Progress and a Peek...

While my sign is being approved and made, I needed to hang something up so my artist friends who visit know where I am. (Too bad it was 9:30 at night when I tried to snap this shot.)


The Market is a place of "craftivity" and inspiration and well...a handmade sign just seemed to serve these two purposes. Something a little more "professional" will soon grace the front of the building. For now, it keeps me grounded in what I'm trying to achieve.



The ceiling is now finished (except for the real lights that need to get hung) but it feels much less like an office and more like my imagination. A bit cavelike but hopefully the real lights and the chandeliers will brighten the place up. Thankfully, the people who have entered thus far can see the potential.



I promised you a little peek, just a little one. I'm still drooling over these baubles. Seriously, I want every single one.

Handmade anything is special to me because of the stories behind them. We all had a reason, some spark of imagination, some creative urge that made it out of us. These items come from somewhere deep, somewhere a factory just can't replicate.

This artist, the jewelry designer from above, gets it. Not only some fabulous pieces, but a story too. See that little gold disc in the center of the photo, it's inscribed with a latin phrase...yes, well if you didn't want it before, you'll want it now.

Her description:
"Qu’hier Que Demain

In the early 20th century, the phrase “more than yesterday but less than tomorrow” from Rosemonde Étienette Gérard’s (1871–1953) poem "L'éternelle chanson" ("The Eternal Song") became a popular expression of growing love.
"I love you more and more each day, today more than yesterday but less than tomorrow. "

This bguides graced my inbox this morning:

“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside themselves was superior to circumstance.”

Bruce Barton (1886–1967) American advertising executive, U.S. congressman

Tell a story, let it out, and be brave.

Artist Love...

I have progress pictures though I can't get them off my camera just now so I promise--next post a shop update. (And a little teaser..I met some amazing talent on Saturday.)

I just ran across this while reading my blogroll and I have to share. For a Monday, it sure made me smile.

You want to keep repeating it, don't you?

This artist has created an entire company; some of her items I am carrying in the shop and I love them all...if this particular one would've been for sale, it would've been in the cart fo' sure.

Some things I should've said in the last week....

Mrs. Possibility, bless her little soul, gave me this advice the other day:

"When you have a good thing, everyone wants to be part of it, everyone has an opinion and everyone would do something different and better. It’s ridiculously maddening. Listen to all if it, leave 90% of where it falls and turn the constructive 10% to your favor. "

I've since printed this little bit of wisdom.....Here's the deal.

I'm horrible at vocally articulating anything. I'm an arm flayler, fast talking, bumbling mess when put on the spot. But give me 5 minutes with my thoughts, a piece of paper and a writing untensil and I can concoct a coherent sentence.

Sometimes my bubbling chatter makes me think that people don't actually understand what I'm saying. They are so distracted by my physical emoting that they couldn't possibly pay attention and actually hear what I'm saying.

So just for the record, doubters-just in case you didn't quite hear me:

A.) The Urban Market is not some 3 hour project I made up one day while sitting on the toilet. I have spent the last 2 years planning and replanning this little plan.

B.) I think I'm pretty smart but even an idiot knows that opening a store requires selling what people want.

C.) The world is in a financial mess. I have based my business model on being both stylish AND affordable. $60 pajamas, no matter how cute, just aren't a good fit.

D.) Please trust me enough to know I have done my research. Please allow me the ability to evolve this process as we go. In turn, I'll try to be more specific.

E.) Before approaching me with your wares, please understand the brand I wish to create. Please research the style of the store, the target demographic. If you're 60 and prefer traditional things, the Market is just not for you. I'm ok with this, you should be too.

For those of you non-doubters, I apologize for making you sit through this. Thank you for getting it and allowing my imagination room to breathe.

Progress???

These are so not my usual pretty foo-foo staged pictures. I don't even want to post this ugly mess but I was reminded today to enjoy the process. (That possibility family again..)

I said process, not progress. Though both are happening-I really want to get to the design part. This view is driving me crazy. (Please note from previous post, the false ceiling is no longer, the interior walls, adios.)

"How do you eat an elephant?", my Big Mister says..."One bite at a time." Oh yes, but can we eat a little faster?

More later, I'm tied up in wires and drowning in plaster dust.

I have keys!!

You are looking at the front door to the Urban Market. Yes, it's official today--the shop is mine.

Needs a little (well,er, a lot) of love but I thought it would be fun for us to watch the transformation. Not much to look at today but I'm anxious to see what this imagination of mine can come up with. If you think I've jumped off the face of the earth, I didn't. I'm just here.

My studio was whining about my lack of attention so I gave it some affection this evening. I thought if I let myself create and not think about the work ahead of me (just for one day), I might be able to sleep tonight.

I overheard a woman I work with, let's call her Sissy, say one day, "I'm pretty. I don't have to be smart." I laughed and then quickly scribbled down her quote. She's a garage sale queen and has given me a few supplies from her stash.

Her thank you gift above.

Sissy lives her life and doesn't take herself too seriously. She just is who she is, she does what she does. Sissy definitely sleeps at night-without waking up to google one more thing or to add to "the list". She believes ironing is a waste of time and stretchy pants are a gift from God.

Ah, Sissy? I think you're maybe smarter than you think.