Buy Direct From Owner Not Retailer

This website has been growing at a very healthy pace since it launched in June 2005, as consumers from around the globe increasingly value the originality of handmade items and enjoy buying from individuals instead of mass retailers. Etsy brings it all together with a great user interface and sophisticated search tools that let buyers find everything from scented soy candles (USD 5) to a tennis ball chair (USD 275). 307,076 items were sold from June 2005 - December 2006.

And now the company has a brick-and-mortar space at 325 Gold Street in Brooklyn. The new studio will serve as Etsy's headquarters, and allow members to meet up and use communal equipment like a silkscreen press and a letterpress. The Labs will host parties, trunk shows, seminars, workshops, a lending library and more.

In their own words: "We intend to use the Brooklyn Etsy Labs as, well, a laboratory, to see if we can build it into a self sustaining entity. If so, we one day hope to recreate the Labs in cities across the world and give all makers of things a place to gather, learn, share, and create."
For more:www.etsy.com