The catchy track on our newest Store From Scratch video has been stuck in our heads for days/weeks/months, and we’ve got The Optimen to thank for that. The Aussie hip hop quintet released the song, “80s Babies” on their 2010 CD The Out of Money Experience, and were kind enough to let it be the soundtrack for our own “get products made experience.”
Grab it now in their shop: theoptimen.bigcartel.com
Our behind-the-scenes tour of the BC shop continues as we dive into the process of working with vendors to get a product made. Even if your product is completely made by hand by you, (woo-hoo!) it’s helpful to know when to hire help, and how best to approach a vendor to get them to see your vision and support your quest for quality.
Last month we gave you a detailed look at our product design process. This second video in the Store From Scratch series documents the process as we produce a couple of items for our shop, and gives specific tips on how we developed relationships with local vendors who love what they do (almost) as much as we do.
Sidecar just got a makeover, and we think she’s looking better than ever. We’ve completely rebuilt ‘er from the ground up, keeping all the features you love and introducing some new ones as well.
The new version of Sidecar is already available in the admin. To get started simply log into your store, and choose the Sidecar theme in the design area. Preview, hit save and you’re set.
That’s easy, you’ll just need to backup your existing customization, then revert your theme to default to access the upgrades. Once you’ve got the current version of Sidecar, get back in and apply your customizations and you’re good to go.
Sidecar now joins Luna in the modern responsive world, and we’ll continue to bring more responsive themes to you moving forward.
See the new and improved Sidecar in action in the Pelle shop.
Photographer TJ Nelson Jr loves the unstoppable flood of images on the internet, but was finding it difficult to connect to photos on a screen. His desire to connect to photography in a tangible way drove him to create Mux, an 8.5” x 5.5” zine that TJ curates with images from his talented peers.
Mux is on its second issue, and the first edition sold out quickly, but more are on the way. Grab one fast and take a minute to hold a collection of work that deserves to be pondered on.
Get A Grip features designs from dozens of UK artists and illustrators on tees, totes, prints, zines, and more. Seriously, this shop is cool, diverse, and perfect when shopping for someone who is always ahead of new trends. Oh, and did we mention their shop is totally environmentally friendly? They use 100% water-based inks on friendly and sustainable garments and paper - making Get A Grip the coolest.
Check out the full shop here: getagrip.bigcartel.com
Have you checked out The Maker Map yet? It’s a rad open-source map pinpointing all sorts of maker resources. You can find manufacturers, specialty stores, hackerspaces, and more. So hop in there and find something new and useful in your neighborhood - and start adding your own maker destinations to the map while you’re at it!
Bear Hands lent us their aptly named tune Crime Pays for the first installment in our Store from Scratch video series. Bear Hands is a little post-punk, a little indie-rock, and a lot of awesome. You can sample some music and buy all their stuff directly from them at: shop.cantorarecords.com
Spotted in a feature over on The Fox Is Black, we are now obsessed with all things Studio Fludd. Their Big Cartel shop is slinging the OPUSCULA MISCELLANEA collection - things to hang around your neck, handmade and in limited edition. Stunning.
Check out the full shop here: studiofludd.bigcartel.com
More and more small brands are using Big Cartel to get their unique products online. With all of this activity, we finally decided to join in on the fun. We’re extremely proud to kick open the doors to the brand new Big Cartel shop!
View the full store at: shop.bigcartel.com
We had so much fun designing this first round of products, and learned so much, that we decided to document our process in detail so we could share our store’s exciting journey with you. So, welcome to the Store from Scratch video series. A behind-the-scenes look at everything it takes to build and run a brand on Big Cartel. The first episode, Designing Products, is already up and ready for your viewing pleasure.
Behind the scenes: bigcartel.com/store-from-scratch
In this series, we’ll take you through everything we experienced while we designed, produced, photographed, sold, and shipped our own products. In these videos we’ll give you our top tips in each phase of our journey, and show you as many glimpses into our process as we can pack into 2-minutes.
We’ll launch a new video each month, and we invite you to follow along over on the Store from Scratch page. We’ve done all of this locally, independently, and with the help of our own friends and family. Our hope is that you’ll be able to see how we did it, and take that fuel back to your own fire and get cookin’.
Creative Little Stars is a busy parent’s dream. Put together creative and magical parties with low effort and without straining your right brain every time a birthday pops up on the calendar. There’s a little something for everyone, and, with Creative Little Stars’ Pulley integration, it’s all available in your email right after you make your purchase.
Check out the full shop here: creativelittlestars.bigcartel.com
