Let me start at the beginning.
I felt I had weathered the storm with the separation of Shawn and I last
year…wow… did the rumors fly then, but we intentionally decided not to address
it publicly because quite frankly it wasn’t anything interesting. For the
record Shawn is doing great. He works with one of my vendors so we chat
often and while I miss him dearly we are in a very good place. Even
though he has no ownership in Gatewood Hall Gracious Home he is very supportive.
He is after all the other original creator of this business and I believe he
sincerely wants to see it thrive.
So now this most recent
issue…It started out so innocently. A small space came available on Main
Street, some people I know mentioned it to me, I inquired as a secondary or
satellite location to help drive business to the big store...it was already
leased basically the end of the story. Let me say this, I love the West
Side. I have the most wonderful landlord, I love our space. Great
neighbors (Pat and Polina of Blue Ridge Brewery, Cindy at Design Re-Find and
Linda at L&L Beanery are amazing for this town!) but in retail it is
location, and one can’t help but wonder “how would I do in that other location?
Is it better?”
All of a sudden I am bombarded
with questions and comments. “When are you moving?”, “I hate you are
closing”, “I heard the business is for sale”, “I know exactly where you are
moving” and my favorite “when is the big going out of business sale?” Sad
thing is being perpetuated. There are indeed a few businesses for sale on Main
Street and in Blue Ridge however GATEWOOD HALL IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Furthermore…
I HAVE NO INTENTION OF MOVING OR CLOSING MY BUSINESS AT THIS TIME.
(Whew!)
So here is the deal. I’m
in it! I have never been more excited yet content (if that makes sense?).
I realize that several of you have said you never get to see me…I hate
that the most. I promise I am here, especially behind the scenes, doing all
the buying, marketing, and planning. I am in the store most weekends
“holding court” as I call it because I love visiting with you…I’m usually
worthless on Saturdays to the rest of the team but, I sure have a good time!
Apparently many of you are early birds and beat me in the morning so we
miss each other.
Most of you know that I have a
corporate position that I LOVE! (My real job, as I call it) I still maintain
homes in Blue Ridge and in Atlanta. It is busy but I enjoy both so much
I’m not willing to give either up just yet… However, that is why I am so
thankful for my GH team Chrissy, Val, Bonnie and Brenda for keeping it all
together in my absence. I couldn’t have better or more loyal people
looking out for me, and who care about my beloved store the way that I
do.
As I continue to try and
“squelch” rumors let me share this…We will be closing for a few days just to do
very minor “fluffing”, paint, restaging etc. I have a ton of new
merchandise, several new lines and I am revamping a few things.
Originally my goal was to have very different things… I am going
back to the original GH model, I will cherry pick lines, buy small amounts,
market samples, “one of a kind” finds, etc. When they are gone- they are
gone and we will move on to new things (I know how you all are, and you are like me- we love
new stuff!) Don't worry we will still keep our favorite staples but I am buying
from all over the place and searching for lines that offer protection or
exclusivity. I also want to get back to the blog I promise…it means so much to me
that several of you tell me you miss it!! (Actually you have no idea! I
love sharing and inspiring!)
Finally, this was probably way
too much info…but heck, I consider you family… I feel like if you took the time
to read this verbose post you truly care. I want to say this... I mean, YELL
this from the rooftops- THANK YOU-THANK YOU- THANK YOU from the bottom of my
heart for supporting me and Gatewood Hall. Your loyalty is not taken
lightly. I know that oftentimes you can go online or even somewhere else
to purchase things that you choose to buy from me and I appreciate it more than
you know. I always enjoy hearing from you so I welcome your comments and
suggestions. See a line that you love? As long as it is not already in
Blue Ridge let me know. I'll check it out. Let’s just continue to
have fun while being so blessed to be enjoying our little part of heaven in the
North Georgia Mountains!
