Emotional Reflection

It's getting harder and harder to find the time to blog, or maybe to find the time to to collect my thoughts.
It has been a week of emotions, the loss of a friend and mentor,Barney, hit me hard. I pulled myself together and filled the week with meetings.
The Main Street Gang is diligently conducting business, rallying towards the Cupcake Festival. The Town Planning Board, was reviewing plans for an additional building on our road. The Business Association, showcased a panel of guests, including the counties tourism director. All have been time consuming, but some what necessary to attend.
A week of emotions or a week of avoiding my feelings? I am blessed to have a full life, and I was caught off guard by the news of my friend Barney's passing. ( I'm pooling up writing this) I should not have been, we all knew his time was ending. It is fitting that I spent time avoiding tears this week with meetings, he spent years standing up for neighbors, the town and ideals in meetings for decades. I thought he taught me a lot about communicating and representing, in the role of being an officer in our towns business association, and he did. It wasn't until his passing that I realized he represented the best things in all our lives. He shared his love of family, of friends, of community and was passionate about life. He was a man who gave back and gave back. Most of all Barney taught me, the little stuff doesn't matter, it's enough to know you don't agree and just walk away. A lesson that took me nearly fifty years. This would have made Barney laugh, he had a great laugh. Rest in peace my friend.

Five Years and Pondering

I have never been one of those people who are disappointed in birthdays. You know, the friend that had a list of things, that when they got to a certain age, they were going to have done. The friend that is disappointed with their birthday and upset about what they haven't gotten done on the list. Not me, I never have had a list of that type. I was fine at 30 and 40 and even 50. So what happened to me last week? This five year thing really threw me for a loop. Then I realized, I had made a list, in my head, but never the less I had made a list. A list of where I would be with HiHo when we were five years in. Let me share some of my list, we would have sidewalks, a speed limit through town, a number of other businesses would be promoting the Gardiner Hamlet, and most importantly money wouldn't be a worry. WHAT WAS I THINKING. Silly right? If you noticed many of the things on my list are beyond my control.
My list, if I really needed to have one, should have been more like this....create relationships with customers, give back to the community, challenge my creative side, explore new channels of promoting, expand product selection, develop the HiHo brand. Right? I wouldn't have been so disappointed.
So much accomplished and so silly of me to let emotions blurry my real goals.Five years and HiHo is just fine....and me too.

This Week's Tuesday Project

Tuesdays HiHo is closed, but I still work. Today's project has been in the works in my head for months. It was, and is, pretty exciting that so much of the project came together today. I had decided to use an old china cupboard to make a display fixture for the shop. We have jewelry arriving soon and I need a place to showcase it. The idea; upholster the back of the cupboard with panels. Making the padding a nice place to pin and display necklaces and such.

Hmmm, what color, I need boards cut, maybe use Velcro, could even make a stage like setting by draping fabric on each side of the cupboard. Need a place for Hazel the dress form. Oh, what about those old hand rails, they might work?

Last night, was the trip to the fabric store, almost successful, got the panel fabric but not the drape fabric. Then decided to look at tablecloths, shower curtains and any other option that might work. Wahla! Ralph Lauren tablecloths, not only matched Hazel and the panel fabric but felt like it would work in HiHo.

Not yet complete, but a good amount done for one day. I will be sure to post, when this new area is featuring our newest product line ;)

Add a Bookcase to Your Mix

The most requested piece of furniture here at HiHo , is a bookcase. Luckily, Saturday night I bought this great bookcase. I bought a number of other treasures too, but those will have to wait. I spent a good amount of the morning hours, making a place for the new previously loved bookcase.

Followed by unpacking a sweet collection of planters, most of them McCoy pottery. They are displayed on the shelves and featured with an assortment of local books.

Don't you just love it when things just put themselves together?

We have two other bookcases at this time for sale, a medium sized red one and a small white one. Both charming and sturdy. Stop by and take a look, adding a bookcase to your furniture mix is never a bad idea.

Signs of Spring

..hmmm, what are my signs of Spring, you know things that happen every year at this time, that remind you Winter is over.

The first is the window redo that usually without fail has me hunting for the silk forsythias and a dash of green.

There are wonderful things, like loading the truck late at night with auction purchases in a muddy parking lot, (but it is over 50 degrees.) The pooling of rain water in front of the shop and Humphrey refusing to go out in the rain. Customers in search of outdoor iron furniture, potting containers and treats for the garden.

The Middle School helps mark the coming of Spring in our house, it was Guys and Dolls this year, nothing like watching kids do their best, while singing, dancing and getting that direct look from your own child. (You were wonderful Everett) Later this week the High School musical, will surely give me that undeniable feeling that Spring break is here.(break a leg Aubrey)

The gathering of merchandise that compliments the Annual Gardiner Cupcake Festival, has begun here at HiHo. Meetings with the Main Street Gang are more frequent and productive,reviewing all the details for the day, May 8th, this year.

My favorite every day sign of Spring, is having the shop door open, being able to put almost anything outside and seeing all the other doors open in the hamlet. Life is good in the Spring!!

Hazel's First Day At Work

Oh, what fun. Recieved the first shipment of incoming jewerly today. Such a little box, but with big treasure.

Hazel, our new vintage dress form, named by a fan of our facebook page. Had her first day of work today, sporting these charming charms. Most are double sided and all are lots of fun. Their vintage graphics make them a perfect fit for HiHo.

Each one, brings to mind another friend....a great gift.

BALANCE?

I have been immersing myself in the social networking world. Attempting to use new tools to promote my brick and mortar business. Exploring different types of blogs and web sites. You know, blogs without great pictures of pretty things and web sites that showcase graphs instead of Etsy links. Boring , right?

A new favorite place for me to linger, Conversation Agent , where Valeria Maltoni, connects people with ideas. She says things like..."Do one big thing and skip all the little ones. Sometimes it's best to invest in one thing, than diluting your efforts and your energies over too many, spreading yourself too thin." wow, right? She is speaking of social media and promotion. {Don't worry all the little details of HiHo are not going away.}

An old favorite...Debi Ward Kennedy's blog is another place I have been lately. Yes this blog has pretty pictures ;) She makes me feel as if I am not alone, while I am working on visual display challenges. Owning a shop in a little town has away of making me feel that, I'm out of the loop of the *real retail* world. Debi's blog brings the world of retail to me. She says things we all need to hear, like *be consistent* it's nice to know she is there when I'm having a day.

Finding a balance? How to juggle the options of promotion and just plain offering a great shopping experience. I wish it was clear, like putting a sign up or taking it down. However it's more like what color, what size, what should it say, what font should we use, what's the message, where should we put it.....get my point?
It is an exciting time for me to be exploring the options of social media and gather some knowledge to promote HiHo more aggressively. The map is changing everyday. I'm trying to develop a plan, much like the plans I draw for floor moves and lists of merchandise I make for themed displays. Although these tools are behind the scenes and often not as apparent to customers as my displays, they are part of the balance of the business.
More importantly is the balance of family and work. A much harder balance for me to strike.

Two teens, a husband and a twenty year old , who is launching a business from her dorm room. SweetPea&Co is my Whitney's new business and if you are considering face book as a venue for promoting your business check it out. If you want to know more about patience ask my husband. For sharpening your talents on singing loudly in your room , Aubrey is your girl. Everett is an expert in down time, specializing in watching politics and the history channel.

Hows that for equal time and finding a balance, hee,hee ;)