Meet Gaby! Gaby has a company called Plantilly. She sells those little tillandsias that are so popular around town these days.  In addition to being an entrepreneur, she’s a great artist. Every time I see Gaby she is working on a new project, her latest project include making large art pieces for her home.

 

How did Plantilly start?

A friend bought me a terrarium with tillandsias, I didn’t even realize what they were. I thought they were succulents. I forgot to water them for about a month…OOPS. So I grab the care tag to see what to do and it tells a story about tillandsia. I get so excited that they don’t need dirt. I buy a couple tiny ones for $6 each and think to myself that’s crazy pricing. So I buy a ton of wholesale ones and tell my boyfriend that I’m going to sell them. From there I started selling them at Kobey’s swapmeet and then started an Etsy. I picked up another job and kind of forgot about my little company. I was on the verge of giving it up, but my sister encouraged me to join Simply Local. Things went great and then my etsy took off.

 

You run a successful Etsy business, whats your advice for others?

My advice is pictures. You have to have great pictures. Go on Etsy and search for something you like, that’s not your product. Notice you gravitate towards nicer pictures. You need that. Also, make sure your description lists every detail. In the beginning I would get comments like, smaller than I thought, even though I have inches listed. So I have ruler pictures, sizes listed, hand comparisons.  Seriously, though, everything has to be spelled out.

 

What are your aspirations?

I aspire to keep growing my Etsy and possibly open a shop in the future.

What are you currently working on?

I currently am working on sourcing new items and creating new listings. With a full time job, it’s hard always having the time. I am also working on some art pieces, I like to work in Prisma colors and inks.

How much does art influence your work?

Art really influences my work. I’ve always been artistic/crafty. Building tillandsia terrariums hits a crafty stop in my heart. Providing people with the tools to create their own tillandsia creations also excites me to see what they’ve made.