We are open! There is a huge sense of relief with that last meeting of the last inspection. The build-up and all the forms and permits made it seem such a daunting process. There were even notes of - your business may not be approved if it is not the appropriate product for the area… Of course we couldn’t see that applying to us but it plants a little seed of doubt in your brain… like for some random reason you could be denied a permit and business license at the whim of someone’s opinion. Luckily that didn’t happen and it was simple. Charlie and I hold our stress differently. I blow up given the occasion, am testy and don’t sleep. He becomes a hermit, quiet, most of the time is lost in his own thoughts and isn’t “there”, and is busting his butt working and doesn’t sleep… both of us have been maxed.
We haven’t been open for 4 months and this time, our 3rd move, has been the hardest. Not just the distance of our move but also the pressure to do something more but still on our budget. Charlie and I come up with the design ideas and he executes them… tweaking them to make them better - but always with his pencil in hand and his visualization and graph paper. During design times I see a notebook of graph paper lying around with tiny etched numbers and drawings that I barely understand. His talent is incredible really. Something that Willow seems to want to follow - as she proclaims - I want to be an architect and the builder! Charlie’s brain sees it 3 dimensional in his head before putting it on paper. My brain is flat and full of thoughts that I can’t see anything else! Willow’s brain seems to work similar to Charlies- she can see the entire thing before it is even done. What a wonderful skill to have. It has allowed us to do all we have done together - his dimensional and my flat!
After the pressure to get open, it is so relieving that from day 1 - as we expected - people love our hats and the quality they exude. It is a labor of love and being in the shop all day waiting for people to come in is also a labor of love. Finding the right style, designing with people and getting them exactly what they want, coming up with beautifully designed hatbands and hats - this is an incredible life. One of our first customers in the shop, a lawyer from Denver, funny enough, said - how incredible you get to spend your days doing this. Gratefulness floods through me, as I am truly grateful for our chosen life.
We haven’t been open for 4 months and this time, our 3rd move, has been the hardest. Not just the distance of our move but also the pressure to do something more but still on our budget. Charlie and I come up with the design ideas and he executes them… tweaking them to make them better - but always with his pencil in hand and his visualization and graph paper. During design times I see a notebook of graph paper lying around with tiny etched numbers and drawings that I barely understand. His talent is incredible really. Something that Willow seems to want to follow - as she proclaims - I want to be an architect and the builder! Charlie’s brain sees it 3 dimensional in his head before putting it on paper. My brain is flat and full of thoughts that I can’t see anything else! Willow’s brain seems to work similar to Charlies- she can see the entire thing before it is even done. What a wonderful skill to have. It has allowed us to do all we have done together - his dimensional and my flat!
After the pressure to get open, it is so relieving that from day 1 - as we expected - people love our hats and the quality they exude. It is a labor of love and being in the shop all day waiting for people to come in is also a labor of love. Finding the right style, designing with people and getting them exactly what they want, coming up with beautifully designed hatbands and hats - this is an incredible life. One of our first customers in the shop, a lawyer from Denver, funny enough, said - how incredible you get to spend your days doing this. Gratefulness floods through me, as I am truly grateful for our chosen life.