Name of your website?Sea Witch Antiques and Collectibles
Your name?
Jean Hudson
Your Location (city, etc)
Jacksonville, NC 28540
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Sea Witch Antiques and Collectibles carries top quality, name brand antiques, collectibles and fine furniture at prices you can afford.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Customers wanting to make purchases when not in North Carolina. Often had military spouses wanting their "other half" to see items prior to purchasing.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This website originally launched prior to Christmas in 2001.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Both the store and the website are named Sea Witch after the famous clipper ship known for making the fastest runs of the spice routes of old. This same ship was of significance in the John Wayne movie "Wake of the Red Witch" which holds special importance to both Dean and I as we are both John Wayne fans.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Sea Witch Antiques and Collectibles has been online and within the top 10 on both Google and Yahoo for years now. Our site receives considerable traffic and lots of turnover. This seems to be due to repeat customers and word of mouth recommendations.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Both Dean and I enjoy having the shop and the website to meet lots of new people and learn more each day about quality antiques and collectibles. We do not plan to do away with either the shop or the website anytime soon.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Our website has been a profit center for us for years. Even so, it is still more important to us to offer our customers quality items in a manner easy for them to obtain.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Not sure I would change anything.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Our site is really big! The demand keeps us hopping but, that is a good thing.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None really.
What has been your biggest challenge?
We buy and sell so often that our biggest challenge is to get items online quickly as people are always seeking out the best in antiques and collectibles.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
We utilize the services of the North Carolina SEO (http://northcarolinaseo.blogspot.com) which maintains our site within the top 10 rankings of Google and Yahoo results. This has been extremely beneficial to us through the years.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It has grown faster and been busier than expected.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Approx. 7 years now and no end in site!
What is the store mascot?
Missy. She is a toy poodle with apricot colored hair. She is extremely friendly to young and old alike. Often customers return to the store and call her name as they first open the door. She is well loved and received.
What is your website address?
Sea Witch Antiques and Collectibles
