Kristen Becker is starting a fresh trend. Her online shop, Kir DeVries, offers an eclectic mix of home decor, personal accessories and gift items, many of which are independently made. Kir DeVries affords the practicality and selection you might find at a big box store -- but with a more personal and neighborly touch.

"We welcome special requests and love discovering new ways to make shopping personal again," says Kristen.

With a background as a graphic design professor and community activist, Kristen acts as creative director for the business. She creates the copy, oversees the site design and development, makes her own graphics and promotional materials and photographs most of the products herself. She says, "It's not unusual for me to get a creative idea in the middle of the night and find myself pulling up Photoshop at 4 a.m."

We Dream in Color Plastic Fantastic Trio (left), Box Wars Men's Tee by Karl Addison (one of Kristen's former design students).

I asked Kristen about what she looks for when seeking out indie products to showcase on Kir DeVries. "I think every boutique has its own aesthetic and style, so certainly you look for artists and designers who fit with your style," she says. "I have learned through trial and error that quality is paramount. You want customers to be as pleased with the actual item as they were with the pictures online. Any words or information that conveys the level of quality and craftsmanship is persuasive. It's also nice when you can see that artists do a lot to promote themselves -- whether it be from having a press page on their site or a blurb about their accolades on their product sheet."

Kristen also offered some advice to crafters and artists who are simply looking to expand their online reach: "Although the Internet provides opportunities and exposure for artists, it also shows us how many people are working on the same ideas. I think it's sometimes better to take a chance and be really daring with your creative idea than to stick in the comfort zone of what is already being well received."

(Images courtesy of Kir DeVries and Partybots)