Today was all business. . .

Save one thing:
We had a very busy day. I like those days. 

When you don't know which end is up. When you're selling inventory so fast that you have to write people on the web and tell them, I am sorry, we're sold out of those, would you like to substitute? OR when you take something off the wall for a web order and place it in that USPS box. 
 I think "wow, we're working hard today." 

 We're having a Inventory Blowout sale on Delicas. We spent all of last week moving the little buggars to a smaller wall to make room for TOHO, the master of all beads! We're letting go of the Delicas and will not reorder them, save kits or special projects. 

Our website administrator spent four days uploading and cropping pictures, just to have many of the YANKED off the web and wall today by customers! Ohhhhhhh what a feeling! 
 
I had a client write me on Facebook last night. We'll call her R.E.. . Hi R.E.! She wrote: Kelli,You are so lucky to work in a bead shop. I would love your job. To which I promptly replied: Thanks. I love my job. However, I don't work in a bead shop, I own it. :o) So alot more is involved in it than most people think! And while I do love every minute of every day and count myself lucky. I work harder than I have ever worked in my life. :o)
 
Most of the time I do. It's that "work harder than I have ever worked in my life" comment that gets you at the end of the day. I love when people come in the shop and say "I hate my job, I wish I had my own business," to which I quickly respond "Why would anyone want to give up Sick Days, Personal Days, Vacation Time and 8 hour work days with insurance?" They usually just stare at me. 
 

Most people don't realize how hard it is to own a bead shop. Let me rephrase that "Most people do not know how hard it is to RUN a bead shop." A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to be able to call 25 or so of our Wholesale accounts. I don't normally talk to our wholesale customers, so it was FUN! I chatted with many of them for 20 or more minutes! Every single one of them said the same thing: I started very small and grew. I started because I loved beads. I never get to bead anymore. I work 13-15 hours a day and weekends. I haven't had a day off since... So my story is not unusual, it's just riddled with individual points of my view? But after hearing all the other shop owners stories, I didn't feel better but I have to say, I didn't feel worse...

Save for one thing...we had so much fun doing something nice for someone who has been so wonderfully sweet to us. We giggled like school girls and delighted in our selections and wondered if the recipient would like our color choice, etc. It was almost as good as Christmas? Well. Almost.
 

So today, we were busy as bees. I feel fortunate. Lucky. Like a productive member of society and on a smaller scale, our community. We were able to have fun and still be productive in our tasks!

Tomorrow, we have projects planned. We're moving Lucite to small individual tubs. We are hoping this makes it easier to travel and stackable in the store. If the Oklahoma weather allows, we will be taking pictures of our new SAMPLERS! We're planning Butterflies, Leaves and more options! You'll see. 

If you don't keep us busy shopping, we keep ourselves busy making up things to do to give you MORE options. It's what you asked for, isn't it? Cuz at The Hole Bead Shoppe, we've always been about OPTIONS!
Thanks for being here. Thanks for reading. Post. Comment. Good Night.

xoxo Kelli

PS. Don't forget the Delica sale. They will be on sale till they are GONE. This week use coupon code Delica30 for 30% off your Delicas. Next week there will be another code for 40% off. Check back soon!