I will not be defeated!

On my hunt for a retail location.....it's not looking so good. I checked out one place, and the owner apparently didn't 'like' me or something, because he never returned my phone calls after that. I'm very disappointed in his lack of professionalism.

The next place I looked at is AWESOME......but it is a huge warehouse (10,000 sq ft!) and he wants a couple thousand dollars a month for rent. I was hoping to have a few subleaser's interested, but they aren't faring well right now and wouldn't be able to afford it. I definitely can't do the rent by myself.

I'm looking for a good 1500 sq ft to get started with. There is one place on Tower that is being renovated but they obviously aren't looking for a lease agreement until that's completed.

My only option, I think, is to start looking off of the main strip...but there aren't a whole lot of options there, either, because I want to be in on the local foot traffic. I don't want to be too far away from the heart of the city. I want to become a downtown staple!

Still plugging away at my Business Plan....will probably be looking for a CPA soon.....

Enjoying the Process

My boyfriend and I just spent the last 5 days in Northern California and recharged. It was fantastic, spent some time in the Russian River Valley (wine tasting!), enjoyed the sun, spent a day in San Francisco, and drove along the coast and through the majestic Redwood Forest on the way back home (my favorite part).

While we were there, we checked out two local yarn shops and talked with the owners for a few minutes. I would love to give a shout out to Trudy, the owner of Yarnitudes in Sebastopol (near Santa Rosa) and to Rosanne of Purls of Joy in Healdsburg, about 30 minutes north. They greeted us right when we stepped through their doors and immediately made us feel like part of the family. When I explained that I was planning on opening my own store in Washington, they were so very supportive- and almost overwhelmed me with lessons learned and hints! The wealth of knowledge between the two - to include the stitchers at Purls of Joy who were there working on their projects - was so vast, and everyone was so much fun to talk to. I will take their comments to heart and keep in touch.

I am rejuvenated. I had to make it a point NOT to think about what I want to do with my shop while on vacation and just enjoy the moment. (It was so very difficult to keep my mind quiet!) As we were getting closer to home, however, I could feel my mind start to crank up again.

I will definitely be incorporating Trudy's and Rosanne's ideas in my shop. Some of the ideas I already had tossed around as possibilities. One thing that I did completely change my mind on was the color of the shelving. Remember in my earlier blog that I wanted dark shelving? Well, after walking into Purls of Joy and being blinded by the brightness - which was a GOOD thing, I was convinced that WHITE shelving is the way to go. How much better to see the yarn colors!

Keep stitching!

Teva

The Decision Has Been Made!!

So, today was the second week that I visited the shop to see if the owner had her financial paperwork yet. She seemed busy with a customer, but when she looked up and saw me she immediately said "I don't have them yet" and then she went right back to showing the customer how to use a spinning wheel. I felt absolutely dismissed, so I hung around for about 10 minutes to see if I could talk to her. However, the customer was asking specific questions about the shop......and it finally occurred to me that she was the other buyer!

So, I decided then and there that I am going to open my own shop in Centralia. It seems to me that if a seller was interested in selling, they would have the paperwork ready as soon as possible. I realized today that she is favoring the other buyer so that is the end of that! Look out Chehalis, you are about to have some serious yarn competition. :)

Plot Twist!

Oh no! I went to the yarn shop to ask the owner for copies of her financial records, and she told me that there is another person interested in the place, too. Competition!

You know what? That's ok. Because when I do all of this hard work putting my business portfolio together with a business plan and financials in place, it will be a piece of cake to take it and start my own business with it here in my town. (This shop for sale is in the neighboring town, but not far). THEN who's the competition? #alwaysabrighterside!

When I showed up at the shop today, I expected it to be quiet and just be her there, like it was two days ago. Surprise! The place was full of knitters and spinners! It was great! So I hung around for a while and got to know everybody and had a ball learning about spinning. I even got invited to one lady's house to learn how to weave! They meet at her place the first Wednesday of every month. How cool is that?

This is exactly what I am looking for. I hope I am able to take it over!

New Business Daydreaming

There is a yarn shop in Lakewood, Washington that I absolutely adore. What I love about it is that it is a welcoming place with lots of comfortable deep chairs, love seats, and coffee tables. It makes you want to bring your current WIP (work in progress) project and sit down, have a cup of tea, and visit with others. It's like the South's version of the barber shop. Hahaha. You feel at home.

This is what I want my place to be like. The same way I wanted my book shop to be like. Welcome! Come on in! Have a seat, pull out your yarn, and stitch away! Put your feet up, have a cup of coffee, enjoy the atmosphere and join the discussion!

The yarn shop I am interested in buying doesn't have that ambiance right now. An extra large folding table and folding chairs, that's it.

Even the containers that the yarn inventory is in -- stackable white steel wire containers! How cold and uninviting! Those of you who know me know how I love wood furniture. I think wood containers - the kind of diamond shape shelving like wine bottles are stored in - would be more warm and inviting. Hey, I will have YOU be the judge. Imagine yarn in place of what you see in these pictures:

Which is more inviting? Which would you prefer? (Of course, just the wine, right?!! Well, you are in luck, because there is a WINE BAR right across the hallway in this building!! So we don't need our own wine!)

And smells....I am all about inviting smells. I could put sachets of cedar chips in with the yarn....or, I could find a chocolate chip cookie candle. Or maybe even and oatmeal raisin candle. Anything that reminds you of your Grandma and the crafts she used to make.

Why spend a quiet night at home crocheting or knitting by yourself? Grab your WIP and come on over. We have a seat waiting for you with a nice hot cup of tea.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Since I live in a rural-ish area (20 miles from the State Capital), I did a Google map search of local yarn shops in the area. I wanted to scope out the competition! I found only one in my area. My boyfriend and I checked it out just yesterday.

It is in an old historical building, which I like. The store front does not open to the sidewalk, however. One must go into the building down a hallway to enter the shop. I'm not sure if I care for that aspect or not. But I do love the building. Original wooden floors in the shop! Very nice. It is a bit on the small side, and I noticed that the variety of yarn left much to be desired.

After talking to the owner, I found out that she has run the shop for 14 years and is ready to retire. Unfortunately, nobody has shown any interest in buying the shop from her.

***DING DING DING DING***

Oh, really? Is this the "Divine" calling that everyone talks about? What are the odds? Should I be interested? Should I buy this place instead of start from scratch? Wait - how much does she want for it?

75K. Seems reasonable actually. Rent in the old building is $525. Oh, how I wish I knew what the hell I was doing!

On the way home, my boyfriend and I discussed the possibilities. He is all for supporting me, which is something I am not used to! He is ready to help me with whatever I need. How awesome is that? <3

I know the VA is there to help veterans. I know the SBA is a great resource as well. I know I have an advantage being female also. So, I came home and immediately went on the internet to look things up. I found that the national 2011 average earnings for a local yarn shop owner was $59K. So I would be looking at probably three years to pay off a business loan. Since I have no idea if that is any good or not, I am assuming that it is.

Do I want to be tied down to a shop and not be available to just get up and go? Well, considering I am currently relying on a fixed retirement income, my "get up and go" is severely limited already. So that answers that.

What are my other obstacles? Well, I need to create a business plan. Do I want to keep the original business name, or do I want to change it? I need a mission statement. I need a marketing plan. I need to know the current financials. ugh. My next step is to contact SCORE and take advantage of their free counseling for those who wish to become new business owners.

So, with a little bit more research, I will find out whether this is a feasible venture or not. I hope it is, because the more I think about it, the more excited I become.

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.