Martha Stewart American Made Opens Store at Amazon Handmade
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SEATTLE - Martha Stewart's American Made furniture and home furnishings line-up opened a store at Amazon's Handmade marketplace, leaving eBay, where it first opened in 2013. Competition in the online custom woodworking and maker markets are heating up, with Custommade.com trailing and Etsy facing big threat from well-heeled Amazon.

Handmade at Amazon, launched Oct. 8, 2015, has more than 200,000 items from 10,000 approved artisans. Etsy, well-established, has 36 million items for sale from 1.5 million vendors.

The opening of the Martha Stewart American Made store www.amazon.com/marthastewartamericanmade on Handmade at Amazon, heightens the spotlight on local artisans that are personally selected by Martha Stewart and editors of Martha Stewart Living.

Artisans selling in the Martha Stewart American Made store are identified in Amazon's Handmade artisan profile page with the official Martha Stewart American Made badge. Martha Stewart also runs an influential annual competition and conference celebrating American Made products. The eBay and now Amazon stores were extensions of that brand innitiative.

“We are thrilled to announce our relationship with Handmade at Amazon, where the Martha Stewart American Made store will highlight artisans and unique one-of-a kind handcrafted products—all made in America,” said Martha Stewart in her statement about the launch. So far just one furniture maker - Oat Foundry - has made the transition from the eBay site to Handmade at Amazon. The eBay links generate error messages.

Salvaged walnut table with hairpin legs from Oat Foundry, $800 at Martha Stewart American Made

“The Martha Stewart American Made store is made up of artisans that have turned their passion for quality craftsmanship and well-designed goods into a way of life, and that’s a perfect match for the Handmade at Amazon experience we continue to build for customers,” said Steve Johnson, Director for Amazon Marketplace. “The artisans featured in the Martha Stewart American Made store are producing products of the highest quality, and have therefore earned Martha’s personal seal of approval.”

ARTICLE

Amazon Takes Aim at Etsy

Etsy is in the cross-hairs of online retail behemoth Amazon, which formally launched Handmade at Amazon, a retail site for hand crafted goods.


As it ramps up its marketing efforts, Handmade at Amazon has added additional features to the store since launch, including:

  • Talk to the Artisan: Customers can interact directly with thousands of artisans to commission a handcrafted item that will be uniquely their own, through the new Custom Orders link on the artisan’s profile page.
  • Handmade Holiday Gift Guide: Easily discoverable on Handmade at Amazon (www.amazon.com/handmade), the Handmade Holiday Gift Guide features eight curated gift lists including: Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Kids, Luxury Gifts, Stocking Stuffers, Gifts for the Hostess, Gifts Under $100 and Gifts under $50.
  • Made in Italy store: Featuring unique handcrafted items by Italian artisans, the Made in Italy storefront (www.amazon.com/MadeInItaly) highlights items from more than 50 artisans. The store features over 1,700 genuinely handmade items including Jewelry, Home Decor and Art.

 

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About the author
Bill Esler | ConfSenior Editor

Bill wrote for WoodworkingNetwork.com, FDMC and Closets & Organized Storage magazines. 

Bill's background includes more than 10 years in print manufacturing management, followed by more than 30 years in business reporting on industrial manufacturing in the forest products industries, including printing and packaging at American Printer (Features Editor) and Graphic Arts Monthly (Editor in Chief) magazines; and in secondary wood manufacturing for WoodworkingNetwork.com.

Bill was deeply involved with the launches of the Woodworking Network Leadership Forum, and the 40 Under 40 Awards programs. He currently reports on technology and business trends and develops conference programs.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Bill supports efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities in the manufacturing sectors, including 10 years on the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation; six years with the U.S. WoodLinks; and currently on the Woodwork Career Alliance Education Committee. He is also supports the Greater West Town Training Partnership Woodworking Program, which has trained more than 950 adults for industrial wood manufacturing careers. 

Bill volunteers for Foinse Research Station, a biological field station staddling the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of more than 200 members of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.