Rayela Art, as a business, has at its core retail sales.  This includes selling product that is either bought from wholesalers to re-sell or that is made by yours truly.  I have sold through many different venues: brick and mortar shops, art fairs, trade shows, and various online marketplaces.  Visit Online Shops or Brick and Mortar for more of my thoughts about those topics.  Currently, I am only selling on Etsy, although I had a shop on eBay for many years.  I also have a booth in an antique mall in downtown Paducah.

My main online shop is on Etsy.  My product focus is ethnic textiles, remnants, interesting fabric, and other supplies for the fiber artist.  Textile stamps from Afghanistan have been my best selling item ever since I started carrying them.  I would really like to carry more fair trade items, but Etsy does not allow new crafts that are not made by the seller.  Ironic, as it touts the handmade revolution in every other way.  Most of what I sell there either fits into the vintage or supplies category.

After 20 years of selling ethnic textiles and crafts plus the things I make, I still love doing it.  Of course, there are many tedious tasks involved in maintaining these stores, but the rewards are many.  I enjoy the small importers I work with, the many cultures represented, the educational opportunities, and the craftsmanship of the product.  I may also note here that if you have specific product requests that are not represented in my shops, I can try to source them through my connections.  This product niche is a small one and over time, those of us who stick with our passions for textiles and traditional crafts, end up getting to know each other.  Make Rayela Art your source for these beautiful traditions!