Monday, July 25, 2011

With the Wind in my Sails...

Please note that this will be a full out stream of consciousness post, well when Jack isn't harassing me to take him outside - woop there he goes! I would ignore him but now is his time to you know what...Also I have to run to work in an hour so if there are typos, I ran out of time and taking a shower was more important :)

Before I begin I want you to know that sometimes I struggle with what to share and what not to share on the world wide web but at heart this blog is and has always been a pretty open experience of a girl following her dreams and starting a business, and it would be an utter shame to keep the real meat and potatoes to myself. I guess sometimes I want everyone else to think everything is just easy-breezy in the life of Shorely Chic but as we all know nothing is always easy-breezy and there are periods of uncertainty and ups and downs. I have to admit that over the past few months with all that is going on in my personal life (getting married!) and crazy work life, I think the heart of my blog has suffered. I've taken a lot of myself out of my posting this summer for lack of time, and uncertainty with what I am doing. If you have noticed, I'm sorry and it's changing back over this morning :)

SO now for the meat and potatoes. Let me list out what's been going on in order of occurrence:
  • got some big clients for decorating projects
  • had to scale back to practically no hours at my corporate job in order to keep up with the decorating biz
  • decided to open a studio/showroom in my friend's space 
  • found out from the town that retail was not permitted on second floor space
  • got an offer from an amazing designer to be her right hand this summer and help her with the MAJOR projects she has going on
  • This weekend: decided to close the doors to the studio for a while and get back to the roots of Shorely Chic, the stress-free part I loved, CREATING products and selling them.
As you can see, there has been lots going on for this gal over at Shorely Chic Enterprises and some key decisions made. I arbored over these decisions and went into them with the attitude that nothing is forever, and with the opportunities falling into my lap, why say no?  I'm the type who would always wonder and regret not trying and in this time of my life when I could a afford to take these risks, it was a no brainer. 

The store: I LOVED having my items all in one place and I adored looking at that space. Being able to open the doors and let the world in to my vision was exhilarating. The tricky part was getting people in and having the stipulation from the town that no retail was permitted on the second floor. I tried it for a few months, had a fabulous party, and came out OK. The real trouble was the constant stress on me to make the numbers, balance working on my own decorating projects and working with the designer. Shorely Chic was starting to become a burden and I couldn't let that happen so I decided that now and under the circumstances of the physical location of the shop, was not the right time to have a space. 

I feel like a weight has been lifted, it's really incredible. Do I regret it? Not for a second. It was a ton of work and lots of $$ invested but if I didn't try it, I would kick myself. I learned so much and enjoyed some of the time I was there, minus the stress over the balance sheet and giving away all my spare time. 

I am moving forward and have some amazing ideas in store... you just wait!!!

LOVE YOU ALL & thank you so much for listening. I needed to get this out and get back to myself. 

18 comments:

  1. SO proud of you! It's so hard to admit when things aren't working the way you thought but it always turns out for the best. I am ALL for doing and seeing what really works for YOUR life. You never know until you try and there are ALWAYS lessons to be learned. Hope the wedding planning is going wonderfully!

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  2. I just love you for being so honest!!! I grapple with all of the same thoughts/questions. We all have to find what truly works for us! I agree 100% ... as much as I love the "thought" of a shop....at my heart I know it probably wouldn't be for me!
    Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!! And yeah for you for even trying!!
    You rock girl!

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  3. Your store was an amazing first try - you learned so much and took a chance. That is worth a lot! You never know where a road will lead and sometimes you just have to jump at a chance. I know you will get another shot at making the studio/retail space work in the future. There is plenty of time for that.

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  4. You are SO right ~ if you didn't try, you would be looking back always and wondering, "what if?". Kudos to you for following your dream and "going for it" ~ not everyone has the guts to do that!

    Keep up the awesome work and the positive outlook ~ those two things will take you very far! And, thanks for taking us along on your crazy ride!

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  5. You have done a fabulous Job Liz. You are so young and have a long promising career ahead of you. There will be so much in store for you, and never look back! Keep on truckin girl! Thanks for the honesty.

    Linda

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  6. Well said, Liz. Appreciate your honesty & wish you continued success in your journey!

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  7. I am sure the store is coming along...I can imagine a little stressful though! I will be visiting a friend in Darien the first weekend in August and I'd love to stop by and see you!! Good luck this week, I know you are doing a fantastic job with everything!! xoxo Clare http://twirlingclare.blogspot.com/

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  8. You are very talented and have lots of support! I'm so happy for you! You are headed in a great direction with many opportunities!!

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  9. I know how hard it can be to let go of something but it seems like you have a great outlook. I bet this dream will come back around.

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  10. You will be just fine, stay true to yourself, but always be open to more opportunities - you never, ever know which way the wind might blow you!

    Good Luck with your next adventures!

    Caron

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  11. That's what life is! Trying and seeing and learning and moving on to the next adventure. I'm so proud of you for following your dreams! You sound so happy, and that makes me happy!

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  12. good for you, lady!!! i think as business owners we all have those moments of doubt, but as long as you come out on top, feeling good about your decisions, you know you're headed in the right direction. and you have a huge cheering squad to help you along the way!

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  13. Wonderful way to look at it all. It's a lot to juggle but you don't know until you try right?

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  14. Dear Liz,

    Looks like you have had some amazing opportunities come your way which you
    have to focus on right now.

    Why not just put the items that you purchased for your store in your own e-store?

    Best Wishes,

    CBO

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  15. You have a lot of exciting things going on in your life. Cutting back will allow you to enjoy them more! Maybe the time for retail again will be down the road a few years from now, or maybe life will bring new and different, wonderful things your way. You have a wonderful creative eye and the ambition to go along with it. That's not easy to come by. You'll be successful in anything you do. Enjoy!

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  16. I think you made the perfect decision, Liz, but I know it was not an easy one. I wish you well in all of your exciting future endeavors- I know there will be plenty of them!

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  17. Liz,
    You have a great head on your shoulders and life is all about making decisions even sometimes between great opportunities. Sounds like you have a lot of wonderful and exciting projects going on and that is such a blessing. Also, being engaged is such a fun phase...enjoy! I am happy for you.

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  18. Oh Liz, this town what will we do? They really make it impossible, don't they? I am so proud of you for giving it a go and had you not, you would have been full of regrets. Life really is a series of lessons learned. We never know where life is headed but the journey getting there is a fun ride. I am glad you are taking time to enjoy the best part...you and Brian. Be well my lovely. See you soon.

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