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2011 Round Up: TOTshop

Added 2020: The shop’s had a good long run but has since been closed because running it takes a lot of time and just leaving it there was a bit of a waste. Who knows what’s next? Stay tuned…

I can’t believe a year has flown by just like that! When I used to keep a personal blog, I would do a round up at the end of each year, just looking back at what was done, and giving a little thought into plans for the upcoming year. It’s pretty cool to look back on it and see how I’ve progressed and grown each year, so I decided to track that progression in the same way for The Occasional Traveller.

The Occasional Traveller Shop started off in a small way back in 2010 on a whim to feed my own shopping needs, and it’s grown and changed so much since then, and continues to evolve even today… Here’s a look back at the year:

Expanded shop space at Bigcartel

The main shop used to be hosted on the wordpress.com page, but updating it in that format was a little tedious, and there was not much I could do on it because it was a free platform. As a backup to that page and to make it easier for the overseas customers, I had the bigcartel page created as well.

I love the ease of using the bigcartel platform, so I made it into the main shop page after shifting to theoccasionaltraveller.com. Customizing the bigcartel page has not been the easiest task for me, lots of trial and error and it’s still not as perfect as I would like, but it’s definitely helped me pick up more css and html know-how!

In 2012, I’m looking to improve the shop page further, though with my limited tech skills, I might just cave and get a nice template =P Whether it stays on Bigcartel remains to be seen, I was hoping to integrate other payment methods into the system…


New stuff in the shop

Lots of new stuff made the TOTshop’s imaginary shelves this year (in reality, they’re stacked in boxes in my warehouse of a bedroom).

Geografia Globes All
The Geografia range explanded, with new globes as well as stationery… perfect for those who love intricate Japanese paper products.
Wintercheck Factory Julian Scarf Purple-Yellow
I also added Wintercheck Factory to the mix with its ever popular William Wallets in all sorts of colours and the lovely Julian Scarves.
Crumpled City Map Paris
Tyvek was also the material of choice, it’s what the Mighty Wallets, Mighty Tags and Crumpled City Maps are made of. Waterproof, tearproof, these items will last your journey.
Plastique Landmark Rings
Plastique* has some pretty lovely travel inspired accessories (I love them ALL)
Scratch Map
And the Christmas season saw the introduction of new products – the Scratch Maps (Large and Small) we’ve been lusting after

as well as alter:sg, the alternative Singapore travel guide.

What do you want to see in the shop in 2012? Well I can say that the William Wallets will have even more colours on the horizon, and we just might see more Crumpled City Maps… the Asian versions, finally! I’m looking at restocking the Anywhere Travel Guides and I’m also on the hunt for new great products, so do drop me a recommendation if anything catches your eye.


More shop exposure

TOTshop PublicGarden OldSchool 2011
TOTshop PublicGarden OldSchool 2011

2011 was also the first time I took TOTshop offline and went out there and physically sold stuff. Some fleas were great, others less so, but it was valuable testing experience and an indication of where my customers are. There’s no better way to learn about sales than to do it yourself after all…

In 2012 I hope to continue doing my favourite fleas – the Zouk Flea Market and Public Garden. I might look at other platforms if they’re viable, but these are the 2 you’re most likely to spot me at!


Check out my 2011 Round Ups for my favourite blog posts in 2011 as well as my travels in 2011.