An Investigation of the Lifestyles and Selling Strategies of Farmers with Small Fiber Farms on Etsy

Abstract

There is a growing number of small fiber farms in the United States that produce materials for handcrafters. Farmers with small fiber farms often use internet sites like Etsy to market and sell their products. The purpose of this research was to examine the selling strategies of farmers with small fiber farms on Etsy and explore how they characterize their farms, lifestyles, animals, and products. The findings were compared to a theoretical framework comprised of the five dimensions of Slow Fashion identified by Jung and Jin (2014) and the concept of nostalgia. To investigate, data were gathered from 45 Etsy shops operated by farmers with small fiber farms. Three major themes emerged from the data, farm history, motivations for farming, and buying farm fresh. Results from this research helped to characterize smaller fiber farmers and investigate their various selling strategies.