
Part 1: Our Story! The Inspiration behind shopLivvi.com, your subscription-based marketplace
About 6 years ago, I was visiting family in the southern Californian city of San Juan Capistrano, touring the local stores and taking in the oceanic sights. One of these particular boutiques was immediately interesting to me. This artists’ shop was full of handmade creations, many by which were made by local artists and artisans. What floored me the most, aside from the talent and creativity imbedded into each piece, was the price by which they were listed. Even with my meager college student budget, I was able to walk away with an incredible, handmade, and completely unique art piece. As I happily walked out of their store, I wished endlessly that there was some way I (living in my home town of Midland, Texas at the time) could get a hold of more art created by artists from around the country.
But how? Maybe an online marketplace? But how to make one that could be affordable enough for the artists to sell on and make a profit, enough where they can live on? Inspiration strikes from the most random of locations and times, but leaving the threshold of that art boutique, a thought hit me: “What if we didn’t take commissions? What if we could make a marketplace that was 100% subscription-based?” I couldn’t think of a cheaper way to get local artwork promoted and sold across the US and beyond. The roots of Shop Livvi were formed.
I sat on the idea for 5 years. I liked the idea so much, but felt it was so obvious that surely by this time, there would be dozens of subscription-based online markets leading the charge. However, unfortunately, the opposite happened. 2020 will be remembered as a year of change. The events during and after 2020 directly lead to the permanent closing of over 9 million small businesses across the United States. Millions had witnessed their hopes, dreams, and aspirations dry up over the course of just a few years. Large corporations absorbed the smaller companies and their clientele, giving customers fewer options by which to buy goods. To top this all off, in many ways, it seems now that the barrier of entry into creating a new business has only gotten higher, especially with our current rate of inflation. Maybe it’s time for a new player to enter the field ~
NEXT TIME ON: Shop Livvi: Our Story!
Tristan asks Rider to help him turn an idea into a fully operational online platform!
Our new website gains sentience while being developed??
And
Shop Livvi is given her official, legal name!
ALL THIS AND MORE, FROM THE SHOP LIVVI BLOG! Thank you for reading 🙂
-Shop Livvi Admin