I can’t believe its September

Howdy friends. Its been a while since I’ve blogged. I’m hoping to pick it back up again more regularly. I have been working with a client all week teaching her lingerie design and entrepreneurship. She suggested I try to keep this up to help promote what I love doing, which is educating. But that’s not just educating in lingerie design or fashion design, but educating in sustainable and healthy living.

I liked that idea. Now to just find the time to blog regularly. The issue is trying to find any time in the day to do something else.

Emily is getting big and tall. 9 months now. She’s babbling all day and all night. She is wearing 24 month clothing and eating food off my plate.

The store has been a big challenge and struggle, I have to admit. I had expected to book at least one class a month and that hasn’t even happened. The whole point of having the store was to teach the classes. So I’ve come to a crossroad. Do I stay or do I go?

I am weighing this heavily based on 2 factors that are facing me. 1. The online store is doing fabulous, but the brick and mortar isn’t carrying its weight. 2. My father has been sick and I want to go east to spend some time with him and to let him get to know my Emily.

I’ve come up with 2 possible solutions. 1. Turning the shop co-op and making the incredible work space private for co-op members to create their own work. or 2. Closing up the shop in January, putting everything in storage and hiring someone to pack and ship my online orders.

I am leaning towards the first option. I used to be the connector up north, but now I have no connections down here. Who could I possibly get to join as partners?

Here is what I have come up with and feel free to pass the word around. I am looking for 8 people to be partners. Each person will be responsible for working the store front 3-4 days a month and each person would have certain responsibilities, whether it be marketing, web design, or just inventory management. Each person would have work space available, sewing machines and cutting tables to use. Each person would pay a little under $300 a month to be a part of this. The fee covers the rent, bills, advertising and equipment rental. At the end of the month, whatever isn’t used, is redistributed to the owners as well as an equal share in store profits. Not to mention being able to buy anything in the store at only 10% above cost. That alone should attract people right?

The idea is that the more mouths that are talking about the shop, the more people will come in and make purchases in the store. I would even consider transforming part of the store to showcase the work of the co-op residents. What do you think? Would that be something you’d be interested in?