By: Emily Breitkopf
My name is Emily Breitkopf and I’m the creator and owner of Fandom Decor Shop, a small business that sells merch based on fandoms across all types of media. I attended Sheridan for four years before graduating from the Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing program in Spring 2023. I am also one of the core founders of B222 and held the role of Art Director during our first issue that was published in Spring 2023. B222 is something that holds a very special place in my heart, so when the current Managing Editor reached out and asked me to write this post about my success and experiences as a business owner I was absolutely thrilled!
Fandom Decor Shop (FDS) was created back in June of 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic and during my studies at Sheridan. It started as a shop fully focused on making signs based on my favourite fandoms across all media such as books, broadway, gaming, TV, and film and soon after anime was also added. Recently though, I have branched outside of sign making and now also sell bookmarks, keychains, blankets and bookends. I have also since narrowed my focus a lot more onto mainly book and anime merch but will sometimes still release products inspired by other media just not as often.
FDS actually started because of the pandemic. After I was sent home from residence and we switched to online learning, I found myself becoming incredibly bored and agitated being stuck at home. My sister (Shaded Pines) had already been making home decor so I offered to help as something to occupy my time. However, one day I asked her if I could use some scrap wood and try making my own sign. Thus, my first FDS product was created. At that point I had no intention of selling these signs but as I posted my progress in a Sarah J. Maas Facebook group I suddenly had all these people wanting to purchase the sign I was making. Flattered and motivated by their demand, I decided to create a mini Sarah J. Maas collection, start an Etsy shop, and just see how it went. I created my own Instagram as well and slowly the sales started rolling in and FDS was born.
After a lot of success on Etsy, I decided in August of 2021 that I wanted to leave Etsy and I launched my very own website: fandomdecorshop.com. The website was a very nerve-wracking decision as I no longer had the support of Etsy advertisement and promotion but instead had to generate sales 100% on my own and based solely through my Instagram and not by random customers browsing through Etsy. However, it was the right decision because my website allowed me so much more freedom and customization and also gave me a bigger sense of professionalism than what I felt on Etsy. Now, I have over 16K followers on Instagram and run my shop through scheduled drops that stay open for less than an hour due to the popularity of my products. I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment and it shows that it is possible to make a living from a small business and people DO want your products and love your art.
When it comes to inspiration and deciding on what pieces and collections I want to do, I mainly look at the things I currently have interest in as well as what is popular in media right now. This year is actually the first year I have planned every single collection and drop for the entire year, as it’s also my first year truly running my business full-time as I’m no longer a student. All my planned collections are either based on something I am incredibly passionate about like Lord of the Rings, the Sarah J. Maas universe, Anime, and Percy Jackson, or books that are popular that I know I will love and I want to make merch for. So, when it comes time to start designing for these new collections I will refer to my notes of ideas I came up with randomly and also rewatch, reread, or replay the story the collection is for while making notes as I go.
Looking at my future goals and aspirations for myself and my business, I actually for the first time have a list of goals I’d like to hit by the end of the year. As I mentioned this is my first year doing the shop full-time so it was really important to me that I set goals so I have something to look towards throughout the year. One of the biggest goals for my business is that I want to create a book box. Now what this book box will include is to be decided but I really like the idea of themed boxes full of fun items either through collaborations with other businesses or all items of my own. With my other goal of branching out to more product types I think this and the book box will go hand in hand quite nicely. I also really wish to work more directly with authors, especially indie ones, to create pieces for their books. I already have one indie author lined up for this year, but I would love to work with more as it’s such a fun, interactive way to create merch. The same goes for other businesses. I would love to collaborate more with other small businesses to create products that I otherwise might not be able to. I recently worked with Fablebands—who unfortunately closed last month—to make scrunchies to match my blankets and it was so much fun working with them. Overall though, I am incredibly excited for this year and have so many big goals and things planned that I definitely think I will have my hands full and I just hope everything is well received.
To wrap all of this up I wanted to give a book recommendation for all my readers. I know many of my Canadian people will likely have read The Outsiders by S.E Hinton in school when they were younger, which is actually my favourite book of all time. So, I wanted to suggest one of her other works. I actually finished Tex by S.E Hinton in January and really loved it. So, if you’re looking for maybe some older literature I would give it a try! However, if you’re looking for something a bit more modern and recent I’d say check out these indie titles; Divine Blood by Beck Micheals, The Molten Key by Taylor Wilson, or Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling. If you’re looking for moretraditionally published works; Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab, or Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
Thank you again to the B222 team for this opportunity to share about my business and its journey and if you feel like giving me a follow, you can find me @fandomdecorshop on both Instagram and TikTok :)
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