I have been bombarded with requests for a new blog post. I'm sorry!! Life has been hectic. I am still learning how to manage my time in all of the chaos that is going on surrounding the shop opening.
"Jessica," you may ask, "when exactly is the shop opening?"
Well, friend, what an excellent question. I am very happy to tell you that if all goes well, and after I finish reading the fine print on this lease agreement in front of me, we should be slated to open March 1. Can you dig it?
It seems like only yesterday I was 17 years old, and walking to the shop after school to quilt. I would work till the evening, then (mostly pretend to) do my homework, go to bed and do it again. That was the life.
I have been feeling very, very thankful lately. I am grateful for the opportunity to turn my hobby into my profession. I am empowered by being able to be my own boss, and run a business like I believe it should be ran.
When I moved to Austin in early 2009, I took jobs in retail because, frankly, it was easy to get a job at the mall with my sales resume, and I needed money, quickly. I ended up really enjoying the retail industry, much more than I expected to enjoy it. So much so, that in the beginning of 2011, I was promoted to store manager at the store in the mall I was assistant-managing. While it was a very stressful promotion, and I ultimately left the company, it was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. It taught me the basic fundamentals of being a good merchant.
I am so grateful for the experiences that I had running that store, because at times it really sucked, and at times I felt like I was having incredibly unproductive days, but the reality of it was, we increased profits by 47% in my first month as manager, alone. We were a kick-ass, bonafide hustler store.
Which is why I feel incredibly confident in this new endeavor. I am finally prepared to fulfill my destiny. I truly cannot wait to see you come in. I hope to provide you with a place to feel right at home, and a place for you to explore your artistic conceptions without conforming to a standard. I want you to stretch your boundaries, meet new people, try different textiles, learn about yourself and your art, and create freely.
Even though the shop isn't slated to open til March, I am still distributing fabric thru our website and also am distributing Mom's Rosecards for her so that she can free up time to travel. I promise that I will be listing new fabric and bundles this week! I won't let y'all down. I know that without me, that tiny voice inside your head will be taunting you about that Alexander Henry Folklorico piece that you should have picked up and now is nowhere to be found. Oh, did I mention that I just received four new bolts today? (I might be smiling right now.) Photos to follow. It is quite late in the evening, so I hope that you don't feel rushed thru this urgent update, but I am afraid that my eyelids are too heavy for any photography tonite.
Lastly, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the positive words of encouragement, business advice, creative input, and overall emotional support that I have received from family, friends, fans, and fiberheads alike. I promise not to let y'all down, and to create the culture that us Outlaw Quilters so desperately crave.
In it to win it,
xoxo
-jess