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.
4 comments:
Love you!
I love this post! I had a store back in 2006 and closed it in July of 2008. I totally get where you are coming from. My advice to you is do what you do best and from reading this post I don't think you need this advice cause you already know it. NEVER ever stray from you vision because that is why you love to do what you do. This is why I don't have a store anymore is because I allowed myself to be movable and then I became wishy washy and then I hated everyone I worked with because the store wasn't mine anymore so I closed it on a whim. In hindsight it was the right thing to do but at the time I could have kicked myself for closing just because I was mad and all my dealers.
So do it because you love it and good luck. I think you are going to be awesome and I just have to follow your progress!
Thanks for twitting me!
Ember
Thank you both for your support. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this mess with the neon cat purses and the doubters on the loose. :)
I am totally excited about your shop- because you have a vision for it. So many places take anything and everything- which just ends up being a mish mash no one actually wants to shop at.
Stay true!
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