Category: Tales from a Shopkeep
-
Tales from a Shopkeep Mom
So, my last blog post was in March of 2025. Not too bad. At least I’m getting a second one in this year. Oh no, wait, a third even! I had grand intentions back in March, but shit happens man. And a lot of shit has happened. Let’s be honest – this will likely be…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: Four years and counting . . .
The past four years have brought significant changes, including the growth of oak. and Gather in Bloomington. The downtown area is evolving, with events like the joint anniversary celebration and the upcoming Bloomington Handmade Market. Despite challenges, the writer’s personal life has also grown with the arrival of Forest, a delightful yet mischievous toddler. Improvements…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: the saga continues
Five months. It’s been five months since I wrote (first) about Covid 19 and how it’s affecting our lives/business/friends/etc etc. Five months! I still can’t focus. Can you? I still don’t know what i’m doing. Do you? I’m still very much struggling. Aren’t you? Let’s see if I can just get through what’s been going…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: Look for the Helpers (pt iii)
My last post was a bit . . . negative. And I knew that going in, but I still hold true to the fact that I needed to let it out. I’m not ashamed of that. But, now it’s time to look for the helpers. And so I am. Here are just a few…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: Covid 19 part ii
I need to get this out, so I can move on. I need to let this out of my soul, so I can stop dwelling on it and start breathing. I need to share this with you, because I don’t think I’m the only one. And then, then I need to focus on the positive.…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: Covid 19 part 1
2020 is something else, isn’t it? I mean, it’s only March and I myself feel like I’ve been through the ringer. In January I watched my dear aunt end her fight with cancer, surrounded by her 5 young children, her husband, a myriad of cousins, my parents, and my grandmother. No more than a week…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep : BHM 2019
It’s that time of year again, and man, has it been a year! I mean . . . for us, at Gather and BHM, the year is just beginning, but we’ve been hearing it over and over again – WHAT A YEAR! *deep breaths* So here we are, year 11 under our belts. Boy does…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: on expectations & anniversaries
This past weekend we celebrated our fifth anniversary. It kind’ve snuck up on me, as things often do. But, I had planned ahead (as I also often do). I reached out to friends to see if they would join us for the festivities; Jim from BadKneesTs to screenprint t-shirts on the spot, with a special…
-
Tales from a Shopkeep: on being present
For me, April came in like a lamb . . . and went out like a lion. No, wait . . . it came in like a lion and stayed there the whole damn time. Let’s be real. (and yes, I know this is supposed to be in reference to March, but I’m off-course a…
-
Tales of a Shopkeep: tales of burn-out
No one is immune to it. We’re all well-versed. Familiar. Burn out. We live in a culture, a society as it were, of being eternally busy. We do it to ourselves, or at least I do. I’m in charge (for the most part) of my own schedule. And I schedule myself out to the nth…
Gather 