Rising Stars: Meet Erin Sparrow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Sparrow

Hi Erin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Erin and I run a bookish merch shop called Sparrow and Wilde. I sell officially licensed apparel, tattoos, and accessories for popular fantasy book series. But my shop actually didn’t begin in the book niche . When I opened my shop in June 2022, I was designing for several niches (throwing it all against the wall to see what stuck). I created designs relating to music, occupations, nature, and mental health. It was during this time that I realized I may need a little boost given I had no design or marketing experience. I hired an Etsy coach and dove deep into trend/design research. In early 2023, using the tools I learned from my coach, my mental health designs began to gain traction, so I transitioned most of my shop to that niche.

At the time, I was reading a popular fantasy book called A Court of Thorns and Roses, and began to wonder if it was possible to sell merchandise based on the books I’d grown to love. I researched how to become a licensed seller for authors, and the rest is history! I reached out to Sarah J. Maas for licensing approval, received a contract, and began selling. Since then, I have signed with several other authors, and my product offering has grown. I also attend fantasy book events as a vendor, where I sell merch and apply temporary tattoos to the guests.

My shop has grown in ways I could have never imagined when I started 2 years ago. It has been a ton of work, but I love every second. I also have a 9-5 job outside of my shop, so I have had to focus on streamlining my shop processes to be extremely efficient given the limited amount of time I had to work on it outside of my day job.

It has been a wild ride and I’m excited to see where this journey takes me next!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is the opposite of what my shop’s path has been! Like most small businesses, there are ups and downs, lessons and failures, wins and losses, but every single challenge was necessary for my shop to be what it is today.

A large part of my struggles are with perfectionism. My business became an extension of me, and therefore I feel every failure on a personal level. At first, every decision began to feel pressured because I was so nervous things would go wrong. I would wait until things felt perfect before launching, which resulted in time delays and slow moving processes. I realized in order to make this business work, I had to stop waiting until things were perfect, and just commit and let the chips fall. This mindset shift changed my entire business. One of the quotes I apply to my shop everyday is “limit the amount of time between idea and execution.” When you get an idea, you are so excited about it, you feel the passion surrounding it. The longer you wait to act on that/launch the collection/create the design/etc., the less excited you feel and your work will reflect that. I started working extremely quickly, which was necessary to achieve the growth that my shop has seen.

Another huge challenge is time and balance. I became (and still am) obsessed with my shop. It’s all I think about. I’m constantly taking notes on my phone throughout the day and night when I have ideas. I want to do everything all at once. But unfortunately there are only 24 hours in a day…who knew?? So I began to resent normal life tasks because they were getting in the way of my shop. I would get off of my 9-5 and immediately start working on my shop, resulting in 12-15 hour days in front of a computer. I took a step back and realized this wasn’t healthy or sustainable, so I created a Balance Plan, which has helped me immensely. This plan involves exercising 4 mornings per week, meal prepping dinners to save time during the week, and setting alarms to remind me to stop working/go to sleep. Since I implemented this, I feel much more balanced and healthy, which I know will help me to avoid burnout.

I think like most one-person small businesses, my other main struggle is managing all parts of the business. I am the designer, the marketing team, the accountant, the morale officer, and the R&D department. Not only am I designing all of these collections, but then finding the time to create content around them and build a community. And although it is so so fun and fulfilling, it’s hard work! And the mistakes that come along with wearing all of these hats are unavoidable. I can’t even count the number of times I have messed up, felt like the world was crumbling, considered shutting it all down, etc. But eventually I got used to the feeling of messing up, which sounds strange, but honestly once you realize that with failure comes growth, the fear leaves and the possibilities come in like you can’t imagine.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in designing bookish merchandise that is unique and emotionally connective. Because I am part of my customer base, it is extremely easy for me to brainstorm ideas that fantasy book fans will love and connect with. My goal is to not just create a book merch shop, but to create an immersive experience for fandoms to bring their favorite books to life. I accomplish this by allowing my customers to surround themselves with items that bring the magic in these books to life (temporary tattoos, apparel, etc.).

This immersive experience is also accomplished through bookish events, where I sell merchandise and apply temporary tattoos to guests. These events bring out the magic in all of us, and I feel so lucky to be able to create magic through tattoos and merch.

I am most proud of my shop’s evolution, and how I was able to learn from the millions of mistakes I made to continue to pivot and grow. My first year I think I sold 25 things, and now I have over 5,000 Etsy sales, 1,000 Shopify sales, and am in the top 2.5% of Etsy sellers worldwide. If you would’ve read these stats to me 2 years ago, I would have fainted, but they have become a reality and I’m so excited to see how my shop continues to evolve.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh man, SO many people! My husband is my biggest cheerleader. We jokingly call him “The Consultant” because I am constantly bouncing ideas off of him. He has believed in my vision for my shop since day one and I feel incredibly lucky to have such a supportive partner.

My parents are also extremely supportive. They have always taught me I can accomplish anything I set out to do, and they continue to encourage me everyday. They also help me with post office runs and act as a sounding board for most of my new business ideas. Oh, and I can’t forget that they let me vent to them when I am overwhelmed or frustrated with even the tiniest of things!

The community on Bookstagram is my rock, my support system, my sounding board, and SO much more. I am in awe of the supportive, kind, and innovative people in the bookish community. There is 0% chance I would be where I am today if it weren’t for them.

Pricing:

• T-Shirts: $30
• Sweatshirts: $41
• Tattoos: $16

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sparrowandwilde.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparrow.and.wilde/