On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about we’re talking about ecommerce with my guest Claudia Martinez.
Claudia is the owner of Snuggly Monkey, a craft supply store specializing in hand embroidery, Sashiko, and unique threads and notions from around the world. With over 13 years of experience, she has built a thoughtfully curated collection that reflects her passion for hand stitching and global textile traditions. She brings her passion for stitching, color, and creative tools to a global community of makers. A multilingual connector and lifelong crafter, Claudia is dedicated to sharing the joy, self-expression, and self-care that handcrafting inspires.
This episode is sponsored by Sew Snip.
Where your creativity begins.
Snuggly Monkey has over 5,000 SKUs of carefully curated supplies for hand stitching.
Claudia grew up in New York and Florida. She studied abroad in Japan in high school and again in college, then worked in Japan through the JET program after graduating. Claudia reconnected with cross stitching after a long break when she discovered modern patterns online including Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.
The origin of Claudia’s handmade business was making and selling ring slings on Etsy and the name, Snuggly Monkey, cam from a joke about her baby’s unknown gender before birth. While the business has evolved, Claudia kept the name. She explains the transition from selling handmade items to selling craft supplies and why curating a collection of craft supplies appeals to her.
We discuss selling on Etsy and Shopify. Claudia’s focus is on her Shopify site which was designed by Aeolidia. We discuss the advantages of hiring a professional Shopify design firm to create a robust and well-functioning ecommerce site as well as investing in the inventory management system, Ordoro. Claudia also uses Wishlist Plus and Smile.io to allow customers to create wishlists on her site and to offer rewards.
Once a month, Claudia opens Snuggly Monkey to the public in Durham, North Carolina.
Recently, Claudia organized a stitch night in collaboration with a downtown hotel local to her in Durham, North Carolina. She also hosts once-a-month open studios in her warehouse space. We discuss the importance of interacting with customers directly as the owner of an ecommerce shop.
When it comes to selecting inventory to sell, Claudia really focuses on small businesses that don’t distribute their products through big box stores. Claudia attends h+h americas as well as consumer shows, and in the future she is hoping to trave to Japan for the Japan Hobby Show. Recently, Claudia has begun writing a Substack as a place to share longform informational content with her customers.
Claudia will be teaching a visible mending class in January at the John C. Campbell Folk School.
And, of course, I ask Claudia to recommend great stuff she’s loving right now. Claudia recommends:
- English Paper Piecing with the Sewline Glue Pen
- stitching on fabric from Cherrywood Fabrics
- Bohin 3-in-1 needle puller
Keep up with Claudia on Instagram and shop for hand-stitching supplies on Snuggly Monkey.
