces everyone to look away from their computer screen at each other, and quick and to-the-point (because everyone is standing up!). I was intrigued. Goes to show I know nothing about working in an office! 
Etsy blog offices! Ooooh to be a full-time blogger! Don't you love the handmade sign on their door?
lunchroom / kitchen
Things that made us laugh in the entrance area.
Etsy Octopus. Every business should have one.
Hi Lucy, I have been following your blog ever since you spoke at the Brown Owls blog inspiration night. I love this latest piece on Etsy!! I spend so much time on Etsy and sometimes I stop and think how impressive it all is...now i get to sneak a peek into the behind the computer world. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteVery cool to see the behind the scenes. I am an Etsy fanatic!! Looks like such a cool place to work too..I would love to work their ha!
ReplyDeletethat's mad! I love seeing where people work, especially loved the kitchen, such a great post
ReplyDeleteWow! I love this post, thanks so much. Being an etsy shopowner myself, I always wondered what the headquarters would look like! thank you for the lovely glimpse!
ReplyDeletePS: I also really want an octopus now. :)
great piece, it's good to see Etsy getting more exposure outside of the US. Enjoy the rest of your travels. Looking forward to your next blog update.
ReplyDeleteLucy, thank you so so so much for this!! Soooo awesome to see behind the scenes! Gawd you must be brimming with creative juices now!!
ReplyDeleteWow what a great tour Lucy, thankyou! Sometimes it feels like the internet just 'happens'... it's great to see the real lives and faces (and lab coats) behind the scenes :)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh heaven! so JEALOUS!!!!!! xx
ReplyDeleteOh sooo cool. Lucky you! Not having worked in an office myself for a very long time, I'm not sure if the 'stand up' is common practice - but what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another wonderful post Lucy. Looks like you're having a great time.
lucy this is so great!! i am super jealous but glad you are sharing with us all. the only thing that bugs me about etsy is that i wish it was easier to find things made in australia. you can do general location searches but not like necklaces made in australia type things. perhaps there is a way and i just don't know it?
ReplyDeletethank you so so much for this.
ReplyDeleteseriously. I love these sorts of posts. The ones where you feel so absolutely jealous you want to cry but so happy at the same time that such wonderfulness exists in the world.
There is hope.
I hope you don't mind but I think I want to d a wee blog post just linking to this super post!
http://www.art4friends.blogspot.com
Renee x
Thanks so much for showing us the Etsy office. It's actually really nice to see that it is not a huge machine, but a fun place with heaps of soul.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy, it was lovely to have you visit! Please drop by if you find yourself in Brooklyn again. And thanks to Glen for the great photos.
ReplyDeletei have gotta get myself a personalised lab coat now!
ReplyDeleteAs a new etsy shop owner the article and very timely. It is nice to know that while I sit here crocheting away in Melbourne, the etsy machine is helping my new little business from the other side of the globe. Cheers
ReplyDeletehookedbysusannah.etsy.com
Merci Lucy for this sneak peek of ETSY, always nice to discover what's happening behind the scene! I have just discovered your blog and relate to it completely! As much as I love DesignSponge & lots of other blogs, it is nice to have a few insights from someone that live a bit closer to my new home , Melbourne!-) clealala
ReplyDelete