CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When many of us think of Cyber Monday we often think Amazon and big department stores. But it's also a big day for local business owners who sell everything online.

  • You're That Girl Designs and C&S Metalworks are two local business owners cashing in on Cyber Monday.
  • Holidays tend to be three times as busy as the rest of the year.
  • Some Etsy store owners operate exclusively online, making Cyber Monday a very big day.

Lesley Dibble, You're That Girl Designs, makes and sells hundreds of items out of her house in south Charlotte, as does Chris Spaulding, C&S Metalworks, in Concord.

“I draw it up on the computer, open it up on the controller and then cut just like you saw,” Spaulding said.

They both have very different items, but they sell them on the same website: Etsy. Dibble has even made it her full-time job, taking 24,000 orders in the last 10 years.

“It’s out of my house so it’s really tough sometimes,” Dibble said. “We are sometimes strapped for room.”

Unlike other businesses that might rely somewhat on in-person sales, their store fronts are completely online. This means Cyber Monday is huge.

“It’s crazy,” Spaudling said. “It's probably three times as busy as the rest of the year.”

“I would say around Christmas time I work 12-14 hours a day,” said Dibble.

One of the neat things about a lot of items on Etsy is that people can customize them. Customers can have a name, symbol or a phrase put directly on an item at their request.

“A lot of my customers, they have family in the military or police,” Spaulding said. ‘“Some people have lost others, so a lot of time they give the gift to a family member that has lost a service member.”

It's an item that may be worth more than the usual price tag.

“It’s nice to be able to make something that is really special for people and that holds a really special place,” Dibble said.

Both business owners say they are taking part in Cyber Week on Etsy, which means all of their items are 20 percent off and include free shipping.

 

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