The other day I was thinking about grab bags. Why? I have no idea.
When I was a kid, we sometimes went to this restaurant called Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in the mall. The staff dressed up in this red and white striped old timey garb, and in the front of the restaurant, they sold a lot of different kinds of candy, which you could buy without eating at the restaurant. What I most remember about Farrell’s is that they sold grab bags of candy in red and white striped paper bags, and I’m pretty sure that this is the origin of my love for grab bags.
What is not to love about a pretty little bag filled with surprise treats and special treasures?
So I was driving to work, thinking about how fun grab bags are, and it occurred to me that while I’m not talented enough to make anything from scratch to sell in an Etsy shop (it’s ok – it’s true), I am good at putting together pretty packages (more on that in a minute) and I’m good at picking out little treasures. Why not have an Etsy shop that specializes in grab bags? Stickers, ribbon, fat quarters of fabric, a small piece of jewelry, single letterpress cards, cute barrettes, tiny notebooks, colorful pens, vintage buttons, candy…
But I would do it for the creative pleasure—much the same way I take special care in making party favors for the girls’ birthdays—and not for the income, so I would probably end up spending too much money on the grab bags and too much time tracking down just the right things, and I would probably lose money over the whole darn thing.
But still, it would be fun, and I know I would enjoy it.
Would you buy a grab bag from my Etsy shop?
Serendipitously, I came across Oh Hello Friend’s Lovely Package Exchange yesterday and signed up immediately. (See the Lovely Package Flickr group here). Most of the (350!) slots were already filled on the first day. I hope I signed up in time to participate.
photos: Zoetropa, petit tous, The Wrappery, K is for Calligraphy, petit tous, Kawaii Japan
goodtogrow said,
March 2, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
I think a grab bag shop would be great!
Ro said,
March 2, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
I love this idea but pricing them would be tricky. They’d have to be relatively inexpensive, but still have some good stuff.
Lisa said,
March 3, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
That does sound like fun. The great thing about Etsy is you can easily open a shop and try it. A shop full of beautifully packaged goodie bags sounds delightful!
Melanie said,
March 4, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
I think your shop idea is a splendid idea. They used to sell these cheap surprise bags at the grocery store and I always wanted to buy them because I just love being surprised. Oh, now I want you to open up shop because it gets me excited just thinking about it.
Christy said,
March 4, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
a grab bag shop sounds splendid molly! i think you should go for it!
Michelle said,
March 14, 2010 @ 9:43 pm
If you do it, I’ll be your best frie-end! Pinkie promise.
Rochelle said,
March 26, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
Hell, yeah! I would totally buy a grab bag! Maybe you could offer them in different price ranges, for cheap and splurgy times… Or in colour schemes, or with little themes… oh! This is a great idea. I am always looking for stuff like this to give to friends as gifts, because a grab bag? So much more delightful than one gift. Please please do this!
Grab Bag Giveaway « said,
October 4, 2010 @ 9:15 am
[...] consideration to opening an Etsy shop selling grab bags with paper goods in them (I wrote about it here on Charlotte’s Fancy). I got a lot of positive feedback about the idea, because, you know, [...]