A Monumental Shift

Over the past 6 months, Folsom Locomotive Works has grown from a small, experimental venture into a steadily expanding operation serving modelers who share a passion for Southern Pacific steam. As the business has evolved, so have the tools and platforms supporting it. This post marks the beginning of a significant transition—one that will directly impact how products are offered, priced, and expanded moving forward.

Why the Move Away from Etsy

When FLW first launched, Etsy was a deliberate choice. As a new entrant in the market, the platform provided built-in buyer protections and a level of legitimacy that is difficult to replicate independently. For a small shop without an established reputation, that trust layer was valuable.

However, as FLW has matured, the limitations of Etsy have become increasingly restrictive. Fee structures—approaching 20% in some cases—have imposed a ceiling on pricing flexibility. Additionally, Etsy’s platform constraints limit the ability to implement more advanced business models currently under consideration, including structured product categorization and potential subscription-based offerings.

At this stage, those limitations outweigh the initial benefits.

Transitioning to Shopify

FLW is now transitioning to a dedicated storefront hosted at:

folsomlocoworks.store

This shift enables tighter control over the customer experience, more robust product organization, and the flexibility required to support future initiatives. It also removes unnecessary overhead imposed by third-party marketplace fees.

From a technical and operational standpoint, this change is foundational. It allows the business to scale in ways that were not feasible within Etsy’s ecosystem.

Lower Prices as a Direct Result

One of the immediate and tangible outcomes of this transition is pricing.

With reduced platform fees and improved operational efficiency, most products will see price reductions in the range of approximately 5–15%. This is not a temporary promotion—it is a structural adjustment made possible by eliminating intermediary costs and improving production workflows.

Expanding Production Capacity

This ecommerce transition is occurring alongside a physical one. FLW is relocating to a larger workspace as part of a move into a new home. The increased space allows for:

• Expanded printer capacity

• Improved workflow organization

• Higher throughput and consistency

For customers, this translates to better availability, faster turnaround times, and the ability to expand the product line more aggressively.

What This Means Going Forward

This is not simply a platform change; it is a shift in how FLW operates.

• Greater independence from third-party marketplaces

• Increased flexibility in product development and offerings

• A foundation for future features, including subscription concepts currently in development

• An easier to navigate user interface

Etsy served its purpose well in the early stages, but FLW has reached a point where a dedicated platform is the more appropriate environment for continued growth.

Closing Notes

The previous URL (folsomlocoworks.etsy.com) will no longer serve as the primary storefront. All activity is moving to:

folsomlocoworks.store

If you have purchased from FLW before, your support played a direct role in making this transition possible, and we are eternally grateful for your continued enthusiastic support. This next phase is focused on delivering better pricing, expanded offerings, and a more capable platform to support the hobby long-term.

We wholeheartedly appreciate your patience during this transition, and look forward to resuming production as soon as possible.

• Jordan Whitecar

Founder & Owner of Folsom Locomotive Works

P.S. For all the HO modelers who have been patiently waiting for FLW to release some HO models, stay tuned, they are coming very soon!