It’s not like me to custom order anything. The thought terrifies me and does something internally on a very basic psychological level. It’s rather ridiculous when you think about it but there it is.
As the Universe reflects back what we need in our lives, you can imagine my discomfort when first opening The Wild West Art Store on Etsy, to discover that there is not only a ‘Custom Order’ button but that people actually use it! No, really.
The first time I received a personal message with a custom order, I have to admit it threw me for a loop. What’s wrong with the billions of options I have already offered you, I thought to myself – you see how my own issues were causing me problems? – but that very quickly changed.
My first custom order, you see, was from a gentleman somewhere in Oregon who wanted to know what the BIGGEST size available would be for a selection of FIVE of my Oregon prints for his office walls – above and beyond the poster size that I already offer! After some to-ing and fro-ing we agreed on sizes for the various images (some looked better than others in the new LARGER dimensions) and the customer got exactly what he wanted and needed and I realised that that is what ‘service’ is all about. It’s about giving you what you want and need.
Since then, I have had other custom orders. People who have seen my images in the ‘flesh,’ so to speak (at exhibitions) and want to know if it’s possible to have this or that image on aluminium or canvas and have a budget of such and such.
One woman recently contacted me to let me know that she was looking for something special for a relative’s 75th birthday and had a fixed budget. “He loves Vegas, Route 66 and all that retro Americana stuff,” she said, “and it would be great to have one of your images on that really glossy stuff rather than a standard print in a frame.” Well, you have come to the right place I thought.
Another person contacted me having won a frame I made up with a selection of 3 individual prints for a draw, to ask how her friend could get the same, having coveted the prize upon the wnner’s wall.
Now I get the whole ‘Custom Order‘ thing and realise that that is the whole point of a site like Etsy. You really do get what you pay for.
Just sharing: you can see the unveiling of the Portland Custom Order here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1m0bIlQfTE and the unveiling of a Custom Order aluminium print here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxiJg–xkj4
A new acquaintance mentioned something the other day and for a split second I was struck dumb – which doesn’t happen often, as my husband will readily attest – and then my brain started whirring into gear.
Toula Mavridou-Messer 
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