and thankful too. Two years ago today I woke up at 6 am with the proverbial light bulb moment. It's one of the rare moments that I can remember having such clarity of thought. It had been a rough year. Changes at my job had been in the works since the beginning of the year. Other changes were going on in the lives of people around me and I was wrestling with that pesky "what am I going to do with the rest of my life?" question. At the time, it really felt like a mid-life crisis. Only time will tell if there is more to come. And then on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I woke up early and my path was clear. Even though it was something I always intended to do someday, I had been busy coming up with jobs to fill in the time, but when I woke up it was suddenly obvious. We should open a store! This was the moment.
That Thanksgiving day I went to dinner at the house of a good friend. Though I had discussed it with Sachi, that dinner was the first time that I really stated our intention out loud and in public, so I always look back on Thanksgiving as the anniversary of this store.
There followed a whirlwind. I worked through Christmas and into the new year at my old job. We met with the realtor (there wasn't any looking to do, this was the space I had my eye on for a while). We cashed in stocks. Sachi wrote the business plan, met with the banker, met with the lawyer and otherwise took care of all those pesky and important details, along with a newborn Lily. It really seemed like the perfect moment. A lot of people look back on the economy in the intervening time and say, "whoa, this was a tough time to start a business." But I feel really lucky that we started when we did. If we had waited even 6 months longer, the window would have been shut and then conditions REALLY would have been hard for starting a business.
In January we signed our lease. Here's how the space looked when we first took it over. We papered the windows with various quotations about creativity as well as assorted magazine scraps - a nod to our usual college decorating styles. Working late at night Sachi heard some women stop outside the door and read our description. One of the women scoffed and said "I give it 6 months." Thankfully, other people have been much more supportive and I feel lucky to have so many great friends and family members, not to mention customers who have been with me along this path. Just today a customer told me that I was really lucky to work in such a creative environment. I agree.
We will be open 2 years, come March 2010. The store has filled in a lot since those early Pepto Bismol pink days. We have over 40 artists represented at the store, as well as many items we love and craft supplies that are inspiring. I can't count how many people have been inspired to go home and create something and for me, that is the answer to the "how am I going to make the world a better place?" question.
So, I am co-owner of a business I love, I spend my days in a colorful and creative setting, making stuff, moving things around. I take a risk and open myself up to the possibility of criticism and crabby customers, but I also make new connections, hear compliments everyday and am part of an energizing and creating world. And, oh yeah, I have an adorable niece! Aren't I lucky!
