Colorado Painter Sells Worldwide on Amazon Handmade

Since putting her work on Amazon, sales are up more than 600 percent

ColoradoBiz Staff //November 17, 2017//

Colorado Painter Sells Worldwide on Amazon Handmade

Since putting her work on Amazon, sales are up more than 600 percent

ColoradoBiz Staff //November 17, 2017//

Local artist Heather Sims taught herself to paint in 2005 while her husband was stationed in Germany with the United States Air Force. What was originally meant to occupy her time became a passion as she learned something new with each piece. A couple years later, Sims and her husband moved back to the Colorado Springs area and her creative venture became a business.

Today, Sims and her husband live on a farm and have two teenage boys, three dogs, three cats and 27 chickens. As an animal lover, she started to mix up her still-life paintings by adding in farm animals and pets, all while using Colorado Springs’s beautiful scenery as a backdrop.

“What makes me most passionate about my work is when people purchase prints to hang in their homes,” Sims says. “That makes me want to keep going, and gives me ideas for future paintings.”

In 2015, she was one of the first artisans on Amazon Handmade. Prior to Amazon Handmade, Sims says that she was more of a hobby seller with sporadic sales on other platforms.

Since joining Amazon, Sims’s sales are up more than 600 percent.

She became so busy that she recently started using Fulfillment by Amazon, which allows her to lean on Amazon to pick, pack and ship all of her orders and makes the prints eligible for free Two-Day Shipping for Prime members. She decides what to paint next based on the demand she sees from Amazon Handmade customers. “I offer many sizes from miniature to large prints, and the most popular matting options,” Sims said. The holiday season is one of her busiest times of the year, with sales doubling between Black Friday and the week before Christmas. She has seen orders come in from across the globe, including her previous home Germany.

Even with the growth of her business online, Sims has continued to add the same personal touches that she has used since she began selling her work. She includes a handwritten note with every purchase to thank her buyers.

As business continues to grow, so does Sims’s interest in experimenting with different products. “In the future, I hope to have my artwork on usable products like mugs, dishtowels and other kitchen products,” she said. By selling on Amazon, Sims can test out different products and see if customers are interested.

Sims continues to add new paintings and images to her Amazon Handmade storefront. “I’ve seen consistent growth,” Sims said. “I’m currently preparing for a busy holiday season and a new year filled with new paintings.”