Our wonderful little scrapbook store has had to close it's doors. It was a rough, heart wrenching decision, but one that was made from necessity, not of being tired of it. Truth of the matter is, our customers disappeared. Not all of them of course, but enough that our sales were down so that we couldn't keep up the new products that keep coming out. Unfortunately, scrapbooking is an expensive hobby, but it IS a hobby that can be eliminated when you have to feed, clothe and house a family. So, after months and months of haggling with myself over what to do, long before I discussed my thoughts on closing our doors with my husband, and after losing a LOT of hair, I knew in my heart what had to be done. Dan and I decided, with very heavy hearts, to close. The Scrappin' Shack's heart stopped beating on May 15, 2010.
I, personally, reached the decision that I was "okay" to close not long after we made the decision. Dan, however, on the other hand, is still struggling with it. I know that we made the right decision - at the right time. Our display pieces, paper racks, cropping tables and chairs, counters and more ALL sold! And, sold right away. Our inventory (from a 3600 square foot building) has been eliminated into 5 smallish boxes. (I only wish that the "stuff" I've accumulated over the past 4 years fit in only 5 boxes!)
We did the right thing.
Being "just" a housewife again is a thrill. Granted, there is a LOT of organizing, disposing, rearranging and CLEANING to be done, but it's being done on MY time now. Not the one day a week that I had off before. I can go to lunch with friends and not have to be somewhere by noon. I can go to Iowa City or Bettendorf, IA or even Stillwater, MN to visit my daughters, granddaughter or sister now - and not have to worry about who can or will watch the store. Shoot, I can go anywhere I want now! I GOT GROCERIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON A WEEK DAY - and smiled the entire time. No more cooking dinner in the morning and having leftovers for dinner, because I wasn't home early enough to cook dinner at a normal dinner-time before my Daniel had to leave for work. The cooking skills I'd acquired before are rusty, but they will be back, and along with them, delicious meals for my wonderful husband! You know, even doing laundry isn't a pain in the wazoo any more!
There are hours & hours of work to be done. And it will all be put away, housed where it belongs, floors scrubbed and sparkling, overdue visits with friends made, spontaneous road trips taken, picnics and long summer walks will be had, concerts to attend, fairs to enjoy, scrapbooks of my wonderful life created, rooms painted and redecorated, and just ENJOYING life. And I will really and truly cherish every moment it takes to accomplish all of that. It won't all be done in the few months of summer we have - because I intend to enjoy the summer of 2010 and life in general. It's too short. (Life, not summer. Although, summer could last longer actually) There may not be flowers in the front flower beds this summer again. The little garden may be overgrown with weeds and no veggies for this summer...but next year our front flower beds will be alight with bright colors and cheerful yard adornments. Salsa will be made from the veggies and herbs grown in our little garden. I'll be another year older, but my heart will be a little younger.
We did the right thing.
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