If you do not want to read negative, this is not the post for you. There are no unicorns in my world today. I cannot see any rainbows. To no surprise to anyone, closing a shop is much more painful than opening a shop.
Making the decision to close was inevitable. I knew it was coming. I was having a hard time pulling the trigger. It was the Dr. Seuss birthday party that did me in. There were only three children in attendance that were not related to me. Of those three children, only one of the parents purchased anything. The other two came for the stories and coloring. I spent quite a bit of time getting ready for the party. Finding just the right coloring pictures, word games, mazes. Printing them off. Getting books to read. I hired help for the day. I thought I would be busy with the kids and someone would need to ring up purchases. It was not necessary. I lost money on the deal. I immediately knew it was over for me. I had already tried many marketing approaches. The fried cinnamon on Saturday. That was not about selling sweet rolls. It was about getting people into my shop to become regulars. For the most part, the people who came in for rolls did not even look around at what my adorable shop had to offer. Same with the cake pops.
I have been letting my inventory go down. I knew I would need to close before summer. Things were getting slim in the shop. That does not mean I do not have stuff to sell. I do. I do not want to have a huge clearance sale. Whatever does not sell, I will attempt to sell at the Springfest or Farmer's Market. I will give candy away before I will give clearance prices.
My sweet shop will only be open four more days. I will spend the next month getting rid of all the big items. I have been able to sell a few things already. All the cute pieces of furniture I was so excited to find and buy for the shop. I had it set up almost exactly how I wanted it. It is very important to sell the big items so they do not end up stored in my house!!!! We already have enough in the house.
The hardest part is the kids. My regulars. As soon as they see me they ask me WHY, WHY! I come to your shop. I buy stuff. Ouch!! Huge Ouch!! Some of these kids I did not know before I opened Coco's. Now they run into my shop, tell me what is new in their life. What they are celebrating. What they want to get. Where they are going. My regulars get hugs. When I volunteer at the school the kids see me walking down the hall and say, look it is the candy lady. It is very close to being a super hero.
Last week I was able to hold onto positive thoughts. The most important thing I know is that God has a plan. He had a plan when I opened, he has another for me now. Whatever I needed to do is done. I hope my next path is as much fun as this one. This week it is much harder to sit in my shop and know it is over. People saying they are sorry. Asking me what I will do next. Many, many people have told me I gave it my all. I did everything possible to make it a success. It is not just the failure of my shop. I hope that my shop would be a success and other people would follow my lead and open more retail stores in our town. By closing, it sends the opposite signal. Stores cannot make it in our town. People say, our town is too little. It is the recession. I disagree with both of those statements. Our town has more people than when I grew up here. Our entire downtown was filled with retail shops. People spent their money in town. They did not leave to do all their shopping. My Dad owned a business so we were not allowed to shop out of town. Business owners knew they had to set a good example. More people work outside of town. It is easier to stop and pick things up before they get on the road. More people leave town on the week-ends to find fun things to do. People do not make an effort to come downtown and support the businesses.
Today I spent two hours volunteering in the kindergarten classroom. One of my happy places. I came back to open the shop and was hit by a bad case of the blahs. Decided I would get my thoughts out and get on with my work.
I am happy I went after my dream. I do not have to spend the rest of my life wondering if I could open a business. It is a victory that I was brave enough to go after my dream. These 21 months have been amazing. I feel like I have gotten to know myself better. I am better at enjoying life. I have met so many interesting people. I learned to be more accepting. I learned to let God judge. My life is fuller. My heart is fuller. Whatever I do next, I will take a better me into the job. My only regret is that I lost money. Now I have to make more. I still have time to do it.
If you have been on this journey with me, I thank you. We had a good time didn't we?
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Decorating The Town
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!!!
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!!!
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.......
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