Farmhouse Wares Hit a Sweet Spot on the Web

I caught up with a woman today who told me a year ago that she was launching a new website and a home-based business. I hear ideas like this so many times that I usually expect them to languish and never come to fruition. But this one was different--and the business is now going great guns and the site looks fantastic. She had a good idea and her timing was perfect.

Betsy Strickland started Farmhouse Wares last year in Whately. What she's come up with is a testament to classy web design and savvy marketing.

She just got a call from a big New York home magazine that wants to feature her clean, simple and comfortable wares in their December issue. I encouraged her to bring the goods down there in person, since a face-to-face meeting beats anything you can do over the phone or by email.

The types of things she sells are what people want, just look at Real Simple, one of the hottest magazine launches in recent years. It was nice to hear about her success.

She sells unique pottery like earthenware bowls, healthy candles, bedspreads and pillows of natural fabrics, all with a sepia mellow look that's reminscent of Pottery Barn and Pier One, yet more country and real. She spends a lot of time working with vendors and carefully packing and shipping, and she writes a blog about the business and about her life, adding to the authenticity.

It was nice to speak with her and hear how this has all come together, she left a good paying job but now, like many of us who have ventured down this path, couldn't be happier working for herself.