Etsy’s Feature Friday!

Today’s Etsty Store Feature Friday is a shop created by Lauren over at awildtonic. Head on over and check out all of the wonderful vintage items she has in her store!

Where are you from? and a little bit about you


My name is Lauren. I’m from central New Jersey and have lived here my whole life. I work full-time at a photography company doing image management, and run my Etsy shop in my free time. I enjoy driving in my car blasting classic rock, photography, and thai food.

How did you decide on your shop name?


“A Wild Tonic” is a phrase from a quote from “The Great Gatsby” (“The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. I had to follow the sound of it for a moment, up and down, with my ear alone, before any words came through.”) I’m not really literary at all, but I’ve liked “The Great Gatsby” since I read it in high school, and I thought “A Wild Tonic” would be a great name for a vintage store.

Why did you start your business?


“A Wild Tonic” was originally “CraftsByLu.” This was a year or so ago, when I started blogging and selling handmade on Etsy (“Lu” is my nickname). As time went on, I realized that I didn’t have enough free time to run a handmade shop, and I also noticed a large amount of vintage accessories in my room that I didn’t use. I switched over to “A Wild Tonic,” and started selling vintage.

Do you have anything new you plan on adding to your store?


I have a decent-sized inventory currently, and I’m constantly taking trips to thrift stores either alone, with friends, or with my sister. I came across a thread in the Etsy Forums that challenged sellers to list one new item per day for the month of April. So I’m going to see if I can stick to that goal.

What is your favorite thing about being a seller?


My favorite thing is a three-parter: I LOVE hunting for items in thrift stores, I LOVE interacting with customers and know that they are satisfied with a purchase, and most of all I really love packaging and going to the post office to ship. I might be weird for loving that so much, but there’s just something about it! I also obsess over office supplies, but that’s another story.

Do you have a blog, twitter, or facebook page?

I have a blog and a twitter. I tweet pretty frequently every day. You can follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/awildtonic. I also update my blog a few times a week. I blog about pretty random things, but I think it’s entertaining. You can check it out here: http://www.awildtonic.blogspot.com/.

What inspires you to sell these beautiful and unique items?

I love shopping for, buying, wearing, and selling vintage clothes. I think it’s so wonderful to wear vintage because you could be wearing something that no one else is wearing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Forever 21, but if you pair a piece from Fo with a piece from the ’70s, you can look completely amazing and original. Also, buying vintage is a small way to go green, and I support that!

What items in your shop do you most enjoy and why?

I am a purse addict. Almost every time I go thrifting for the shop, I end up with a bag for myself. I have such a hard time letting them go sometimes!

**I would like to encourage all of you to visit Lauren’s store. She has many wonderful items that I am sure you will all love! For the next 24 hours you may have an extra entry into any of my giveaways for visiting awildtonic and telling me one thing you learned about her and one item from her shop you just love!