Gators are making Etsy orange and blue.
An online marketplace for crafty entrepreneurs, www.etsy.com, has UF alumni, football fans and Gainesville residents among its more than 7 million registered users.
A search on Etsy for “gators” returns more than 8,000 items.
A search for “UF” gives about 1,500.
Lynn Searfoss, owner of Dream Love Boutique on Etsy, found the website last year while helping a friend plan her wedding.
The 24-year-old 2010 UF graduate and dental school hopeful has her Etsy shop concentrate on hand-painted quotes on canvas.
“I’ve realized that most people have that special quote they live by, and sometimes it’s hard to find that quote on a art piece,” Searfoss wrote in an email interview. “That’s what my shop does — brings to life your special quote, lyric or life motto so you can be inspired by it every day.”
Stina Roth, 23, and creator of Stina89c on Etsy, wrote in an email that she found Etsy to be a way to share everything that’s inspirational with her customers.
Roth, who has cystic fibrosis, was listed for a double-lung transplant and moved to Gainesville to be near UF Health Shands Hospital in October.
“I have always loved painting,” Roth said. “I don’t necessarily paint things I think will sell. I just paint my favorite things.”
On the other hand, being a local resident often benefits Gator-oriented shops on Etsy.
Kat, who sells products under the username GatorMade, wrote in an email that student purchases increase during the football season and graduation.
But she said she has sold her “To the Swamp” signs for customers in Germany, Hawaii and Australia.
“The Gator Nation is everywhere,” she added.
Etsy can also help students become small business owners.
“I used my store on Etsy as a trial run to see what it would be like to run my own business, and I am now work[ing] for myself as a full-time artist,” said owner of HowToUseArt, Tessa McSorley, 31. “If Etsy hadn’t been there when I was just starting out, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”
McSorley graduated from UF in 2005 with degree in studio art and an emphasis in printmaking.
“I definitely think that recent UF grads and current students can benefit from opening a shop on Etsy,” McSorley said.
She added: “It’s a great way to test the water and see if their handmade items will sell online, and it also gives them a sense of what it’s like to run a small business.”
