07/09/2026
What nobody warned me about before opening my business in 2009:
*Being present and visible in your business is not for the faint of heart. There is a delicate balance of trying to be true to yourself but also needing a thick skin to not take things personal. (I attribute my greying hair to the stress of the business)
*There would be good months and bad months. Months where I have thought I've made the right decision over the years and feel like the business is reaching goals to then the very next month wondering if all the bills will be paid because sells were slow and we maybe only had a handful of customers come into the shop during the week.
*Curating a store full of product is tricky because not everything that I think is cool or will be a hot item sells. Some items hardly move till they get marked down 50 or 75% off. That stings.
*Hoping to make that good first impression on a person when they step foot in the door to hope they come back for subsequent visits. Just yesterday we had a couple step foot in the shop, make a loop around the shop in less than a minute and flew out of the parking lot like they were on a racetrack. For 2 hours afterwards I beat myself up wondering what was wrong with my store that made them leave so fast.
*Trends come and go - you don't need to be on top of all of them.
*The list could go on and on, there are so many positives and negatives about owning a small business.
***At the end of the day, I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't know what else I would do with my life because I love to be creative, play in the dirt, curate a space for the community, and see our customers through their different seasons of life. As you go through your day to day routines remember those small businesses and support them whenever you can. Maybe you pay a few dollars more than you would to receive a package from Amazon on your doorstep but it really does mean the world to us owners to be able to interact with you and share a piece of our craft with you.