In 2021, endoscopy nurse Megan Walsh, 41, returned to work full time. The pandemic sent patients surging into her hospital, and help was in short supply.
Stressed from it all, Walsh returned to an old hobby from college — making crafts for her Etsy shop. Known online as MegansMenagerie, her shop has become a cash cow, raking in more than $121,400 last year.
“I don’t have to have a full-time job because of Etsy,” Walsh, who now works part time, told CNBC’s Megan Sauer. “It’s been my way to save, buy things for the family, host birthday parties. When my daughter started driving, I was able to buy her a car.”
The handmade, plant-based wall decor shop, which now averages $9,800 a month in sales, began in 2009. Walsh was working toward an associate degree in nursing when a friend suggested she put her skills to use and sell her creations on Etsy.
Her first major hit was a “Charlie Brown” patterned scarf she worked day and night reproducing. Again and again, 30 minutes per scarf, she worked. Within two years, her labors had earned her more than $80,000.
“I lived in an apartment at the time, and I’m glad that the neighbors below were OK with me waking up super early to sew. We’re talking like 5 a.m.,” the Manahawkin, New Jersey, resident said. “I had to put rugs down because the machine was just so loud, like a metal thumping noise for hours.”
After that, the business simmered to a hobby again. She expanded her skill set, adding macrame wall decor and jewelry to the shop.
In March 2021, stressed by her work as a nurse during the pandemic, she poured more energy into her crafts. That’s when she had the idea for her real moneymaker.
She bought a $40 pound of eucalyptus and began working. Soaking it in glycerin, she preserved its aroma before stringing it together on a wooden pole. The scented wall decor idea helped Walsh’s shop earn $78,400 in 2021. The next year, she made $108,300.
Family vacations, a couple of cars, student loan payments, a vow renewal ceremony — the hobby turned side hustle has contributed to Walsh’s life in major ways. Still a nurse, she’s been able to return to part-time work, adjusting her schedule around her children.
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