The History

Here I am, only 44 years old and I've been retired from the Army for 5 years already. So far I have finished my degree, volunteered for the American Red Cross, worked as an AmeriCorps member for the American Red Cross as well. Neither worked out; personality conflicts. Specifically, it was very difficult for me to assimilate into the civilian workforce and have a boss that was half my age and had never had subordinates before. Lesson learned.

My degree is a B.S. in Emergency Management. Since I was living in a rural community, the County Emergency Management office was not hiring. I applied several times to the State Emergency Management Division, but I didn't have enough experience (duh) to get hired. Catch 22. I tried to operate my own small consulting service, but since I have absolutely no experience in business besides an Intro to Business class 20+ years ago...it didn't go anywhere.

So here I am, 5 years after retiring, and still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I started thinking about the old used book store I used to visit in Syracuse, NY when I was stationed north of there at Ft. Drum. I love the smell of old books. It was a century old warehouse, two story, and it was full of them from floor to ceiling. The original wooden floors creaked. The lighting was soft. There were deep, comfortably cushioned chairs that one could sink in and peruse through any books of interest. It was there that I learned Stephen King wrote under a pseudonym! An amazing find for me, at the time.

Back then, in my early twenties, this is what I wanted to do someday. To own my own old used book store-with the same ambiance. Now that I'm a little more older and wiser, I don't think it would be a good fit for me, although I still love the musty smell when I walk into a used book store.

I have been doing alot of crocheting lately. It keeps my busy and makes me feel like I am accomplishing something while sitting on my ass watching TV. I learned how to crochet from my paternal grandmother when I was a young girl and just recently realized the joy of creating with my hands. The satisfaction. I have also discovered a new world of fiber. Tons of different kinds of yarn - yay! I don't have to deal with itchy acrylic yarn from the fabric store anymore! There is bamboo! Alpaca! Merino wool! So much softer against the skin.

A couple of years ago I went to a Fiber Arts Expo in Tacoma, Washington. So overwhelming! I didn't truly become a fiber geek, however, until I participated in the "South Sound Yarn Crawl" in 2011. For those that don't know, a 'Yarn Crawl' is put on by local shop owners who promote their shops by creating a type of passport to print. Customers visit each participating shop over a certain amount of days, get their passport stamped, and are entered into a nightly drawing. At each shop they visit, they are treated to discounted prices on specialty yarn and given a free pattern to crochet or knit. There is also a designated pattern and participants are encouraged to buy the yarn required from each shop they visit. For example, here is a picture of the SSYC pattern I completed. (My beautiful daughter is the model!)

So, yes I digress. My point in all this, is that about a month ago I started considering opening a local yarn shop, just like the kind that participate in the Yarn Crawl.