In a lot of ways, Etsy’s Brooklyn headquarters looks exactly as you’d expect. The space is cozy, tastefully decorated and overwhelmingly handmade — making it a great space to explore.
This week marks the company’s 10th anniversary, a milestone that comes on the heels of Etsy’s IPO earlier this year. Etsy, the online marketplace for small retailers, operates with more than 700 global employees, most of whom are based in Brooklyn, including CEO Chad Dickerson.
But the team doesn’t believe that going public has changed the company’s culture at all. Sarah Starpoli, Etsy’s manager of culture and engagement, said that Etsy sellers are still the company’s main focus. Looking around the office space, items made by sellers are everywhere, decorating conference rooms and employees’ desks. When new team members start, they get $100 in Etsy credit to stock up on knickknacks and other decorations.
On the walls, several murals and features are hand-painted by employees.
“Looking around, you can feel that it’s very Etsy. Employees that work here have helped make some of the features you see around you. We like to believe we foster creativity, even if you don’t consider yourself a crafty person,” said Starpoli.
A photo posted by Digiday (@digiday) on
Etsy has initiated staff programs including community classes — during which employees can host lessons on anything from juggling to jewelry design for their colleagues — and “crafternoons,” which she hopes will cultivate a creative environment at corporate headquarters. These craft workshops take place in the Etsy Labs and invite both sellers and employees in to help work on projects. When we visited, team members were making decorations for NYC’s Pride Week.
Watch the video below to take a Snapchat tour of Etsy’s Brooklyn headquarters.
Etsy has been in its current space in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood since August 2009, and while it covers four floors of the industrial office building, it has outgrown the offices. In 2016, the company will pack up its crafting tools, couches and handbuilt desks and move to its own building a block away. At the new office, every last piece and product seen will have been made by a local artist.
“We’re excited to evolve,” said Starpoli. “But spreading out means we’re going to need cohesive programming in order to maintain our community.”
@Etsy conference rooms are decorated with crafts from sellers. #insidetheretailer A photo posted by Digiday (@digiday) on
By staying in the neighborhood, Etsy can continue its Friday ritual of packing up its week of compost and biking it to Red Hook Community Farm, a short distance away. The company also hosts bi-weekly “Eatsy” lunches, community meals curated with seasonal ingredients by Katie Rose Crosswhite, Etsy’s food program coordinator.
According to Rose, food, along with crafts, is a huge part of Etsy’s culture. It is incorporated into the conference room names, which are all music and food hybrids, like Wu Tang Clams, Lil Kimchi and Depeche à la Mode.
“When we’re coming up with new community programming, we’re always figuring out how to get people to eat together,” said Rose Crosswhite. “It’s the one time we can all sit down and take a break at once.”
See more photos from Etsy’s HQ below.
Arts and crafts everywhere in the @Etsy office. #insidetheretailer
A photo posted by Digiday (@digiday) on
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