Central Florida Etsians

Central Florida Etsians is an official Etsy team where Artists and Crafters in Central Florida can come together to work as a team, to gain more exposure for Central Florida Etsy shops, and support each other on a business and social level.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fort Remington Handcrafted Wood Spoons, Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets On Etsy

DJ Remington is the driving force behind the Etsy shop Fort Remington where she sells Fort Remington handcrafted wood spoons, kitchen utensils and gadgets.



She has a company website www.fortremington.com, the etsy shop www.etsy.com/fortremington and a Three Sisters Marketplace shop at www.threesistersmarketplace.com/fortremington You can also find DJ and her heirloom quality spoons and utensils at local central Florida craft shows as well as into Gerogia and one in Tennessee. 



Fort Remington on Etsy opened in January of 2010 based on the advice of DJ's awesome cousin who creates in glass at Heart and Soul Studios www.threesistersmarketplace.com/heartandsoulstudios. By March of 2010 DJ was getting busy enough (working craft shows) that she quit my job and Fort Remington became her full time job.  DJ stated, "It was very scary at first but the best thing I ever did! After several months I remembered I should be paying attention to my Etsy shop and I am so glad I did! I met some amazing people on here and started getting sales. I wish I had paid attention to Etsy sooner! Etsy is now a major part of my day even though I have very little computer time. Consistency is what's important here."



If you ask DJ what makes Fort Remington on Etsy stand out she will tell you that although there are a lot of wood spoon carvers on Etsy she has not seen one that has as many different utensils as she creates. At present, Fort Remington has over 50 different utensils and gadgets.




DJ's inspirations come from cooking for her large family. She uses a utensil and figures out a way to make it better. She has also realized that people are very serious about their cooking and want the perfect utensil to prepare that meal. Everyone cooks different and everyone thinks a different utensil is the perfect one for cooking a certain food and she loves making the perfect utensil for the serious chef!



When asked what the top seller is at Fort Remington, DJ replied, "I am very happy to say that my best seller is one I designed myself....the Bent Tip Stir Fry. I love the way it is curved at the end and shaped to fit in the corners of frying pans or pots. My Pothanger is right in there with that one. It has a similar shape but has a notch to sit on the edge of the pot so there is no need for a spoon rest. Fun stuff!"




When asking DJ about her creative process that she goes through to fabricate her fabulous designs she said she loves to find a new board, noticing holes, grainlines and burls and cutting the best utensil out of that spot and loves to see the different colors of the cherry wood.




Story shared by DJ:
"My favorite utensil I made was my first one. My husband is an amazing cook and wanted to make a big pot of a local favorite - chicken pileau. He was going to use an old boat paddle and I wouldn't hear of that! I made a paddle for him (with a food safe finish) and couldn't wait to show him. He loved it and and I started replacing the old, cheap wooden spoons in my kitchen....then my friend's kitchen....and then I had spoons everywhere, so I decided I should start selling them so I could make more!"




Words of wisdom from DJ at Fort Remington for someone opening an Etsy shop: 
"When you first open an Etsy shop, join a team, especially one like Central Florida Etsians.....you can learn so much and have someone to turn to for advice. You will be constantly learning....don't give up!!"



1 comment:

Gari Anne said...

Great story! Thanks so much for sharing and now I know where to shop when I need something for the kitchen!