Like the designs, I think our store needed a little bit of TLC. In the beginning I tried to get as much done as possible and then finesse it later. In my head, I don’t know anything about building an online store. Of course, I did some reading and looking at others, but I was probably so new to it, I didn’t get the nuances of what I was looking at.
So, now that I have a couple of years under my belt, I more or less understand how that all works. I am still amazed at how much I am still learning day to day.
I knew the first thing I had to do was improve the way the shirts were modeled. I don’t think that people buy our shirts because of how they look online, but I knew it needed to look better.
I looked at a lot of other stores to see how they modeled their shirts and hooded items. I watched some super cool videos on YouTube. I even put an ad on Craig's List for someone to help me learn how to use PhotoShop better.
Next, I had to find a mannequin or model - back to Craig's List. This part of the project took the longest, I think. A lot of the mannequins were too expensive. I did find a couple of options that I could borrow, but I knew that wouldn’t work long term. After calling around to a lot of thrift stores, one of the women I spoke to recommended I call the Salvation Army in Boulder. And BINGO! I called them, they had several dress forms.
This was a perfect solution because, to be honest, I was kind of afraid to have a mannequin (or 2) in my house. Where would I put it so I don’t have to see it everyday, but in an obvious place that when I do see it, it doesn't scare the stuffing out of me.
I have been taking the photos and manipulating them in PhotoShop. It takes a long time to complete one, but it is a fun process and I am still figuring out how to do things better. I look forward to one day affording professional photographer, but until then, I am pretty impressed with myself. :)
