Leather Digest

Ariana is a local student in Orlando, Florida that loves to be a part of her community. She’s shared this love during the 2025, Cypress Lakes Fall and Winter Market where she showcased, hand-made jewelry some in theme for the holiday and some speaking to the local shop’s name, Apple of My Evil Eye. 

Being able to set-up a brick-and-mortar booth is rare for this jewelry maker as she typically sales her items online either through her Etsy shop, Instagram or Facebook. For local residents, she hand-deliver’s the jewelry a special touch for the tight-knit community. 

The shop’s namesake inspiration can be seen in bracelets, necklaces and earrings as Ariana shares “The name of my shop is Apple of My Evil Eye, so it really plays into the evil eye theme and quite a few of my pieces.” 

For local business owners, platforms such as Etsy provide a space to reach larger audiences with minimal set-up, allowing young artist like Ariana to continue to invest in their craft. “I have a shop on Etsy where you can find most of my pieces but most of the time, I’m selling through fairs and markets, especially within this community and I also try and post on Instagram and Facebook, so people can reach out if they see a piece they like.” 

As of March 2025, Etsy recorded 88.5 million active buyers down 3% from 2024, but only 5.4 million active sellers. This was also down 23% from Q1 of 2024. However, with this decrease in customers and sellers the platform generated $2.81 billion in totally revenue in 2024, followed by 2.02 billion in marketplace revenue and $788 million in services revenue. 

Ariana’s journey with Apple of My Evil Eye highlights how platforms like Etsy continue to anchor small creators, even amid shifting marketplace trends. While Etsy’s active buyers and sellers have declined, its multibillion-dollar revenue shows the platform’s staying power for independent artists seeking visibility beyond their local circles. 

For jewelry makers like Ariana, Etsy serves as both a digital storefront and a launchpad allowing her to reach wider audiences while still staying rooted in community.