I received a message today that made me stop and look back at the journey that I have been on for the past few years. A journey that started almost three years ago at the advice of a family friend. She suggested I open an Etsy shop to sell the vintage items that I had been collecting for years. The idea of turning my love of "junking" into a business was both exciting and scary. I spent days battling it back and forth in my head until I could no longer come up with a valid answer to the question "Why not?" So, on August 4, 2011, I officially opened my etsy shop,
Suite 22. Four days later I had my first sale!
After a little over a year of being on Etsy, I decided to branch out and try something new... an outdoor market. I was nervous as I had never done anything like it before. Lucky for me, at the same time a new artisan/vintage market emerged in the area called
The Cleveland Flea. I attended their first market as a shopper, loved what they were doing, went home, applied for their next market, and got in. I ended up being a vendor at every one of their outdoor markets that year. I was hooked! I loved the set up, the decorating and the staging of my booth. I loved talking to customers about items they purchased. I loved seeing the smiles on peoples faces when they would spot an item that brought back memories! I loved watching young kids (future pickers) get excited about the old vintage keys and transit tokens in my booth. I found that I loved selling face to face!
The only problem? I now found myself working 40+ hours a week at my day job while running my etsy shop that was averaging nearly 100 sales a month with the new addition of a monthly outdoor market that involved tons of prep work. It was all proving to be too much! I was clearly drowning and decided I needed to make a choice. Both of my jobs were suffering as I couldn't give either the 100% they deserved. The choice was an easy one and with the full support of my husband, I quit my day job and decided to give my full attention to Suite 22!
It will be a year in June since I made that decision. I have spent much of that time honing the vision I have for my business and creating a brand to define it. The message I received today made me feel I accomplished what I set out to do. Whether you are a visitor in my home, my etsy shop or my booth at a market, you will know me. You will know what I love. You will know what I do and why I do it. You will see my passion, my values, and my story. To the person who sent me the message today, you probably don't realize how much your words truly affected me. The compliments you gave to me and to my business instilled in me that I made the right decision. This journey hasn't been an easy one, it has had many ups and downs. I have not only spilled blood and sweat, but tears as well. But today, the tears were for pride. I did this. I created Suite 22. Although I have had undying support along the way from my husband, my family and my friends, this is something I created. This is my baby and I am excited to watch it grow!
xoxo,
Jenn
P.S. Here is a link to the etsy shop of the friend who gave me the nudge that I needed:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/beethingsstudio
Thank you Bethany, I will be eternally grateful! :)
