Husband and I spent a lot of time over the weekend setting up our online shop and getting it up and running. I designed our website on my own, which I did once before for a business we had several years ago, but technology has changed so much that I’ve had to re-learn things. Over the weekend I ran into another small business owner who was trying to figure out how to send a newsletter to her customers. She makes soap, but she’s also working on learning new technology. It made me feel better to meet another person who is trying to wade through technology to reach her customers. This is the challenge of every small business owner – staying on top of all the aspects of running a business while still maintaining the business itself. But it’s such a fulfilling challenge, and one I’ve missed.
I have always loved the idea of having a physical shop and maybe someday we’ll have one (I have my eye on a building that’s for sale nearby, but that’s a big leap we’re not quite ready for). Physical spaces are so much easier to pretty up than online spaces. Invoking all the senses in a physical space is simpler – music, scents, touching products, seeing designs, maybe sipping a cup of tea as you browse – it all adds up to an experience that’s had to replicate online. Funny, even just typing that out makes me long for that physical shop space even more.
But for now, we’re online. Husband and I are makers at heart. We always have been. We love learning new skills and working with our hands. He’s been working with leather for a couple of years now, and he’s been creating some absolutely beautiful items. He works at our kitchen table using traditional methods of hand cutting, punching the holes, hand stitching, hand burnishing the edges. Everything he makes has been produced with an abundance of care and attention.
I’ve been learning oil painting for a couple of years now. It has opened up a whole new world for me – I notice clouds more, I notice the colors and the nuances of shadow in a scene. I appreciate art more than I ever have. I love mixing the paint colors to get just the right shade of blue sky, or the hint of purple in a could that a camera just can’t capture. Painting brings me so much joy, though sharing my paintings with the world at large fills me with trepidation. But I encourage my husband and he has encouraged me, so we’ve listed some of my art work for sale.
I still sew – in fact I sew nearly every day as my part time job. I have a million ideas of things to make to put in our shop. For now I have Christmas stockings for sale. Yes, it’s still summer and we’re not trying to rush the seasons along, but I also know that a lot of people like to shop early.
You’ll also see a section of our shop called Home Library Books. As a long time homeschooler, we’ve collected an abundance of books and it’s time for us to begin paring down some of our collection. You’ll see gently used homeschooling books, reading books, and some vintage finds. Right now all our listings are under the Home Library category. I’ll be adding more in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back and sort the book listings by newest to see our most recent additions to the shop.
Let me know if you see anything that looks off. Like I said, I’ve designed our website myself, and there may be some things I’ve missed.