One Year
This week in my haven I’ve been thinking about how different life is now versus one year ago. Next week (September 22nd to be exact) marks the one year anniversary of opening the Haven Handmade shop. Even though I have a few more days to go before I can technically say I’ve been in business one year, I thought I’d share my reflections on how things have changed one year into this journey.
One year ago when I opened the Haven Handmade shop our day-to-day life looked rather different than it does now, and yet in certain ways nothing has changed at all. Last year both Joanna and Peter attended school virtually from the safety of our home. This year they are both back in their respective classrooms five days a week, while I’ve returned to teaching three days a week. A year ago we were just starting to look forward to the possibility of a coronavirus vaccine being available in the future. Now we are anxiously awaiting the news of when young children can receive their vaccine. It seems like we’ve moved forward and we’re past the worst of the pandemic when I take this perspective. And yet when I see that one year ago Chicago was averaging 265 cases per day compared with about 450 cases per day now, I have to wonder whether we have actually moved forward at all.
But I didn’t set out to write a piece about the pandemic, even though the story of Haven Handmade will always be tied to this part of our history. Instead let me share some of the ways I’ve grown, and hopes I have for the future of Haven Handmade.
When you decide to start your own business, and are the only employee, you have to be prepared to take on many jobs: designing products, procuring supplies, making products, tracking inventory, building a website, managing social media accounts, photographing products, marketing, bookkeeping… The list goes on. I never would have considered myself qualified for any of these jobs prior to starting Haven Handmade, and yet I’ve taken on all of these jobs. There was so much I had to learn in order to do all of these tasks. I’m going to set aside my normal tendency to downplay my strengths and say that I’m really proud of how much I’ve grown and learned in the past year.
As I look ahead, I am confident that I’m going to continue expanding my range of skills as a small business owner and maker. While I can’t make any predictions that I’m sure will come true, I do have a few specific hopes. First, I hope to keep meeting other makers and small business owners. Meeting other like-minded people has been the most wonderful, unexpected result of opening Haven Handmade, and I can’t wait to meet more creative, talented, delightful entrepreneurs. I also, quite simply, hope to continue sewing products that are unique, personal, and unable to be mass-produced. Handmade is meaningful. I love sharing that with all of you and hope I can keep doing this for a long time to come.
Shop News:
Huggable Foxes are ready! This cutie is a fall special, so don’t wait to get one.
Fall Leaves placemats and cloth napkins are new this week too! This design would be the perfect thing to add an autumnal touch to your table.
One Year Anniversary Sale: Use the code ONEYEAR at checkout to receive 10% off your order! This sale ends next week.
