Hi Dear One,
The last time I popped into your inbox was for a Sunday morning date to the doll shop. Since many of you are new here, I thought it might be fun to share a little of how it has unfolded this year. So, let’s take a virtual look back, and forward, together.
We work in our shop every day, and some days, the final vision seems far away. There is SO much more to do. When I saw these photos from just a couple of months ago, I realized how far we had come this year. Our front area was disorganized and we couldn’t use any of the space. We cleaned it all out and organized everything. It was exciting to find treasures that were buried back in here.
We discovered a window in this room. I had no idea it was there. Well, I guess I should have noticed from the exterior side of the building but it was never something I truly noticed until we cleared out this room. The window was cracked and the frame was rotted. We had it replaced just last week.
I remember the weeks of refinishing the front. I had no idea what to do and was so thankful for my friend Eron Johnson. He guided us on the steps to take from liquidating the contents of the front to transition exclusively to dolls, to how to patch the damage on the ceiling from water leaks (we have a brand new roof that was completed in June!) to decorating after the repairs were made.
The result is a space I am so proud of when I walk in. I know my Mom would love it, too. I looked at many photos from when she first opened, and the whole gallery up front was open and airy and easy to navigate through. That is what I wanted again. We hung the pink magnolia Chinoiserie wallpaper that I love, kept the chandeliers and the Tiffany lamps, and the exquisite 1840s painting of the child with the doll that had been in storage for years and years. I added some whimsical touches like the mannequin that Derek and I found on our travels to Nebraska earlier this year, and the huge toy soldier that we found at a local estate sale in our neighborhood. It changes a bit each day, but all came together just like I envision a doll shop looking. This is only one side, and after all of our Robert Tonner Grace dolls ship at the end of the month, we are tackling the other side of the room. It will be the spot for our grand Christmas display for this year.
We are still in the middle of this project - you should see the back of the shop! That is for a different post, and we will share that journey as it unfolds. There were a few times when I wondered if it was all worth it. I worried if I would succeed in running the shop my own way now. I have realized that I exist in a place that is so much bigger than sometimes the thoughts in my head. And I am so grateful that I chose to make the best of some of the most difficult days of my life this year. I decided to carry on and try it, not because I had everything figured out, but because I knew without a doubt that if I gave it what I was feeling in my heart, the shop would come so much more alive and thrive, right here, in the wild of unknown and change in my life.
I started to see that even though letting go was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, I can now focus entirely on the path ahead of me.
Here’s Chuck, who is the local sign painter. He refinished our original shop sign, which was weathered and worn. It is completely hand-painted, and the process, including repainting the doors and windows, took four weeks working full time. We provided lunch each day, and Chuck loved being here. My Mom was good to him with projects in the past, and he was excited to come back to help with the shop. I have good memories of the day we put that sign back on the building.
Sometimes I walk in the door and stop and look around and remember that courage comes in many shapes. Sometimes, it’s shaped like dolls. It can look like beautifully dressed Jumeaus, or piles of fabric and overflowing boxes that need organized.
The courage is showing up to be a part of it.
Just like our little doll shop - we are all growing in meaningful ways. And you might be suprised by the courage that rises up inside of you, and the love that continues to find you.
Thank you for being a friend to us - reading our emails and commenting on our posts and buying our dolls or just window shopping. We have so much to look forward to for the remainder of this year, and we will courageously take part in it together.
I appreciate you being a part of our story each and every day.
Love you and rooting for you,
Rachel
