Why?

When you visit the post office in our small, small town, you are recognized.  It goes with the territory.  In a town of 5000 people, the postmaster and anyone else knows you, your family, your address, your frequent mailings from businesses and a lot of other details.  The same 2 people have dropped off my mail for the last 30 years.  As I visited the post office earlier this week, the person behind the counter asked about the packages I was mailing and how things were going at the shop and then asked the question that has been asked a thousand times. 

"Why did you start a business?"

I don't know.

Did I want to be a fantastic knitter?  Did my grandma instill a love of knitting?  Do I really love yarn?

Maybe to all of those things, but...  I wanted to do something really different and way out of my comfort zone.  When your reach a milestone birthday, sometimes things shift.  There are flashes of things to look back on and anxiety of how the future will unfold.  There is the realization that many, many people never reach the milestone you are facing and enjoying.  All of those things happened that summer. 

Someone I thought I would know and grow to have other adventures with passed away suddenly.  My oldest kids were leaving the nest.  A career that had been exciting for decades was too easy. It was time to do something else and starting a business was a really logical choice at the time. 

Starting a business is a lot like falling off a cliff or sky diving or downhill racing.  The first two activities I can only imagine.  The third I have done, but not well.  You prepare with skills and equipment.  You talk to others who have done it.  You get your nerves together and then there is start day where it's either "do" or "do not".  The right shop front, the money and the right people came together at the right time and a shop was begun. I didn't know what it took to run a business prior to this.  I learned by reading and doing.   Six and a half years later, I am still learning and doing.  That is my "Why".  I need something really challenging to do and learn about.   If it ever becomes easy I will do something else.

Visit the shop online at juliayarnshoppe. com
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Tell me what your thoughts in the comments.

Summer Clean Out Challenge

Summer Closet Cleanout Challenge

Most of us have more junk/stuff/clothing/knick-knacks than we need or use.  This week I am proposing a simple challenge for each day of the week to clean out those items we don't use/need.  The weekend is a holiday, so let's get this done before the big celebration and then we can celebrate our cleaning efforts too.  Each day I will tackle a room or area of the home with you.  At the end of the week, you should have 5 boxes or bags of stuff that was great once but not loved now.  Collect all of those gently used items and recycle them into vacation cash at the shop.  We can help find another home for those items and you can use the cash to have a great time with the family this summer.

Here we go:

Day 1 challenge:  The Master bedroom and closet

Find these items and put them in a box or hang them near the back door:

1.  The fancy dress you needed for a color coordinated wedding/anniversary party/ball that you will never wear again.

2.  Those great shoes that were a great buy but have a spot that rubs your foot the wrong way.

3.   That wool sweater with the great buttons that is too warm to wear to the office or around the house.

4.  The wonderful candle set that you hid in the closet but will never use.

5.  The books on the nightstand that were a great read once but you probably won't read them again.

6. The shirts that were on sale and a great color but just didn't get worn last season.

7.  The slippers your auntie gave you for Christmas that just aren't your style and are too nice to throw out.

8. The necklaces and earrings you wore with a work wardrobe that is long gone.

9.  The colorful scarves that went with that same wardrobe.

10.  Any other item that was a great buy at the time, but just didn't get out much.

Why consign or shop consignment?

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1. It's good for you and it's good for the environment.

It's good for you because it keeps your closets and cupboards filled with only the things you actually love and use. It turns your cluttered closets into cash. It keeps usable items out of the landfill.

2. Consigning adds space to your home and money to your wallet.

Your home is  freed from items that you don't love or that don't add usefulness to  your life.  The money in your wallet allows you to participate in other activities that add joy to your life.

3.  The thrill of the treasure hunt

That cute dress that costs $40 in the department store is $8 at the consignment shop.  It's a thrill to find, not a guilt trip.  

Consignment shops are full of treasures that will bless your home and not dent the wallet.  Selling your own items there blesses everyone.

Shopping online or your local small business?

I own a small business and I shop online.  I support the 3/50 project with my business and in practice with several small local businesses and I shop online.  I am an Amazon quick fix junkie for some things.  I can have a quick shopping fix right from my desk or my favorite chair if I choose.  I know.  It’s a problem.  Sometimes it’s a budgetary problem.  Sometimes it’s an “I live in rural America and this thing isn’t available here” problem.  I’d rather this item of the moment was available at my local department store, but it’s a specialty item.

When I work on a project, I love the touch and feel the craft materials I use.  I have not had success choosing materials from a catalog or an online site because I am so tactile and sensory about the process.  If I order something crafty, when the desired item arrives it’s the wrong color, the wrong size, and the wrong shape.  It goes to a dusty shelf and I reorder or try something else. 

When I travel with the family, we specifically search out yarn and fiber shops.  I gather their addresses in advance on Google, KnitMap or SweaterBabe.  I plan out the time to visit.  My family usually goes for ice cream after they drop me off at the LYS.  It’s a long adventure and they know it.  And I get something there that I cannot get at home in my favorite chair.  I pick out a random skein of beautiful yarn or a shop pattern.  I have a nice chat with someone who lives in another part of the country.  They usually don’t know that I own a yarn shop because I don’t share that.  I am seeing what other yarn shops feel like and that is best done incognito.  I want to know the atmosphere and character of the shops I visit.  I soak it in because each shop has a different feel.  And I write down something interesting about each one.  I look for ideas that I can take home and that are worth using another time.  You can’t get that on Amazon.