This one took me a little longer to write because I wanted it to resonate not only with those of you who run businesses, but also with anyone who might find themselves on a path they didn’t quite mean to choose.
For me, the metaphor is opening a retail store. But maybe as you read this, you’ll think of something similar in your own life, something that slowly led you down a road you didn’t necessarily choose, and now you’re figuring out what to do with it.
If you’re new here, I took over a retail space in December 2023.
When I started this experiment earlier this year, my first instinct was to close the store. I thought it might be the main source of the pressure I had been feeling.
Probably because only a few months before opening it, I was walking around old Québec City with my high school best friend when she asked me, “So what’s next with harly jae? Are you thinking of opening a store?”
My answer was immediate: Absolutely not. I never want to have a retail store.
You know what happened next (never say never, hey!)
So when I started looking at what might be “wrong” late last year, the store was the first place my mind went.
But then reality kicked in.
First, I signed a lease.
And second, when I looked at things more honestly, I could also see all the good the store had brought to the brand.
That’s when I realized the answer might not be closing it, but reframing it.
And that realization is what led to the changes I’m sharing with you today.
But first, let’s go back to the beginning.
About a month after that trip to my hometown, I took another trip where things suddenly felt very clear. I had been putting off having a second baby because I wanted my business to reach a point where it didn’t require my constant involvement. And during that trip I realized something simple: if the business were closer to home and I had more support, things might actually be easier.
Not long after that realization, I found a space two minutes from my house.
It was charming. Coastal. It fit harly jae perfectly. It matched everything I had been building visually around the brand.
So I went for it (kind of on a whim, because like I shared before… that’s how I roll!)
I really thought it would simplify my life.
I know this because over the holidays I opened the journal I write to my daughter in sometimes, and I read what I had written just before opening the store: that I was making this decision so I could simplify my life and spend more time with her.
The truth is, the store did everything except give me more time.
And looking back now, it’s pretty obvious.
We had to renovate it. I had to hire more people. And while my original thought was that hiring more people would allow me to be less hands-on… if you’ve ever had employees, you probably know that’s not exactly how it works, at least not at first.
But the main thing I didn’t foresee was how the store would shape the way we operated as a brand.
Suddenly we had a space to fill. We needed clothing on the racks. And that’s what slowly led us to the rhythm we’ve been in for the last two years: one launch every week. A new piece, a restock, something always coming out.
It stimulated our online sales, yes, but it also created a constant cycle of production and newness to keep the store stocked.
In reality, the store itself has never represented more than about 15% of our total sales which is less than I had anticipated when signing the lease.
But emotionally, it felt bigger than that. If I was in the store and someone wanted to try something on and we didn’t have the size, my instinct was immediately, “we need to restock this.”
I gave the store a lot of weight in my decisions, even though statistically I shouldn’t have.
And with the amount of extra work that fell on me as the designer/creative director/copywriter/production planner, this cycle is what led me over the past couple months to question something deeper: growth.
When you start a business, growth is almost never questioned. It’s just assumed that you should want more: more customers, more products, more expansion.
And to a certain point, that makes sense.
But I think we rarely stop and ask: why? or how much? or what kind of life that growth actually creates.
Some people start businesses because they want to build the next big brand, and that’s amazing.
But for me, that was never the goal with harly jae.
I always imagined a smaller brand. One that felt aligned with my values. One that allowed me to be present for my family, to create a low-pressure and supportive environment for my team, and to connect with women who find meaning in the pieces we create.
That, to me, always felt like success.
Yet, I found myself drifting away from that unintentionally.
So here comes the store update… because apparently when you start questioning things, the universe has a way of responding!
After talking with a friend of mine who runs her business in a very similar way - two small kids, a small team - we both realized we were chasing the same feeling: a more effortless way to run our brands. And we agreed we would find that through collaboration.
It just so happened that her lease for her White Rock location was coming to an end… Right as I was starting to realize I didn’t want to keep filling my store with more and more inventory just to justify the space.
So we decided to join forces!
Going forward, the space will function more like a shared showroom. One side will be the harly jae showroom, and the other will be the Looby Doo showroom.
For our store customers, this doesn’t change much in your experience: same hours, same location. Except now the space will be used to its full potential!
Behind the scenes, it represents a big shift.
It allows us to slow down the pace of launches, to stop feeling like I need to constantly “feed the store,” and to move toward the kind of business rhythm i’ve been realizing I want.
I’m really excited for this next chapter.
Especially because it’s a bit of an unusual move & I’m making this year all about breaking the rules (if you’re into human design, that’s my new paradigm boldness being activated ;)).
Now with all that said, we need to make room for this change happening in two weeks.
You’re the first to read this info: this collection is 20% off when you buy 1–2 items, and 25% off when you buy 3+.
Please help us make some room :)
Thank you so much for being here! Laïla xo
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