Fort Irwin entrepreneurs find business online

FORT IRWIN — When the commissary at Fort Irwin started pushing people to go green and use reusable grocery bags, Genevieve Campbell came up with an idea.

This Fort Irwin mother of two started making custom bags as an alternative to the plain cloth ones sold by the commissary. She opened a store, SweetGroceryBags, online last May to sell bags made out of vintage and recycled cloth she often finds at thrift stores.

As a stay-at-home mom, Campbell says her children are her full time job. She usually sews her bags while her children are asleep and can complete a bag in a couple of hours. Her bags range in cost between $25 and $80, and she has made 24 online sales so far.

“I’ve had to stop marketing myself on post because I can’t keep up with orders,” she said.

Campbell is a member of the Fort Irwin Business Wives, a group that meets about once a month and represents a growing number of people at Fort Irwin who run home and online buisnesses.

Lyn Fleischman, a member of the group, said that she sells online because it is hard to find a job at Fort Irwin.

“The job market is really slim right now,” she said.

Although she had never tried sewing before, Fleischman decided to take a chance and start up an online store to sell custom made camouflage bags for members, spouses, and supporters of all branches of the military. Her store, HoppyInk, takes custom orders for what she calls “Absolutely Cute and Unique” bags, or ACU for short.

Since opening the store in November of 2007 she has made 36 online sales. Her bags cost between $30 and $40, and she said she also makes a lot of sales off-line to friends.

“Everyone pretty much loves them,” she said.

This is not Fleischman’s first experience with an online business. She has been making graphics online for the past few years. She said that when she gets burnt out on making purses, she goes back to her graphic designing.

Tiffany Johnson is an entrepreneur who sells paper crafts online and has a home business selling scrap booking and stamping supplies. As a self proclaimed Army wife, she said she enjoys helping out other Army families.

“You could say that the one thing I learned from being an Army brat is how to be an Army wife,” her online profile states.

Johnson, Campbell, and Fleischman run their online stores through the Web site www.Etsy.com. The site allows users to sell their handmade items and artwork through their own online shops. All three sellers are member of the Homefront Etsy Team, a group that gives support and networking to military spouses who use the Web site to buy or sell.

Campbell and Fleischman donate part of the proceeds from their shops to non-profit organizations. Every month Fleischman donates 25 percent of her profits to Homefront Charity, a non-profit organization that helps military families in times of need. Campbell donates half of her profits to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Andrea Goodwin is interning with the Desert Dispatch this summer. To reach her, call (760) 256-4126.