07/03/2026
Hey friends! We need to have a little chat. Step into my office, take a seat and let's have a little vent sess...
First things first, we want to apologize for being so inconsistent the last month. We take full response and honestly there is no excuse for it. We haven't posted lately because honestly, I wasn't sure what to even say. When we first went into this, we were prepared to dedicate every last dime and every spare minute to this shop. Solely for you guys, our customers, our friends. We were tired of having to drive at least 30 minutes to get what we needed so we knew other people in the area probably felt the same way. There were plenty of nights we slept at the shop because we needed to be there right away in the morning anyways. And we were fine with that. We enjoyed building this business and meeting new customers. We thought we had everything figured out. What we weren't prepared for was life sneaking in and throwing us on our asses.
May 20th.... What started out as a normal (rushed) morning. We stayed at the shop the night before because we had to get product in Des Moines and after getting back and putting everything away it was super late. So we crashed in the back room. That morning I had an appointment at my other job and needed to make up some hours so I went home and did a few things there quick before going into work. Then came the phone call that turned everything upside down. Our house was on fire. Our sweet minka was gone. Our kids safe space was gone. Mostly everything we had worked for was gone. The first few weeks. I managed to keep our same schedule. While blocking out every emotion for the sake of the kids and to keep the shop open. But at some point, and I think it was honestly when I went back into the house finally and realized everything of my mother's (who passed away just a year prior) was gone. Even more specifically, a plant of hers that actually died when she died that I managed to bring back to life. Gone... Thats what did me in. I didn't realize how much I was struggling mentally. I was on autopilot and that plant is what broke me. It physically hurt to put a smile on my face. So I hid. For a few weeks unless I had to go to my normal job I barely left the house. So much has happened in the last month I haven't been able to fully process it. We've seen the full spectrum of people. The ones that will go out of their way to help a complete stranger, ones that are blatantly rude and just want drama, ones that have tried to take advantage of us and our situation. I actually had a "church person" offer help with food then take that offer back and say "I think you need more help than we can offer." Now.... Let me tell you. When someone is close to giving up and reaching out for help for even just food and you get that type of response from a person that's supposed to be you know, an upstanding, God fearing human, it's really hard to see any light at the end of such a dark tunnel. On the other hand we have been overwhelmed with blessings from good people. If it wasn't for the ones that did help, that went out of their way above and beyond to help I really don't know where we'd be today. Honestly, if id even be here. I can't stress enough to take time for yourself, for your mental health. A Chaplin at the church was a God send for me. So to the ones that have been here through this s**t show, we appreciate every single one of you more than you know. And if there's ANYTHING we can do to repay you, don't hesitate to reach out. And again we sincerely apologize for being so inconsistent. Thanks for coming to my ted talk ♥️
For the month of July, starting today (well be opening at 5pm) every $50 you spend get entered to win a $50 or $100 gift card. Two winners will be drawn on July 31st. Multiple entries accepted. Can't wait to see all of your beautiful faces!
