I was very involved in readying our village for Santa. After hours and hours and hours of work, the hard stuff is done. We had many meetings leading up to the big week. Three of us decided we wanted Christmas to be MORE this year. Different, unique. We want people to drive to our town to see Christmas. Normally, there is a very expensive, short parade and Santa is in a tent for one evening. We knew this had to change. First we found a new home for Santa. I wanted him to be in his house more than one night. We surrounded his house with trees. We purchased 15 live trees, put them around Santa's house, they are tied to fence posts. I worked very hard getting people to adopt the trees for $45.00. I am proud to say, all but one tree was adopted. Coco's adopted a tree and decorated in blue and brown to match the shop. Every day at 4:30, all the tree lights come on. It really is beautiful.
Our town had a unique building that is not being used. Filled with junk. We spent hours emptying it, cleaning it, decorating it, so Santa has a home to be proud of. This is right across the street from my shop. I feel proud every time I look at it. This project is something I am so proud to be a part of. I wish I could add a picture of Santa's house here. Unfortunately, I cannot add pictures on my blog right now. I can either spend forever figuring out why, or finish this post. I am going with finish this post. The Santa house is adorable.
The budget for our town parade was ridiculous. Seriously, ridiculous!! The main reason was the committee rented the lighted, moving floats. They are very expensive. We made the decision to have less lighted floats and more local floats. My group of three made the decision we would make a float. Understand that it is very easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm of No Big Deal, We Can Do This. Three of us, and a poor husband forced to spend hours decorating Santa's House did most of the physical labor. Our vision was a float for Frozen. We have Ana and Elsa costumes. The plan was simple, find two high school girls who want to freeze while being Frozen characters, have a beautiful backdrop painted for the float. Get a hay rack, put lights on it. Beautiful float done. The week before the parade we had to: clean Santa's house, decorate Santa's house inside and outside, get tree adoption completed, signs made for the trees, I had to make 18 center pieces for the Breakfast With Santa, organize final details for all events including the parade, and we designated one evening for making a float. Luckily, we had an energizer bunny as part of our group. I called her Sarge. She did not miss a detail. Every single thing had to be just so. She worked so hard, along side her husband. They are something!!! The Friday after Thanksgiving it all started. That was our clean out the little building day. While I cleaned inside Sarge was outside putting lights on the bushes. We spent a few hours on the cleaning. Sunday afternoon we met again. This time there were four of us. Hauling junk from the building, putting up a tree, cleaning, hanging lights inside and outside. We worked hours. Monday night the husband spent figuring out how to put everything on timers and make sure the 15 trees outside were plugged in correctly. Tuesday the inside tree was decorated. Wednesday was float night. Sarge said we could do this in 45 minutes. I was able to find a hay rack and a kind farmer who would let us use his shed. Warhol painted a beautiful background for the float and delivered it to the farmer. When we arrived at his shed, the kind farmer had already secured the background to the float. That was huge in our timing. Next came lights, tinsel, and more lights. I realized we needed more wow factor. I said I would make blocks of ice. We were able to finish everything we could in 45 minutes. We would meet in town before the parade to add more lighting and the ice blocks. I got home and put Hubby to work. He cleaned out the freezer while I got started on the ice. Thank you Pinterest! I took balloons, put a little sand in (to freeze more quickly), added blue food color to the water, so easy. Hubby carried all balloons to the basement freezer. I asked if the balloons would be lighter frozen. He did not know. They were. Parade day Hubby put all the balloons in coolers and met me to place them on the float. They turned out awesome. I will be doing something decorative with the colored ice this winter. The kids loved the Frozen float.
The new Santa House was a huge hit. The parade was a hit. The Breakfast With Santa went smoothly. My shop was super busy the night of the parade. I had the junior high choir sing outside of my shop. The Santa House across the street. Perfect storm for the sweet shop.
It was a very hectic week! Add in three basketball games, bible study, working at the shop, volunteering at the school, that equals I was one exhausted lady. A good exhausted. I am blessed to live in this community. In a small town one person can make a difference. Four people can rock Christmas at an extreme level. We would love more people to help. Fingers crossed we get that help next year. Note when I talk about the time we put into this project, I am not complaining. I had a wonderful time!!! It helped my shop. It makes children happy. I am proud I could help. Now to bring some of that spirit to my home!!!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
If I Can't Make Money, At Least Let Me Meet Interesting People
Today has been a great day for people. Early this morning one of my weekly visitors came in. She sells me newspaper ads. Any visit with her is delightful. Sad news/Happy news, she and her family are moving back to their home state. I am very glad for her. I will miss our conversations. She is a ray of sunshine.
After she left a man came in. He was looking for a snack and coffee. I thought he was Japanese. Proudly pointed out the Japanese candy I sell. Oops, he is Chinese. He sat down to drink his coffee and chat. He stayed for about an hour give or take. He is in our little town to learn things about city government. He is with a group that spent 7 weeks at the University of Chicago. They learned how our government works. Now they are visiting towns to view the town offices. My favorite part is he is from a city that is larger than Chicago. Within that city there are several sections/districts. He is in charge of a section with over two million people. Makes sense to send him to our town of 4100. He is amazed by our town. I think it must be like seeing a unicorn. He was telling me about people he met. I would comment on the people. He said do you all know each other? I said no. I am involved with my community so I attend meetings and get to know people. It was so interesting. He is a government employee and received some perks. They can buy a house for less than the cost of building it.
Here are things I was surprised to learn:
80% of the people own houses
Most people own cars
Government workers can only have 1 child unless they were an only child. If his parents had only had him, he could have 2 children. He was not an only child so he could have 1. His son will be able to have 2 children.
His retirement is provided by the government, they pay a small amount. He will receive 70% of his pay when he retires. Healthcare is free.
Do not say, Isn't everything provided in your country since you are Communist? He stared blankly at me.
They have McDonalds.
No Property Taxes. He asked me about Property Taxes, how much we pay. I explained our taxes are high because we do not have larger companies to bring money into the community. They do not pay taxes. (Because they are a Communist Country.)
The city he is from is near Hong Kong. He asked if I had heard of Hong Kong. Duh! Probably could not find it on a map, unless it was clearly marked, but I have heard of it. Told me the largest mountain in the world is in China. Once again, duh!
It was an interesting visit. If he was here to spy on our town, I do not think I gave him any info that will help overthrow our town government. He is here for a few more days. Hope I get another visit.
This afternoon Angelo and Makayla came in. I really should be a welcome center. I give out so much information and can really sell my town. Because I love it so much!!! It should also be a high paying position. Anyways......I started my usual chat. Are you passing through. Angelo says, no. He is thinking about buying a house here. What??? This makes me happy. I love when people randomly move here. His daughter attending the Art Institute (Photography Major). He lives in the southern part of the state. He will retire soon. If he lives here, he can jump on the train. He told me what the price of a train ticket is. I asked him if he realized he could buy a monthly pass. He is very excited about that.
Angelo said he just went to look at a house. I asked which one. He said it was a house that a 102 year old man lived in who recently died. I said, Harlan's house on James Street? You know I was right. We talked about the house. I told him about all the wonderful things to do here. Gave him a couple of ideas of where to go for dinner.
As a disclaimer, I told them not to expect everyone to be as friendly as I am. They laughed. I said it is a small town. People can have their clicks. He understood. I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect of someone moving here. It is ridiculous how happy it makes me. The fact that he can tell my town is a good place to live, reinforces that I am right.
A few weeks ago a lady came in my shop that just closed on a house in the country. Once again, I knew the people that owned the house she purchased. She lives near Wrigley Field. She is married with 4 kids. She and her husband work at a University. They live in a bungalow. Her parents live an hour south of here. It was such a long drive to visit, they bought a house in the middle. Seriously! They thought it would be great for their kids to have a big space to run around. They have a big farmhouse. She was looking for coffee and wifi. I had both. Since they work at a University, they have quite a bit of time off. They expect to spend quite a bit of time here. She brought two of her children in last week.
I told her about our Christmas Parade. They are going to try to make it down for that. Wait until they see our Christmas Celebration. It is like stepping back in time. This year we will have an awesome Santa House. A Christmas Tree forest. Some good stuff. We hope to decorate the Santa House soon. Before we get into sub-zero temps.
Wanted: A high paying job. Flexible hours. Lots of vacation time. Person must be able to talk about town history and all it has to offer. Someone who can start a conversation with a brick wall. Person will have their own office, be able to wear comfortable clothing, have fun lunch meetings.
After she left a man came in. He was looking for a snack and coffee. I thought he was Japanese. Proudly pointed out the Japanese candy I sell. Oops, he is Chinese. He sat down to drink his coffee and chat. He stayed for about an hour give or take. He is in our little town to learn things about city government. He is with a group that spent 7 weeks at the University of Chicago. They learned how our government works. Now they are visiting towns to view the town offices. My favorite part is he is from a city that is larger than Chicago. Within that city there are several sections/districts. He is in charge of a section with over two million people. Makes sense to send him to our town of 4100. He is amazed by our town. I think it must be like seeing a unicorn. He was telling me about people he met. I would comment on the people. He said do you all know each other? I said no. I am involved with my community so I attend meetings and get to know people. It was so interesting. He is a government employee and received some perks. They can buy a house for less than the cost of building it.
Here are things I was surprised to learn:
80% of the people own houses
Most people own cars
Government workers can only have 1 child unless they were an only child. If his parents had only had him, he could have 2 children. He was not an only child so he could have 1. His son will be able to have 2 children.
His retirement is provided by the government, they pay a small amount. He will receive 70% of his pay when he retires. Healthcare is free.
Do not say, Isn't everything provided in your country since you are Communist? He stared blankly at me.
They have McDonalds.
No Property Taxes. He asked me about Property Taxes, how much we pay. I explained our taxes are high because we do not have larger companies to bring money into the community. They do not pay taxes. (Because they are a Communist Country.)
The city he is from is near Hong Kong. He asked if I had heard of Hong Kong. Duh! Probably could not find it on a map, unless it was clearly marked, but I have heard of it. Told me the largest mountain in the world is in China. Once again, duh!
It was an interesting visit. If he was here to spy on our town, I do not think I gave him any info that will help overthrow our town government. He is here for a few more days. Hope I get another visit.
This afternoon Angelo and Makayla came in. I really should be a welcome center. I give out so much information and can really sell my town. Because I love it so much!!! It should also be a high paying position. Anyways......I started my usual chat. Are you passing through. Angelo says, no. He is thinking about buying a house here. What??? This makes me happy. I love when people randomly move here. His daughter attending the Art Institute (Photography Major). He lives in the southern part of the state. He will retire soon. If he lives here, he can jump on the train. He told me what the price of a train ticket is. I asked him if he realized he could buy a monthly pass. He is very excited about that.
Angelo said he just went to look at a house. I asked which one. He said it was a house that a 102 year old man lived in who recently died. I said, Harlan's house on James Street? You know I was right. We talked about the house. I told him about all the wonderful things to do here. Gave him a couple of ideas of where to go for dinner.
As a disclaimer, I told them not to expect everyone to be as friendly as I am. They laughed. I said it is a small town. People can have their clicks. He understood. I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect of someone moving here. It is ridiculous how happy it makes me. The fact that he can tell my town is a good place to live, reinforces that I am right.
A few weeks ago a lady came in my shop that just closed on a house in the country. Once again, I knew the people that owned the house she purchased. She lives near Wrigley Field. She is married with 4 kids. She and her husband work at a University. They live in a bungalow. Her parents live an hour south of here. It was such a long drive to visit, they bought a house in the middle. Seriously! They thought it would be great for their kids to have a big space to run around. They have a big farmhouse. She was looking for coffee and wifi. I had both. Since they work at a University, they have quite a bit of time off. They expect to spend quite a bit of time here. She brought two of her children in last week.
I told her about our Christmas Parade. They are going to try to make it down for that. Wait until they see our Christmas Celebration. It is like stepping back in time. This year we will have an awesome Santa House. A Christmas Tree forest. Some good stuff. We hope to decorate the Santa House soon. Before we get into sub-zero temps.
Wanted: A high paying job. Flexible hours. Lots of vacation time. Person must be able to talk about town history and all it has to offer. Someone who can start a conversation with a brick wall. Person will have their own office, be able to wear comfortable clothing, have fun lunch meetings.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Verediane
She came in when a shared friend asked me if I would like to sell her books out of my shop. I had been looking for the book so it was an easy yes. She brought in a few books and we chatted a few minutes. She is a small lady, a beautiful accent, quiet spoken. I started reading her book immediately. It was a small book and a very quick read. The question still is shocking to think how she went from growing up to Rwanda to living in our village. I enjoyed the book. Wished she had written more details and made it much longer.
The next time she came in my shop, I wanted to hug her. I no longer say the same person. She is still small. She just appears like a giant in my mind. It is odd to read something to personal about a person and then meet her. I told her I enjoyed her book. We had an awkward conversation. I gave her money for the book, she was on her way.
Today she stopped in again. We decided she will stop in weekly. I tried to convey to her how she appears like a hero to me now. I said I feel awed by what she lived through. She said it was just her life. I told her after reading the book I was overwhelmed by what she had lived through. I said she was like a hero, bigger than life. She laughed. She said it was just what she had to do. She had to keep them safe. I said being a Mom. She said yes, yes. That was always on her mind.
We are starting to get to know each other. She said she has not worked since she came here. She has siblings still in Rwanda. She does not know if she will ever be able to go visit them. She said she left the sadness there. She does not know if she could face it there. Her siblings live poorly. They did not have the opportunity to attend college. They live off the land. She said not in a good way. It is more desperate. She said it is like they live in hell, she lives in heaven. She said a few times this is heaven. She said she thinks that there is probably such a sadness with the people there. The sadness will keep them from having the strength to aspire to have more. They are worn down.
I told her it was the first book I read about Rwanda. She asked if I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda. I said no. She said she did not want to watch it. Her book is called, You Are Not Alone. I asked her if it was her faith that guided her. She said, yes. She believes everything happens for a reason. She was meant to live through it and be here. She was meant to write the story to help people understand. Verediane tells her story in a positive way. No anger. Matter of fact. That was her life and what she endured.
I look forward to my weekly visits with Verediane. She asked how I opened a candy store. We talked that everyone has a story. Some stories are just more powerful. We will slowly get to know each other. The people that walk in the door!!!
The next time she came in my shop, I wanted to hug her. I no longer say the same person. She is still small. She just appears like a giant in my mind. It is odd to read something to personal about a person and then meet her. I told her I enjoyed her book. We had an awkward conversation. I gave her money for the book, she was on her way.
Today she stopped in again. We decided she will stop in weekly. I tried to convey to her how she appears like a hero to me now. I said I feel awed by what she lived through. She said it was just her life. I told her after reading the book I was overwhelmed by what she had lived through. I said she was like a hero, bigger than life. She laughed. She said it was just what she had to do. She had to keep them safe. I said being a Mom. She said yes, yes. That was always on her mind.
We are starting to get to know each other. She said she has not worked since she came here. She has siblings still in Rwanda. She does not know if she will ever be able to go visit them. She said she left the sadness there. She does not know if she could face it there. Her siblings live poorly. They did not have the opportunity to attend college. They live off the land. She said not in a good way. It is more desperate. She said it is like they live in hell, she lives in heaven. She said a few times this is heaven. She said she thinks that there is probably such a sadness with the people there. The sadness will keep them from having the strength to aspire to have more. They are worn down.
I told her it was the first book I read about Rwanda. She asked if I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda. I said no. She said she did not want to watch it. Her book is called, You Are Not Alone. I asked her if it was her faith that guided her. She said, yes. She believes everything happens for a reason. She was meant to live through it and be here. She was meant to write the story to help people understand. Verediane tells her story in a positive way. No anger. Matter of fact. That was her life and what she endured.
I look forward to my weekly visits with Verediane. She asked how I opened a candy store. We talked that everyone has a story. Some stories are just more powerful. We will slowly get to know each other. The people that walk in the door!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
I apologize for my long absence. It has been difficult for me to muster up the enthusiasm for a post. I am at that terrible point that I need to decide if I should keep putting money into my shop. It seems like many signs point towards my ending it. After a long deliberation I am going to go all out with some new ideas the next few months. Doing a big advertising push. Cross my fingers, pray, and hope for good things/great things!!!
My time has been filled with community events. I keep hoping this pays off for the shop. Today after getting some paperwork done, I spent the rest of the day working on community events. I am currently helping to plan the Christmas Parade, Santa's Breakfast, Christmas Tree Village, Santa's House, and Santa Visits. Those are my immediate concerns. In addition I was putting together a budget for Springfest, doing some preliminary work on Springfest, discussing the budget for Taste, getting an insurance quote, and helping with a town calendar. I enjoy doing all these things. If it was a paid job, it would be amazing!!!
For my shop I need to make Christmas plans too. I am going to have Christmas Carolers before the parade. I will offer specials during the Santa Visits. Santa's (new) House is right across the street from my shop. (It does help to plan.) I am going to offer baskets for gifts for businesses and general population.
More good news for the shop is I finally found a debit/credit card company I feel comfortable using. Soon I will not be a cash only store. That should make sales higher. That is what I have been told many times. The machine should be here soon. Then I need to figure out how to use it!!
I am trying to stay optimistic. The boredom gets to be too much. Even I get tired of reading books. It is too much sitting around. That said, I still enjoy the people. I can start a conversation with just about anyone! Except my extreme introverted husband. My ability to talk to anyone I see can be very annoying to him! I consider it a gift. Most of my friends are the same way.
Time to close the shop. Hope you enjoy finally finding something new on this blog.
My time has been filled with community events. I keep hoping this pays off for the shop. Today after getting some paperwork done, I spent the rest of the day working on community events. I am currently helping to plan the Christmas Parade, Santa's Breakfast, Christmas Tree Village, Santa's House, and Santa Visits. Those are my immediate concerns. In addition I was putting together a budget for Springfest, doing some preliminary work on Springfest, discussing the budget for Taste, getting an insurance quote, and helping with a town calendar. I enjoy doing all these things. If it was a paid job, it would be amazing!!!
For my shop I need to make Christmas plans too. I am going to have Christmas Carolers before the parade. I will offer specials during the Santa Visits. Santa's (new) House is right across the street from my shop. (It does help to plan.) I am going to offer baskets for gifts for businesses and general population.
More good news for the shop is I finally found a debit/credit card company I feel comfortable using. Soon I will not be a cash only store. That should make sales higher. That is what I have been told many times. The machine should be here soon. Then I need to figure out how to use it!!
I am trying to stay optimistic. The boredom gets to be too much. Even I get tired of reading books. It is too much sitting around. That said, I still enjoy the people. I can start a conversation with just about anyone! Except my extreme introverted husband. My ability to talk to anyone I see can be very annoying to him! I consider it a gift. Most of my friends are the same way.
Time to close the shop. Hope you enjoy finally finding something new on this blog.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Friday, Noonish
This is random. I am sitting in the shop, reading my Oprah magazine. A young, African American, guy walks in the door. Super polite, soft spoken. He says, "excuse me ma'am, sorry to bother you." He goes on to tell me a story about he and his girlfriend recently moved here. He does not have a job yet. They want to get their kids in the school. They need to ride the train up to Chicago to get the kids. Some of what he said I could not hear. He asked for $5.00. I did not even hesitate. I went and got him $10.00 out of my purse. He shook my hand and thanked me. He said he would be back around and repay me when he could. I did not believe his story for a minute. I have no idea what he wanted the money for. He was dressed nicely, not shabby in anyway. Drug addict or drunk did not jump out at me. I am not sure how he randomly walked in my shop. I am not on the main drag. I am the only retail shop on my side of the street. I watched him walk away. He had a spring in his step. He headed away from the train station. That did not surprise me. I never believed he was getting on a train. There is not a train due for hours. If I had to guess, I would say he went across the street for some food. I really am not a sucker for everyone with a sob story. People come in asking for donations for random causes quite often. I do not automatically give them donations or money. I have compassion, I just cannot help everyone. What I am saying is there is not a sign outside of my shop that says, Sucker. I do not think I have been marked by hobos as a safe place for a free meal. At least, I do not think I have been marked.
In cities people come across people asking for money frequently. In my little town, that does not happen. It felt like a test. I knew it was the right thing to do. At least today when I gave away money, I have made more than I gave away!
In cities people come across people asking for money frequently. In my little town, that does not happen. It felt like a test. I knew it was the right thing to do. At least today when I gave away money, I have made more than I gave away!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
What Am I Doing
Summer just sucked my blogging out of me. It was a disappointing summer. I hoped the shop would have more business. I keep making changes. Trying to find unique things to draw people in the door. It is shocking how many people in this little village have never been through the doors. I will never understand it. We do not have very many shops in town. Any time a new one opens, I am thrilled. Of course I am going to go and see what it has to offer. Just crazy to me. But, there is nothing I can do about it.
I am at a cross road. Do I stay with this and continue to make change? Hope eventually more people come through the door. Do I make a major change and sink even more money into this place? That would be turning into a fancy coffee place or getting ice cream equipment. Each would be fairly expensive. Biggest decision, do I walk away. Do I admit I cannot make money doing this and end it?
This is what is on my mind right now. All tough decisions. I have put way too much money into Coco's in the 14 months it has been open. I have learned so much. I have met so many amazing people. It has allowed me to become more involved in my community. It has allowed me to interact more with kids. I love that. So many positive.
There are negatives besides the huge one of not making money. I get super bored. I am not stimulated intellectually. When business is slow, I start feeling down. I refuse to let myself look at this as a failure. No matter what I decide, this has been one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life.
So people, there it is. This is what consumes me right now. I have a booth out of town this week-end. Two weeks it is our Harvest Celebration in town. After that, I look at making a serious decision.
More to come.......
I am at a cross road. Do I stay with this and continue to make change? Hope eventually more people come through the door. Do I make a major change and sink even more money into this place? That would be turning into a fancy coffee place or getting ice cream equipment. Each would be fairly expensive. Biggest decision, do I walk away. Do I admit I cannot make money doing this and end it?
This is what is on my mind right now. All tough decisions. I have put way too much money into Coco's in the 14 months it has been open. I have learned so much. I have met so many amazing people. It has allowed me to become more involved in my community. It has allowed me to interact more with kids. I love that. So many positive.
There are negatives besides the huge one of not making money. I get super bored. I am not stimulated intellectually. When business is slow, I start feeling down. I refuse to let myself look at this as a failure. No matter what I decide, this has been one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life.
So people, there it is. This is what consumes me right now. I have a booth out of town this week-end. Two weeks it is our Harvest Celebration in town. After that, I look at making a serious decision.
More to come.......
Thursday, July 31, 2014
What Makes Me Sad In My Shop
The happiest place in the world should be a candy shop. Kids come in, they get candy, eat it, smile, gone. What about the kids that come in with friends that have the money and they have nothing? Or the kids that find a quarter. Yesterday a couple of boys came in. They had some change. Not much. I gave them a deal on some candy. They were thrilled. The downside........they were back in no time at all wanting more. I explained I cannot give free candy ALL the time. Today they came back in. One boy had $5.00. One boy had $.25, the other two nothing. The two with no money were trying to get money from their friends. They were asking me for money. I had some brownies that were getting stale. I told them if they would water all the planters on my little block, they could each have a brownie and share a pop. No freak out, I gave them glasses, and split it for them. They were thrilled. The flowers were thrilled. I also told the boys they need to learn how to count money. They will have change in their hand and ask me how much it is. I said from now on, they have to tell me. Kids need to understand money!
They sat down to eat their snack. I explained I cannot give them free candy everyday. I explained they cannot tell all their friends they got free candy. I also explained if I ever catch them stealing from me, or with friends stealing from me, they would not get special treatment anymore. They ate their treats, cleaned up their messes and went on their way. When I was filling their water bottles they saw my backroom. They said do you own this place? I said yes. They said, you are so lucky. Are you rich? Not at all. As a matter of fact I am doing my best to put my family in financial ruin, thanks for asking. Did all this candy cost millions? No, but it sure feels like it sometimes. So all the candy is this store is yours? Yes, but I would rather share it with everyone else that has money to buy it. One boy said, when I grow up, I want to work here. Sweetie the chances of this place existing when you grow up is very slim.
Here is something ironic, my Dad used to own a grocery store/butcher shop. I can remember him talking about helping kids in need. Giving them soda, some lunch meat, buying them shoes. When I was talking to the boys I remembered the stories he would tell. He told the boys if they needed something, just ask. If they ever took anything from him without asking, they would be banned from his store. He caught one boy stealing. It made my Dad so sad. He could not understand it. He said he never told the boy no.
I meet many nice kids in here. There is only one that I thought stole from me. Later a little boy told the kid stole from me. When he is in my shop, I stand right next to him now. He has not been in since the day he picked something up and I ripped it from his hand and asked him if he had money. Gulp! He did that day. He has not been back in. Think he figured out I'm on to him. I grew up poor. I did not steal. My friends did not steal. Kids need to be taught to earn their money.
Here is more irony, I'm a sucker in a candy store.
The End
They sat down to eat their snack. I explained I cannot give them free candy everyday. I explained they cannot tell all their friends they got free candy. I also explained if I ever catch them stealing from me, or with friends stealing from me, they would not get special treatment anymore. They ate their treats, cleaned up their messes and went on their way. When I was filling their water bottles they saw my backroom. They said do you own this place? I said yes. They said, you are so lucky. Are you rich? Not at all. As a matter of fact I am doing my best to put my family in financial ruin, thanks for asking. Did all this candy cost millions? No, but it sure feels like it sometimes. So all the candy is this store is yours? Yes, but I would rather share it with everyone else that has money to buy it. One boy said, when I grow up, I want to work here. Sweetie the chances of this place existing when you grow up is very slim.
Here is something ironic, my Dad used to own a grocery store/butcher shop. I can remember him talking about helping kids in need. Giving them soda, some lunch meat, buying them shoes. When I was talking to the boys I remembered the stories he would tell. He told the boys if they needed something, just ask. If they ever took anything from him without asking, they would be banned from his store. He caught one boy stealing. It made my Dad so sad. He could not understand it. He said he never told the boy no.
I meet many nice kids in here. There is only one that I thought stole from me. Later a little boy told the kid stole from me. When he is in my shop, I stand right next to him now. He has not been in since the day he picked something up and I ripped it from his hand and asked him if he had money. Gulp! He did that day. He has not been back in. Think he figured out I'm on to him. I grew up poor. I did not steal. My friends did not steal. Kids need to be taught to earn their money.
Here is more irony, I'm a sucker in a candy store.
The End
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Her Name Was Selena
I have not had a busy summer. Does not put me in a positive frame of mind for blogging. Today I had a pleasant visit. Her name was Selena. She was young. I will guess low 20's. She was taking pictures of our adorable store fronts. When she came in she said it was her first time in our little village. I asked her where she was from, up North. She is on her way to California. Near Los Angeles. She is taking Route 66. She is traveling alone. I asked her if it made her nervous to drive all that way. She said, No, God will protect me. He wants me to do this.
We chatted. She asked me about the candy shop. I explained I felt that I was meant to open the shop. (Been questioning, why lately.) We talked more about her move. She is a Speech Pathologist. She will work mainly with Hispanics. She said in California it is a law that she has to do their treatment in English. She said it makes her sad. The families won't understand their language. We talked about how in America people look down on citizens who still speak their home language. It was just a casual conversation.
She told me she had not planned to come in my shop. She felt like she was nudged to come in. She said God wanted her to tell me that I am very brave. That I am a strong person that does brave things. I thanked her. I said opening this shop was the first brave thing I had done. Most days it feels like maybe it was not brave at all. She said God wanted her to remind me that I am doing important things for my community. Selena asked what I would like for her to pray for me. I said for my shop to succeed.
We hugged. I pointed out some things she should look at in town. She was on her way. Nice little story. Would have ended here. Except while I was writing this a lady came into my shop. She writes children's books. She has written a couple of books about touring Route 66. She stops at shops on Route 66 and sells her books. Might have ignored her. Felt like it was a sign. Had to buy a few of her books. Will see what happens.
We chatted. She asked me about the candy shop. I explained I felt that I was meant to open the shop. (Been questioning, why lately.) We talked more about her move. She is a Speech Pathologist. She will work mainly with Hispanics. She said in California it is a law that she has to do their treatment in English. She said it makes her sad. The families won't understand their language. We talked about how in America people look down on citizens who still speak their home language. It was just a casual conversation.
She told me she had not planned to come in my shop. She felt like she was nudged to come in. She said God wanted her to tell me that I am very brave. That I am a strong person that does brave things. I thanked her. I said opening this shop was the first brave thing I had done. Most days it feels like maybe it was not brave at all. She said God wanted her to remind me that I am doing important things for my community. Selena asked what I would like for her to pray for me. I said for my shop to succeed.
We hugged. I pointed out some things she should look at in town. She was on her way. Nice little story. Would have ended here. Except while I was writing this a lady came into my shop. She writes children's books. She has written a couple of books about touring Route 66. She stops at shops on Route 66 and sells her books. Might have ignored her. Felt like it was a sign. Had to buy a few of her books. Will see what happens.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
The Bell
The Bell
I know I blogged about my bell when I received it as a congratulations on opening my shop. Arizona likes to make sure she stays firmly planted in people's hearts. When I got the bell she told me every time it rings I can think of her. I do not hear the bell every time it rings. There are times I do not notice. There could even be days that I do not hear the bell and think of Arizona. When I do it makes me smile and my heart feel good. This morning a customer said she loved my bell. There are times The Kid says, Hi Arizona in an exasperated voice. She still wins. He thought of her. This will make her smile.
Hubby automatically grabs it to silence. This will make her smile too! Some kids shake the door until their Mom's yell STOP! One little girl that might share the name of my shop loves to slam the door. That makes it super annoying.
Sometimes I tell people my bell story. Now the bell is part of the sweet shop. Part of children's memories. Part of all the love and support that made my dream come true. This would be a great time for the bell to ring and end this story.....waiting.........
Thursday, May 22, 2014
His Name Is Gary
When someone says, "can I tell you a story," is it bad that I think about this blog? When it is a great story like the one I heard today, I am ready to push the person out the door and get to my computer. Unfortunately, I had some work to finish up before I could write. There are days I work hard in the candy shop. I know, you don't care. You want the story.
Gary comes in. He is excited about coming to the shop for the first time. That is not unusual for a child. For an adult it is. He started looking around. Mentioned what a great addition this is to our town. I'm thinking, well if people like you never come in, not sure how great it is. Gary said, "I used to be blind." Maybe you saw me walking around with my dog. I said I had not. I asked if he had surgery to correct his blindness. He did not. Gary has multiple sclerosis. He has overcome many obstacles with his disease. There was a time he was in a wheelchair. He had feeding tubes. He had several trachea tubes. It is not uncommon for people with MS to lose their vision. The optical nerves in their eyes can slowly die off. That is what happened to Gary. For two years he was in total darkness. On a Good Friday he woke up and could see. Clearly see. He said he had never seen his dog. It scared him and he screamed. Scared the dog into the other room. His vision is now 20-15. The doctors consider it a miracle. He regenerated new optical nerves. He said they can still see the dead nerves. Now people can get some of their optical nerves back. The miracle is he got all of his back. The doctors said normally when it happens people still wear coke bottle glasses. Not Gary. He has a very mile prescription.
He got to keep his dog. Her name is Hoosier. They still walk 4 miles a day. Gary said each night he makes a plan of something he wants to do the next day. Today the plan was to come to my shop. He said he likes to make people smile, tell his story. He was able to start driving again. No restrictions. He can do his own grocery shopping. Gary still has MS. He is not sitting around wondering how it is going to hit him next. He is out there enjoying life. Today he walked into Coco's and told me his story. He made me laugh, smile, and have goose bumps. Glad he stopped by.
Gary comes in. He is excited about coming to the shop for the first time. That is not unusual for a child. For an adult it is. He started looking around. Mentioned what a great addition this is to our town. I'm thinking, well if people like you never come in, not sure how great it is. Gary said, "I used to be blind." Maybe you saw me walking around with my dog. I said I had not. I asked if he had surgery to correct his blindness. He did not. Gary has multiple sclerosis. He has overcome many obstacles with his disease. There was a time he was in a wheelchair. He had feeding tubes. He had several trachea tubes. It is not uncommon for people with MS to lose their vision. The optical nerves in their eyes can slowly die off. That is what happened to Gary. For two years he was in total darkness. On a Good Friday he woke up and could see. Clearly see. He said he had never seen his dog. It scared him and he screamed. Scared the dog into the other room. His vision is now 20-15. The doctors consider it a miracle. He regenerated new optical nerves. He said they can still see the dead nerves. Now people can get some of their optical nerves back. The miracle is he got all of his back. The doctors said normally when it happens people still wear coke bottle glasses. Not Gary. He has a very mile prescription.
He got to keep his dog. Her name is Hoosier. They still walk 4 miles a day. Gary said each night he makes a plan of something he wants to do the next day. Today the plan was to come to my shop. He said he likes to make people smile, tell his story. He was able to start driving again. No restrictions. He can do his own grocery shopping. Gary still has MS. He is not sitting around wondering how it is going to hit him next. He is out there enjoying life. Today he walked into Coco's and told me his story. He made me laugh, smile, and have goose bumps. Glad he stopped by.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Did I Mention I Bought A Baseball Team?
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
School Trip To Coco's
Some of the kids had not been in Coco's. Too many!! Some did not know there was a candy store in Dwight. They do now Parents. No more hiding that dirty little secret.
As always, I am reminded there are still so many great children. There were children that only had a little money, there were children that had more than they were to bring. I helped out some of the kids that were just a little short. One little girl that is a regular here, came up to pay with her friend. They each had a candy bar. I said, are you paying for both of you, she said yes. I told each of them to go get a free water. I thanked the girl for being so kind. Her Mom works at the bank next door. I will be sure to tell her she has a daughter to be proud of. I think I already know why her daughter is kind. This year, unfortunately, some kids have found my shop that are not sweet. They leave garbage out front. They have done some damage to the yoga studio steps. They pulled the yoga studio sign done. Makes me sad. Fingers crossed they do not destroy our flowers. All the stores on our little block have petunias planted this year. What a happy street we are!
Fingers crossed all these kids start showing up to Coco's on a regular basis. I sure do need it!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Have A Little Faith
Warm weather is back. Maybe it will even stay around this visit. I can open the front door of my shop. There are chalk drawings back on the front sidewalk. Kids are out and about again. More junior high kids have discovered Coco's. That is good and bad. I am used to my regulars. They are good kids who enjoy having their place. I can and do trust them. If they are short a few cents, they will pay me back the next time they come in. Without my asking. They always remember. With more kids coming around, there are bound to be a few thrown in the bunch that I can't trust. Some that I will have to watch more closely. Some that will not have credit with the shop. They are going to throw their candy wrappers on the ground. They will be destructive. They will not draw cute flowers with the chalk. I can take it. If they are too rotten, they will be banned. Not going to spend too much time stressing about wild children.
Yesterday an eighth grade girl discovered my shop. She was SUPER excited. She has not lived in our town very long. She lived in Detroit before. Imagine what a great change for her. She was in a bad area of Detroit. Now she is in our quaint village. She likes bubble gum. She came in several times and kept buying gum. This afternoon she came in again. I was doing something at the time. Not give her 100% of my attention. She sat down, started coloring, and talking. She likes to talk. She rambled on for a bit about her family. Out of nowhere she says. People think there are only two kids in my family. There are really five. Two brothers still live in Michigan. My one sister is crazy. Really, crazy. She threatened to kill me a few times. She got sent to a mental hospital. I said, I'm sorry. That is sad. She said her sister was sent away two years ago. She is bi-polar and will not take her medications. She does not know where she is now. (My worst nightmare.) Her parents do not talk about her.
Her friend showed up about that time. They got their candy and were on their way. She said she wants to use Coco's as her meeting place. I am good with that.
I am working on fliers for the shop. My new friend that works at The Paper is doing the actual graphic design part of it. She showed me samples. I showed her pictures I want to use. Today she came back with the first draft. I am VERY happy. A couple of tweeks and it will go to print. I will put them at some businesses around town. I hope that will bring more tourists in.
My word for the year is trust. I think Faith goes along with that as a nice companion word.
Happy Easter My Friends!
Yesterday an eighth grade girl discovered my shop. She was SUPER excited. She has not lived in our town very long. She lived in Detroit before. Imagine what a great change for her. She was in a bad area of Detroit. Now she is in our quaint village. She likes bubble gum. She came in several times and kept buying gum. This afternoon she came in again. I was doing something at the time. Not give her 100% of my attention. She sat down, started coloring, and talking. She likes to talk. She rambled on for a bit about her family. Out of nowhere she says. People think there are only two kids in my family. There are really five. Two brothers still live in Michigan. My one sister is crazy. Really, crazy. She threatened to kill me a few times. She got sent to a mental hospital. I said, I'm sorry. That is sad. She said her sister was sent away two years ago. She is bi-polar and will not take her medications. She does not know where she is now. (My worst nightmare.) Her parents do not talk about her.
Her friend showed up about that time. They got their candy and were on their way. She said she wants to use Coco's as her meeting place. I am good with that.
I am working on fliers for the shop. My new friend that works at The Paper is doing the actual graphic design part of it. She showed me samples. I showed her pictures I want to use. Today she came back with the first draft. I am VERY happy. A couple of tweeks and it will go to print. I will put them at some businesses around town. I hope that will bring more tourists in.
My word for the year is trust. I think Faith goes along with that as a nice companion word.
Happy Easter My Friends!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Where Have I Been?
I spent the last couple of weeks getting organized to have taxes done for the sweet shop. Who knew that putting all receipts of EVERYTHING in a box was not a great idea. I knew it. I hope it is a lesson learned for me. So I spent hours, and hours, and hours......you get it, organizing. I had to look at every single receipt. I also had to have an inventory of Coco's complete. Can we say nightmare? I like to play more in the abstract idea arena. Accounting is not my thing.
So after hours and hours, I had every area complete. I put my end figures on two pages for the accountant. Now our accountant does the taxes while you sit there. My hours spent equaled less than 10 minutes of time for the accountant. I mentioned it would have made me feel better if it took him longer.
The best part of the meeting. I had all the information he needed. He did not ask for one additional item. That is how thorough I am. When I get around to actually doing it.
Several good things came out of all my hard work. I realized that Coco's is doing better than I think. We did not come close to a profit. That is to be expected. Seeing where my money went in black and white really helped. There are times I feel like, what the heck? Where is all my money. Well, quite a bit of it is inventory. Too much went to remodeling the shop. In the next year, I will not have so many expenses.
Hubby was like, why are we getting this money back? I said, you are welcome. Thanks to my losing money, we get money back. He did not thank me. He is starting to see there is potential in Coco's. That is good news.
I have made a couple of changes that are helping the shop. I will be making a few more in the next month. I think I am on the right track. I have a bakery that is supplying me with baked goods. Every Saturday they make Fried Cinnamon rolls for me. I sell about 7 dozen a Saturday. The rolls were something the bakery we had in town while I was growing up carried. Three generations of our town grew up loving fried cinnamons. They still do. It is bringing all kinds of new people into the shop. Saturday mornings are very busy. I love it. I have a new person making cake pops for Coco's. She is amazing. Her cake pops are like art. She has a HUGE group of friends. Her cake pops bring people in the door. Two changes that are really turning things around for the shop.
The next thing I am doing is putting up wall shelves. I need more floor space. With floor space I can start having more things for children. I want the children to be able to play while their parents sit and have coffee. Think Chuckie Cheese without the Cheese and chaos.
I will also be carrying more gift items. The toys I sell are doing well. The gift line I have is also very nice. Yesterday I ordered organic lotions. I like to use organic items. I found an affordable place to buy wholesale. Starting small. Will see how it goes.
It is all about evolving. Finding the right mix of things to be successful. Fingers crossed I am on the right track.
So after hours and hours, I had every area complete. I put my end figures on two pages for the accountant. Now our accountant does the taxes while you sit there. My hours spent equaled less than 10 minutes of time for the accountant. I mentioned it would have made me feel better if it took him longer.
The best part of the meeting. I had all the information he needed. He did not ask for one additional item. That is how thorough I am. When I get around to actually doing it.
Several good things came out of all my hard work. I realized that Coco's is doing better than I think. We did not come close to a profit. That is to be expected. Seeing where my money went in black and white really helped. There are times I feel like, what the heck? Where is all my money. Well, quite a bit of it is inventory. Too much went to remodeling the shop. In the next year, I will not have so many expenses.
Hubby was like, why are we getting this money back? I said, you are welcome. Thanks to my losing money, we get money back. He did not thank me. He is starting to see there is potential in Coco's. That is good news.
I have made a couple of changes that are helping the shop. I will be making a few more in the next month. I think I am on the right track. I have a bakery that is supplying me with baked goods. Every Saturday they make Fried Cinnamon rolls for me. I sell about 7 dozen a Saturday. The rolls were something the bakery we had in town while I was growing up carried. Three generations of our town grew up loving fried cinnamons. They still do. It is bringing all kinds of new people into the shop. Saturday mornings are very busy. I love it. I have a new person making cake pops for Coco's. She is amazing. Her cake pops are like art. She has a HUGE group of friends. Her cake pops bring people in the door. Two changes that are really turning things around for the shop.
The next thing I am doing is putting up wall shelves. I need more floor space. With floor space I can start having more things for children. I want the children to be able to play while their parents sit and have coffee. Think Chuckie Cheese without the Cheese and chaos.
I will also be carrying more gift items. The toys I sell are doing well. The gift line I have is also very nice. Yesterday I ordered organic lotions. I like to use organic items. I found an affordable place to buy wholesale. Starting small. Will see how it goes.
It is all about evolving. Finding the right mix of things to be successful. Fingers crossed I am on the right track.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
His Name Was Ron
First let me say, I cannot make this stuff up. The trains were running late this morning. That means I get more people in the shop to warm up. This man walks in. He is in his 70's, wearing very nice clothes and huge diamonds in his rings. I saw that only because what came out of his mouth flabbergasted me. All I could think when he first started talking was, I cannot wait to write about this. We do a little chatting. Town history, usual talk with people from out of town. He said, "I would like to share a story with you." He starts telling me about when he saw a UFO. He describes it in detail. This is a very well educated man. He said he was able to pull his car over and watch it. He knew there was nothing like this on earth. The next day he called the police to see if anyone else had reported this. They had seven reports exactly like his. Next he says, it is really too personal to talk about being taken aboard and the tests they ran on him. He starts laughing and says, I'm kidding about that part. Cracked me up.
Now I have been through this a few times. I know this man was sent to my shop for a reason. I'm waiting for it to be unveiled. Ron was in the education field. Has his Master's Degree. He said this event was life changing. He started reading all he could find about UFO sightings. He said that led him to start watching shows about it. He said it was all consuming. That led him to start reviewing the brain. Because that is where the research led him. He worked with Special Need students. He started researching more about how the brain is affected by things.
At this point, I figured out why God sent him in the door. We are going to talk about diseases of the brain. My son is schizophrenic. I almost laughed out loud when I figured out why he was here. This stuff is amazing to me. I tell him about the schizophrenia. He tells me about an article I need to read in last month's National Geographic.
Now Ron is working with the #1 authority in the country on brain scans. He was also involved with the Happiness Project that was done at Harvard University. Of course, I have read the book about the Happiness Project. Ron starts telling me about how he is putting together a program to get into the schools on how better to deal with students that have issues. He tells me about this tribe in some country that when confronted with a tribe member with issues they bind them up and put them in the center of their village. All the people from the village come and surround the person. Each member has to tell this person something positive that has come from knowing them.
At this point my mind is blown!! Seriously. He says our schools and police tend to find people with problems and go after them. Reinforces that something is wrong with that person. I lived that with my son. The school wanted him out. It was easy to push his buttons and eventually get him kicked out. I told Ron about the police department in our village. How when my son was the most out of control our police department handled him with kindness and talked him into putting himself in the hospital. He said we were lucky. I know we are.
Ron said he was a Christian. He feels like he was put on a journey to help reach children. He talked out how delicate the brain is. That people do not realize how much damage even alcohol can do to teenager's brains. He said this is not a theory. Brain scans can show the damage.
Like most people that pass through the shop, I do not know how my meeting him will change my life. I just trust that it will. I will read the article he suggested. Something in that article is meant for me to see. I just know it.
Believe in UFO's, do not believe in UFO's, does not matter. It was Ron's journey. It led him to Coco's.
Now I have been through this a few times. I know this man was sent to my shop for a reason. I'm waiting for it to be unveiled. Ron was in the education field. Has his Master's Degree. He said this event was life changing. He started reading all he could find about UFO sightings. He said that led him to start watching shows about it. He said it was all consuming. That led him to start reviewing the brain. Because that is where the research led him. He worked with Special Need students. He started researching more about how the brain is affected by things.
At this point, I figured out why God sent him in the door. We are going to talk about diseases of the brain. My son is schizophrenic. I almost laughed out loud when I figured out why he was here. This stuff is amazing to me. I tell him about the schizophrenia. He tells me about an article I need to read in last month's National Geographic.
Now Ron is working with the #1 authority in the country on brain scans. He was also involved with the Happiness Project that was done at Harvard University. Of course, I have read the book about the Happiness Project. Ron starts telling me about how he is putting together a program to get into the schools on how better to deal with students that have issues. He tells me about this tribe in some country that when confronted with a tribe member with issues they bind them up and put them in the center of their village. All the people from the village come and surround the person. Each member has to tell this person something positive that has come from knowing them.
At this point my mind is blown!! Seriously. He says our schools and police tend to find people with problems and go after them. Reinforces that something is wrong with that person. I lived that with my son. The school wanted him out. It was easy to push his buttons and eventually get him kicked out. I told Ron about the police department in our village. How when my son was the most out of control our police department handled him with kindness and talked him into putting himself in the hospital. He said we were lucky. I know we are.
Ron said he was a Christian. He feels like he was put on a journey to help reach children. He talked out how delicate the brain is. That people do not realize how much damage even alcohol can do to teenager's brains. He said this is not a theory. Brain scans can show the damage.
Like most people that pass through the shop, I do not know how my meeting him will change my life. I just trust that it will. I will read the article he suggested. Something in that article is meant for me to see. I just know it.
Believe in UFO's, do not believe in UFO's, does not matter. It was Ron's journey. It led him to Coco's.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
What's New At Coco's
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!!
Saturday was the big party at Coco's. We had a great turnout. Kids just kept coming in. It got a bit crazy. Crazy in a good way!! Several of my SF buddies made the trip for the party. It was great to have them here. As much as I do not miss my old job, I do miss my friends!!
You will notice several kids have their hands by their mouths. This is because they all received mustache whistles. In honor of The Lorax. The boy in red with his arm up is one of my favorites. Hard to believe that big guy is only 3.
No event is complete at Coco's with a bunch of adorable little girls. The place was full of them.
The Mrs. was kind enough to read. She kept every one's attention. You cannot tell by these pictures but it was packed. It was a good day. We will definitely have more book readings. Tru Stories led the children in Simon Says. That was fun. The kids really enjoyed it. So did the adults. Good times.
I loved it. I want Coco's to be a fun place that children love to come visit. Not just for candy, but because they know it is their place!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Do You Like Green Eggs & Ham?
I am all about promoting a Dr. Seuss day to bring children and their parents into the shop. Even more than that, I am all about having children enjoy books. I truly believe the love of reading can help people throughout their entire lives.
The Mrs. will be jumping over from One Carbon Hill to be my reader. She is going to bring a few books. I know she will do a great job. My job is to have enough sweets, children, some contests, and
throw in some activities. I am very excited. I hope so many people show up, adults have to go outside and wait. A crowd would be nice.
Some of my friends say they will be making an appearance. Oh The Places They'll Go. If they like green eggs and ham, they will be disappointed. Breakfast will not be served at the sweet shop. They might be able to find one fish, maybe even two fish, I know I have red fish, not blue fish.
I'll stop. Hope to see you Saturday. All the cool kids will be here.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Sorry I Have Been Gone
I also made the decision to change bakers for my cake pops. The other lady was fine. The new lady is amazing. She lives in my town. She frequents the shop with her adorable children. She has a HUGE group of friends. Her cake pops are adorable. Using her has sparked some additional business. One day I will get some new pictures up of all the adorable cake pops. I sold around 40 the week of Valentine's Day. Sold a few already this week too.
The other change I made was finding a bakery to buy additional fresh baked items. It is in a town about 25 minutes from here. Not a bad drive at all. At the most, I will go twice a week. The week of Valentine's Day I sold cupcakes, brownies, and crème horns. Yummers! When I met the man that owns the bakery, I asked him if he made a fried cinnamon. He said he could. I told him that my town craves a fried cinnamon of days gone by. For years we had an AMAZING bakery. The favorite item was a fried cinnamon. People talk about it all the time. They want the fried cinnamon back. I say the fried cinnamon is like any legend. Very exaggerated. It has been years since people have had one. Above is the fried cinnamon the bakery made for Coco's. It is HUGE. It smells amazing. I am not sure if it tastes exactly like the "original." I do know it is darn good. Several people have sampled Coco's. Most think it very close to what they remember. I hope it is close enough to get people to crowd into the shop.
Valentine's Week reminded me what it feels like to be busy. It was a great feeling. Gave me some hope. The best part is people came in that have never been here before. A few people have started coming in for gifts. In order to succeed, Coco's has to become a habit. The first place they think of when they want to give their kids a treat, take a nice sweet gift to someone, a place to come and hang out for coffee.
Next week we will celebrate Dr. Seuss at Coco's. The Mrs. will be coming into the shop to read stories. There will be pictures to draw, activities, contests, and sweets. Adorable themed cake pops. Should be fun. I hope it will be crazy busy. I hope it is filled with children. Come to celebrate at Coco's. You come by too. It will be a party.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Fridays Are Fun
During Christmas Break Tink's teacher came into my store. She received a Coco's Gift Card from Tink for Christmas. While she was in we started talking about the education system. From the conversation I made the decision to volunteer in her classroom. Wish I would have thought to do it before. I love it. I delay opening my shop one hour to go to the school. What a great thing to be able to do.
If you read this blog, you know my passion is reading. My super power is reading. I spend my volunteer time testing the children. They are first graders. State Standards (dislike State Standards), dictate what is the words per minute the children should read for their level. Every week they have a different store I test them on. It is a one minute timed test. I track wpm and errors. The kids put their times on a graph and color their score. It ends up being very time consuming. Their are students on a watch list. They read the weekly story and a second story as well. The extra story is to test their ability to sound words. I am thankful they are working on this skill. If a child cannot sound words, spelling is very difficult.
Today was my fourth visit to the school. Last week I took candy and they each got two pieces after their reading. It has become time consuming because I have to do make up tests if the kids missed the prior Friday. There are extra charts to complete for the students that have the second story. If the teacher were doing it herself, she would have to dedicate 90 minutes or more a week for this. It would be impossible. I sit in the hall at a table with the students. That way we are not interrupted. The teacher would never have the ability to have such a large block of time for one on one reading.
Tink loves my going to her classroom. The students love that I give out candy after the test. Some of the students are getting their parents to bring them to the shop now. Bonus for me!! Being able to go in and help the teacher is only going to make things easier for my grandkids. Tru Stories does volunteer for her kids. Unfortunately, a germ infested school is not a good place for TS to go in the winter months.
Today I noticed a huge increase in the reading skills. It is like a light went on for some of the kids. For the readers that have exceeded their level, next week we move onto putting punctuation into the timed reading. I am blessed to get to see children learning to read. Seeing a passion begin to grow in a few of them. It is obvious that some students have the advantage of reading being a part of their lives. Probably, had parents reading to them since they were born. My grandkids have always been surrounded by books. TS does not have time to do her own reading. She does make time to keep books in her children's lives. I was not read to on a regular basis. I remember having a few books when I was young. I made sure books were always there for my kids. There were not many nights they went to sleep without being read to. Proud that is something that is continued with my grandchildren.
Not sure I would have made a good teacher. I should have been a librarian. I spent all my free time in the school library from 6th grade through high school. While I was in junior high I did story time for the younger grades. Loved that! Reading opens up the world to all of us. Even if it is on the computer, reading about bugs. Reading is learning. One hour a week I am part of the process!
If you read this blog, you know my passion is reading. My super power is reading. I spend my volunteer time testing the children. They are first graders. State Standards (dislike State Standards), dictate what is the words per minute the children should read for their level. Every week they have a different store I test them on. It is a one minute timed test. I track wpm and errors. The kids put their times on a graph and color their score. It ends up being very time consuming. Their are students on a watch list. They read the weekly story and a second story as well. The extra story is to test their ability to sound words. I am thankful they are working on this skill. If a child cannot sound words, spelling is very difficult.
Today was my fourth visit to the school. Last week I took candy and they each got two pieces after their reading. It has become time consuming because I have to do make up tests if the kids missed the prior Friday. There are extra charts to complete for the students that have the second story. If the teacher were doing it herself, she would have to dedicate 90 minutes or more a week for this. It would be impossible. I sit in the hall at a table with the students. That way we are not interrupted. The teacher would never have the ability to have such a large block of time for one on one reading.
Tink loves my going to her classroom. The students love that I give out candy after the test. Some of the students are getting their parents to bring them to the shop now. Bonus for me!! Being able to go in and help the teacher is only going to make things easier for my grandkids. Tru Stories does volunteer for her kids. Unfortunately, a germ infested school is not a good place for TS to go in the winter months.
Today I noticed a huge increase in the reading skills. It is like a light went on for some of the kids. For the readers that have exceeded their level, next week we move onto putting punctuation into the timed reading. I am blessed to get to see children learning to read. Seeing a passion begin to grow in a few of them. It is obvious that some students have the advantage of reading being a part of their lives. Probably, had parents reading to them since they were born. My grandkids have always been surrounded by books. TS does not have time to do her own reading. She does make time to keep books in her children's lives. I was not read to on a regular basis. I remember having a few books when I was young. I made sure books were always there for my kids. There were not many nights they went to sleep without being read to. Proud that is something that is continued with my grandchildren.
Not sure I would have made a good teacher. I should have been a librarian. I spent all my free time in the school library from 6th grade through high school. While I was in junior high I did story time for the younger grades. Loved that! Reading opens up the world to all of us. Even if it is on the computer, reading about bugs. Reading is learning. One hour a week I am part of the process!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Train to Nowhere
This morning a lady came into my shop. She was very frantic. She thought she might have missed her train. She was going to Chicago to get a connection to Dallas. I got on the website and found out her train was delayed for over 4 hours. That meant she was going to miss her other train. I told her to come in and make a call to Amtrak. She was on the phone to Amtrak for over an hour. Probably longer. The major problem was she only had $7.00. That's right. To go all the way to Texas she had $7.00 and her ticket. The more she asked questions, the uglier her situation became. Even if she made it to Chicago it would be tomorrow before she could catch another train. Union Station is not open 24 hours. She would have nowhere to stay tonight.
While she was on the phone, I started doing some research. This is crazy. Her ticket was sending her North to Chicago to catch a train that would come right back on the same track. The train going South does not stop in our little village in the afternoon. It does stop in a town 20 miles from here. At this point the lady is crying and shaking and overly stressed. I took the phone and asked Amtrak if she could get to Pontiac would she have a place on the train. They said yes. Next I sent a couple of text messages to see if I could find her a ride. I called the taxi. It would be $25 to take her. I know how my little town works. I put a note on Facebook asking if someone could give her a ride. Within minutes her ride was arranged. I packed her a bag with some water, tea, and peanuts. Gave her some cash. Helped her get her suitcases out the door. I know the person that offered her a ride. He is very kind. She is in good hands.
There are a couple of hilarious points to this story. The train she is catching 20 miles south of here was the train she would of gotten on in Chicago. She had to go North in order to get South. Instead she went South, to catch the train she was going North to get on! Amtrak could have offered to stop here and pick her up. It was weather issues that caused her train to be delayed four hours. They would not.
The next point that I continue to chuckle about is, not only have I not had a paying customer today, I gave money away. I am glad I was able to help her. I am very glad I was able to help her along her journey. I will hear from her again. (Cannot remember her name.)
While she was on the phone, I started doing some research. This is crazy. Her ticket was sending her North to Chicago to catch a train that would come right back on the same track. The train going South does not stop in our little village in the afternoon. It does stop in a town 20 miles from here. At this point the lady is crying and shaking and overly stressed. I took the phone and asked Amtrak if she could get to Pontiac would she have a place on the train. They said yes. Next I sent a couple of text messages to see if I could find her a ride. I called the taxi. It would be $25 to take her. I know how my little town works. I put a note on Facebook asking if someone could give her a ride. Within minutes her ride was arranged. I packed her a bag with some water, tea, and peanuts. Gave her some cash. Helped her get her suitcases out the door. I know the person that offered her a ride. He is very kind. She is in good hands.
There are a couple of hilarious points to this story. The train she is catching 20 miles south of here was the train she would of gotten on in Chicago. She had to go North in order to get South. Instead she went South, to catch the train she was going North to get on! Amtrak could have offered to stop here and pick her up. It was weather issues that caused her train to be delayed four hours. They would not.
The next point that I continue to chuckle about is, not only have I not had a paying customer today, I gave money away. I am glad I was able to help her. I am very glad I was able to help her along her journey. I will hear from her again. (Cannot remember her name.)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Happy New Year!
Coco's has completed 6 months as a business. I have already learned so much. I have noticed some positive signs in the last month. Looking forward to good things in 2014. Wanted to get my first post up for the year. Here are some ramblings.
When I wake up and see the snow I do not immediately worry about the road conditions. I all of the roads I drive will be clear. I only drive on four roads. They are all main roads in town and are plowed quickly. It is impossible a bad snow can turn my 3 minute commute into 10 minutes. Just not a big deal. Much easier to enjoy the beauty of the snow now. In addition to my short commute, I no longer have to worry about how many claims will be turned in at the insurance company where I worked. Auto Claims means way more work in my old department.
The positive signs I noticed at Coco's. People come in looking at my Melissa & Doug toys. That means they have my shop in their mind for carrying toys. People came in looking for small gifts to give. People are thinking of Coco's when they need candy for birthday parties.
I am trying to locate additional sweets to bring into Coco's. Something to go with coffee. I continue to have hopes that I can get people to think of Coco's for a place to come and sit.
Looking forward to Coco's evolving into a mainstay in our village.
Did not make resolutions. Not going to set myself up for that. I do have some goals. Not the same as a resolution!
Hope you are filled with blessings in 2014. (How did we get to 2014?)
When I wake up and see the snow I do not immediately worry about the road conditions. I all of the roads I drive will be clear. I only drive on four roads. They are all main roads in town and are plowed quickly. It is impossible a bad snow can turn my 3 minute commute into 10 minutes. Just not a big deal. Much easier to enjoy the beauty of the snow now. In addition to my short commute, I no longer have to worry about how many claims will be turned in at the insurance company where I worked. Auto Claims means way more work in my old department.
The positive signs I noticed at Coco's. People come in looking at my Melissa & Doug toys. That means they have my shop in their mind for carrying toys. People came in looking for small gifts to give. People are thinking of Coco's when they need candy for birthday parties.
I am trying to locate additional sweets to bring into Coco's. Something to go with coffee. I continue to have hopes that I can get people to think of Coco's for a place to come and sit.
Looking forward to Coco's evolving into a mainstay in our village.
Did not make resolutions. Not going to set myself up for that. I do have some goals. Not the same as a resolution!
Hope you are filled with blessings in 2014. (How did we get to 2014?)
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