On Saturday I went to Galway to meet some of the Etsy Ireland(west) team.Sadly it wasn't a huge group, only three of us in total, but hopefully it will grow in time . But I did get to meet two really lovely Polish girls, Agnieszka of Lysulka and Kamilla of Niceartthings. It was really good to meet people in person and talk about crafting, experiences on Etsy, swap supplies tips, as sometimes it can feel a bit solitary working by myself all the time.They also encouraged me to get in touch with the main Etsy Ireland team, and try to get some of the benifits of being part of a team, I'm sure I have a lot to learn from them.
The other nice part about the trip was that I got to go to Galway,which I hadn't visited in 10 years, which is totally crazy because it's only 2hrs on the bus and it's a great city. It was totally buzzing with people when I arrived, buskers every 10 meters, a tonnes of shoppers in the city centre. I went to their market, which is great and has a wide variety of stalls. It is a bit crazy that it's in a tiny alley way and they stall are very small, it would drive me crazy as a trader. It did put me off queueing for food as I'm not a huge fan of getting stuck in crowds. I wish I would have had money on me, there were definitely a few things I would have snatched up. When I enquired at a few stalls if they sold stuff online I was surprised when most of them said no. It's so easy these days to set it up, it seems like such a wasted opportunity not to. There is one shop I totally fell in love with Lola Rosa, if ever there was a shop that I wanted to buy every single thing in it, it was this one!! It's like crawling inside someones brain who is dotty, arty, clolourful and they have a long shopping list of presents to get through. They sells lots of beautiful things that would be perfect for gifts, but also a selection of fabrics,ribbons, and buttons. Really I can't recommend this shop highly enough, and if you can't make it to Galway check out their website!
The other nice part about the trip was that I got to go to Galway,which I hadn't visited in 10 years, which is totally crazy because it's only 2hrs on the bus and it's a great city. It was totally buzzing with people when I arrived, buskers every 10 meters, a tonnes of shoppers in the city centre. I went to their market, which is great and has a wide variety of stalls. It is a bit crazy that it's in a tiny alley way and they stall are very small, it would drive me crazy as a trader. It did put me off queueing for food as I'm not a huge fan of getting stuck in crowds. I wish I would have had money on me, there were definitely a few things I would have snatched up. When I enquired at a few stalls if they sold stuff online I was surprised when most of them said no. It's so easy these days to set it up, it seems like such a wasted opportunity not to. There is one shop I totally fell in love with Lola Rosa, if ever there was a shop that I wanted to buy every single thing in it, it was this one!! It's like crawling inside someones brain who is dotty, arty, clolourful and they have a long shopping list of presents to get through. They sells lots of beautiful things that would be perfect for gifts, but also a selection of fabrics,ribbons, and buttons. Really I can't recommend this shop highly enough, and if you can't make it to Galway check out their website! 
