This week I am featuring the shop
ancientgamecupboard. The business is a family effort, with Mom running the Etsy shop! See her interview below and check out the amazing games from history! For the week of this feature, ancientgamecupboard is offering
10% off the item price if you put "rainy" in the notes to seller at checkout.
How did you find Etsy?My Mom kept bringing it up. She saw Etsy featured on a TV show and then saw it in our local paper, too. This was just at the time that we were thinking about making our games for more than just gifts for our own kids. So, Providentially, I made our username something to do with the games and even though we eventually registered our business under a different name, our Etsy name still makes sense.
What do you love about Etsy?I love the community, as quirky as it may be sometimes. Generally speaking, people are very willing to help you learn new skills for your craft even if it means adding competition for themselves. Etsy is such a diverse community that every individual can find an audience - there may be a lot of jewelry, for example, but it's diverse enough in style and price that you can reach your own target market despite all the 'competition'.
What is your favorite dinner?Arabic food - specifically, anything involving hummus and filafel.
What would you like us to know about your craft/shop?That we put our heart and soul into it. We love what we do, we love to see a game turn out perfectly and we obsessively re-do them until we are satisfied with them. Also, most of our wood is reclaimed from sources such as discarded furniture, hardwood pallets, and any other high quality wood that still has life and beauty in it. We love to discover some really great pieces of hardwood in a heap of discarded materials.
If you could take an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?I think I'd go back to Jordan. We used to live there, and I just love the people and the culture there. I'd also love to take a year off from life and backpack across either Africa or Asia with our little tribe.
What do you love about what you make/sell?Everything! I love that we've found a business making something that combines our love for board games, history, woodworking, and art, and which has aspects that every member of the family can take a part in. The older kids are learning woodworking from their Dad, they all do some sanding and have aspirations of moving on to staining and painting someday, they're all learning about customer service, quality control, sales, time management. It's been the perfect family business for us.
What is your favorite way to relax or unwind?Reading. We're book-aholics in this family~
What do you like to shop for on Etsy, even if it is just browsing, not buying?I love to look for other woodworkers shops and for shops selling Renaissance Fair or other historical reenactment wares.
What game is your current best-seller?Our best-selling item is our Viking Game,
Hnefetafl.
