There are fabulous hat-makers on Etsy. But how many people notice?

This month marks exactly 5 years since I opened my Etsy shop, and, to be honest, things are a bit rough for my shop lately. I’ve seen other Etsy sellers complaining about sales being down dramatically this year. So, of course, that got me thinking about what my predecessor, Emily, had written in this space about Etsy’s category issues. (I wrote my own piece ranting about the misuse of search terms.)

Here’s the thing I wonder: Is the problem that quality millinery has trouble being found in a sea of knitted/crocheted beanies? Or is the problem that nobody’s searching Etsy for real millinery? If I do a search for “women’s fedora,” there are some good pieces … and a lot of things that are either junky or mislabelled. (No, a knitted hat can’t be both a “little girl’s beret” and a “woman’s felt fedora.” *insert major eye roll*)

Sometimes, it takes getting super-specific. So I did searches for “autumn millinery” and “fall millinery.” Let’s celebrate the change of the season by looking at some fabulous fall hats from quality milliners! (Click on the picture to be taken to the listing.)

I don’t know whether the milliners featured above need more eyes on their work or not. I just chose to share these hats simply because I like them, and for no other reason.

Feel free to comment below to say which fall hat is your favorite! And remember, if you’re looking for millinery on Etsy, it helps to get specific. 🙂