Etsy revealed before Christmas it was opening an office in Berlin, and in a blog post on Christmas Eve, Etsy's Vice President of Community Matthew Stinchcomb wrote that he would be moving with his German wife to Berlin to kick off Etsy's international expansion.

Mr. Stinchcomb told users one of the company's goals was to build greater awareness for Etsy, as well as for the handmade movement, in Europe, and he posted photos of meet-ups held recently in Berlin, Paris and London. Etsy has members from over 150 countries, and international sales account for 30% of the business.

Mr. Stinchcomb wrote that he would devote himself to developing Etsy's European business over the next year to spotlight the creative talents within Etsy's existing European community and to recruit new artists, vintage sellers and shoppers. He stated that Etsy sees a lot of potential to grow internationally, and in the year ahead, "having a local presence will ensure the unique needs of our international friends are heard, as we build Etsy's marketplace capabilities."

Mr. Stinchcomb was one of Etsy's first employees, and had been roommates with Etsy founder Rob Kalin, who announced last week he would be returning to the role of CEO.