Etsy Shops Make It Easy to Buy Local

A challenging economy may mean less consumer spending, but local Etsy shop owners are hoping it also translates into a golden opportunity to attract shoppers searching for quality over quantity, particularly when it comes to homemade treasures.

According to a recent CNBC article, Etsy sales topped $314 million last year. The site, which now has 8 million registered shoppers, has become the online go-to spot for all things handmade and personal.

Patch shopped around and found a handful of Encinitas-loving sites that reflect our town’s artistic beach culture. The following Etsy shops are either run by owners based in Encinitas or offer products infused with local flavor:

boosom: Boosom is owned by Kristi Faramarzi, a mother of two who enjoys surfing, soccer, beach days, traveling, spending time with her parents and yoga. She said she began making jewelry for her fellow mama friends before sharing the love with the Etsy community.

Her jewelry features inspirational words as well as city names, such as Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas, Beacons, Moonlight, Swamis and Seaside.

m.o.m. at 42nd and Orange: Mom-and-daughter team Tere and Bethany Jensen combined to create their brand, m.o.m, after first fulfilling a request for aprons for little girls. M.o.m. now sells separates for boys and girls as well as accessories crafted from leftover fabric scraps.

The “42ndandOrange” moniker was drawn from the street corner at which Bethany’s grandmother’s house was located.

Both Tere and Bethany have serious artistic cred. Tere participated in feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Birth Project during the 1980s, while Bethany received her bachelor’s degree in photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif.

42ndandOrange is full of whimsy, from funky cloth bags with adjustable straps to adorable shorts for kids. According to the site, m.o.m. stands for family, hanging out in the kitchen, vinyl records, dark chocolate, cowboys, laughter and being nice.

They’re not kidding about nice—m.o.m., headquartered in a small garage on Coast Highway 101, encourages anyone in their neck of the woods to “stop by and say hi!”

Kevin Roche Photography: Kevin Roche’s shots feature beach scenes from around the world, including Encinitas, the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, and Kauai, Hawaii. While some of the photos are the usual blue wave scenes, others are artistically enhanced with different development techniques.

Roche, who has a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from University of California San Diego, has been a professional photographer for more than 18 years. He draws obvious pleasure and inspiration from surfing and an immersion in beach culture.

Amanzi Photo: Photographer Grant Ellis, who is also the photo editor at Surfer Magazine, operates an Etsy shop called Amanzi Photo. Now a resident of Cardiff by the Sea, Ellis originally hails from Amanzimtoti, South Africa. His photos range from Cardiff at low tide to a bait barge in San Diego Harbor to the sun shining on a lone oak tree in Yosemite Valley.

Black Isles Jewelry: Cayley Rasmussen’s creations include “recycled beads, chains and components from the past that have been broke, discarded, and perhaps long forgotten over the decades.”

“By combining old pieces with new parts I provide a fresh life and identity to each piece of jewelry—not only recycling what might otherwise be discarded as useless junk, but also passing on the history of the jewelry,” said Rasmussen in her shop’s description.

The former San Diego native may have relocated to Park City, Utah, but her jewelry reflects a watery past, including her bright “Encinitas” earrings, which feature rectangular glass beads and an abstract ocean scene.