Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Open for business

Girlie brought home her spelling test this week and I did a double take.

The thing is, for the last few weeks, I have been thinking about (and missing) my business. Owning a retail store is a lifestyle choice. It never ends, runs seven days a week, and is constantly changing, but because it is yours, it becomes so much a part of your life. It was incredibly stressful balancing all of the pieces of the puzzle, especially the finances. But I loved the creative piece and most of the time, getting my hands on the merchandise and working on the displays made up for all of the other stuff.

Right now, I would be busy working on the summer merchandising and getting ready to rearrange the store after Mother's Day. I would be planning for the trade shows, including a trip to New York in August. I might be getting ready to file the sales tax or working on payroll or paying a pile of invoices, but most of all I would be in a happy place with a store full of great products and one month of strong sales to go before the slower summer months set in.

When we first sold the store and moved, I had such mixed feelings about it. Though it was my choice, I felt sad to close the door on that part of my life. Sometimes, it felt like I was like going through a real break up. I would hear a song that reminded me of the music we played in the store and tear up, like the business was some old boyfriend. Over time, I realized that I had made the right choice and it started to get a little easier.

Eventually I started writing. Like owning my own store, it is something I have always wanted to do and I love it. So it looks like I have a new boyfriend. I think he'll commit, but we haven't made it official. I have no idea how I will actually drum up a career in writing. With my store, it started with signing a lease. Writing for a living seems a little harder to map out. Still, I hope I have opened the door.

1 comment:

latisha said...

oh but you have! ill be reading about you like my blogger friend shannon one day. your stuffs too good and you show up and write. and almost every day.

thats the hardest part.