Greetings Beady Friends!! I've had my nose in the beads and I am coming up for air to post this update. Did I mention that if I had known what I was getting into I would not have done this? That being said, I am pleased that I did take the plunge. The store is finally beginning to emerge from the chaos and is looking store-like. The signs are up - and perhaps you've seen the giant red poppy lit up at night. Great, but like where are the beads??? Many of you have asked. They are ALL OVER the store being organized and inventoried. It is a colossal undertaking.
On Monday I received 300 lbs of 11's and 15's that I had ordered. That's in addition to what Margo had left. I've got the 15's in a case - set up by color. There are 518 different colors of just size 15's. It took 2 days to get them arranged. They are not labelled yet and none of the new beads have prices on them. They are still in boxes. Eventually they will be displayed out of the box. You can already see how amazing the selection is.
Poppyfield's Japanese Size 15's - in progress
I am in the process of setting up the 11's. There are so many different greens that I spent all Thursday working on a way to arrange just them, by eye. I finished the greens and blues yesterday and I am well into the purples and beginning the cranberry colors. Next are the pinks, then the browns, grays, iris beads that defy categorization, and finally the blacks and whites. I had 4 bead cases made that hold 2400 tubes each. I've got many more than 9,600 tubes and so I will be hanging the overflow 11's (as well as all other tubes-- cubes, 6's, 8's, bugles) on the wall.
The week before last I got a few calls and emails laced with frustration and impatience. It got to me and drove me into a workaholic frenzy. I've written before about this tendency of mine. It only took about 2 days for me to start burning out. So, I am trying to find a pace that I can sustain for the long term. I realized that I cannot take on the frustration of others. Here's what I know: This transition is challenging for beaders who depended on Margo's amazing supply of beads. Now you can imagine a life a without Poppyfield. Fortunately, it is temporary.
When I get the 11's and 15's inventoried and labelled I will have a SOFT OPENING. I will open for just those beads and thread, a few hours a day. This way, those beads that are ready will be available for purchase. The hours I remain closed I will use to work on the rest of the store. I was hoping that this could happen on March 1st. But it is just not realistic. This pic will give you an idea of why.
Boxes and Boxes of Beads
In the meantime, I will keep working. As for your waiting... I am reminded of a quote of Eckhart Tolle, author of "The Power of Now". Eckhart says, "The next time someone says, 'sorry to keep you waiting', you can say, 'I wasn't waiting. I was enjoying myself." As in ENJOY - IN- MYSELF.
Peace and Beads,
Julia
