Welcome to our new web page! It has some new features that we direly had missing from our old design. For the past 4-5 years we've had a loyal following of customers and friends who have begged to be dragged along for the ride of our expansion and growth. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, strap yourself in and enjoy my blogging of our ever burgeoning business as this new web design has a blogging feature (hopefully I used the correct terminology there). There will be no movie like Julie and Julia (which I adored) but there will be snippets of the journey and a touch of my philosophy and approach to our growth. Sometimes it works out so much better than I could ever have thought and sometimes it just sucks and almost makes you lose your faith in humanity but I remain forever faithful that the journey is meant to be what it is, that I learn from the mistakes and enjoy every day for the exciting gift that it is. I hope you enjoy the stories that I share!
It's official....we have had our doors open at Granville Island for one year. I still have to do the math for how long we have been open in Winnipeg at the Johnston Terminal but we are working on our 4th year there. It seems like no time at all but a long journey at the same time. We've come a LONG way since my first hummings and hawings about taking the “BIG” plunge and opening a permanent shop. I can remember how scary it was to take that step from the bustling days of Saturday morning Farmer's Markets (because who doesn't love 6 in the morning?). And, to be honest, every milestone along the way has been equally as scary. In fact, I am working on a few now that are scary beyond words. The way I know that they are really scary is that I procrastinate about them and keep putting off thinking about how to achieve them. And then when I do face the fear head on, I find out it wasn't so bad and in most instances, it turns out much, much better than I ever dreamed. I'm hoping at some point, it becomes easy to take those leaps of faith but when it is basically putting my heart and soul out there, it's understandable what a huge risk it is. These products are the result of my work and my knowledge. They are a reflection of my attention to detail and my creativity. It takes time for me to build the confidence to make those big moves and take, what are to me, big risks. But I have the best customers who support the business and treat it like it is their own. Thank you so much for your interest, love and support. It buoys the spirit through tougher times and builds the confidence required to take those big steps.
There is no way that we are even close to being finished. We started from simple beginnings of a small space at a local farmer's market in Manitoba, to a permanent shop at The Johnston Terminal, to a successful 3 year stint at the Vancouver Christmas Market (with hopefully more to come) and a shop at Granville Island. 2015 will be even more expansion with our nearest upcoming event being a wholesale Gift Show here in Vancouver. So we will be at the Vancouver Gift Show March 15th and 16th at the PNE in Vancouver. If you know anyone who has a gift shop interested in carrying some of our line, make sure that they head out to the show or contact us. We're settled enough and ready to get wholesaling some more while maintaining and expanding our current shops and wholesalers. This is an easier step for us as we've wholesaled before and have experience with it. It's the things we'll be doing later in the year that I'm avoiding like the plague right now. Give me a little time to bolster my confidence and face those events head on and with gusto. Cheers from Vancouver!
- Lana