Letting go is hard. But it was time to say good-bye. January marks the four year "anniversary" since I closed the store and moved the shop back into my home. Four years of maintaining a product stockroom, packing area, studio and print shop inside a modest bungalow. With three kids and a lovely husband who never questioned (though he probably should have) the tower of Uline boxes living beside the furnace. Something had to give. So this weekend I did my best to blow out the merchandise to the bare walls, with the help of some mighty steep markdowns. Maybe that's how I know I was ready to say good-bye: I was OK with losing money in order to gain some order and breathing room.
So the shop will look different in the weeks to come. I probably won't change much until after the holiday rush, but ultimately most of the categories will be deleted and I will focus entirely on made-to-order, personalized products that don't have to be stockpiled, counted and warehoused.
Thank you dear customers for helping me clean house! Getting a bargain feels just as great as gaining an empty shelf.
-Nicole