(Shared to the Experiment list on October 17)
I'm coming to you on this fine Saturday with a big announcement... which, if you've been following along with these updates, might not come as a huge surprise.
I've made the decision not to renew the lease of our White Rock storefront, which means we'll officially be closing the doors to our little shop in Mid-November.
I think if you've read everything I've shared over the past several months, you'll understand why this decision feels like a natural next step.
This whole experiment started because I wanted to find a different way of running harly jae. One that made more room for life, that felt simpler, and that didn't require constantly adding more just for the sake of growing.
And while there are so many things I've loved about having a physical space (the in-person relationships with customers being at the very top of that list!), I've come to realize that keeping a storefront open isn't necessarily aligned with the kind of business & life I'm trying to build.
And for the numbers people... the math ain't really mathing either when the storefront represents only about 10% of our total sales.
So, here we are...
harly jae isn't going anywhere. We'll continue online, which is where my heart has always been. I've always loved how the online world allows us to connect with so many more people, regardless of where they live, and how much simpler it can make things. Now we'll just be doing it with one less moving part behind the scenes.
Now, as for what this next chapter will look like... I'm not entirely sure yet.
As I shared in my last update, I'm really trying not to rush into the next decision just for the sake of having a plan.
So far, I've considered three different scenarios for how and where we'll operate next. And instead of immediately choosing the one that makes the most sense on paper, I'm giving myself the time to sit with what each of those scenarios would actually feel like in our day-to-day life. (Wow, I've come a long way from my old habits, haha!)
Although, I will admit that I almost jumped straight into the next chapter when I came across a space that seemed to align so perfectly with what I was looking for. I could feel my old self getting ready to make it happen... but I caught myself ;)
It's been interesting to see how, when you open yourself up to being guided by the universe/God instead of forcing things, opportunities seem to find their way to you in the most magical ways.
And that's very much where I'm at right now. Sitting with the different possibilities and trying to figure out which one feels right for this season of my life, rather than which one makes the most sense for growing the business. Because I know that's how I would have approached this decision in the past and I'm curious to see what happens when I don't.
Before I go, there's one more thing I wanted to share!
We're having our Fall sample sale next Friday October 23rd and this one will be extra special because it'll be the very last one out of our current storefront and HQ in White Rock (which also means we're letting go of more things than usual!)
If you want to make sure you don't miss any of the details leading up to the sale, you can sign up for our sample sale email list here.
Thank you for being here & for giving me a place to share these decisions as they unfold.
It means a lot.
With love,
Laïla
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