Little Notes

One week from today we turn 3!  If you've been along for the entire ride, you know what a HUGE deal this is!  We opened our doors on 1/11/2020 (yep, 2 months before Covid).  It was a great day with SO much love + support for our new business.  We were growing and had so many ideas + dreams.  Almost 2 months to the day later, we closed our doors for 2 weeks...then 2 months....then 4.  

The wind was out of my sails for sure.  Do I buy?  How do I pay our bills?  Are people ever going back to dance?  Will there be recitals?  Comps?  Pivot, pivot, pivot.  

Then came the yellow phase, which almost shut our doors for good.  WE were allowed to re-open...but our customers were not.  Good times.  Never want to relive that again.  Pivot, pivot, pivot.

By our 1st birthday we were exhausted, terrified, but hopeful.  We knew we were something special.  We were different....but would others see us this way?

Birthday #2 was awesome!  We were still hanging in there, but dealing with price hikes, shipping delays, backorders....oh, the backorders.  Pivot, pivot, pivot.

We literally don't know what a normal year is like.  Planning is so hard when you don't have real numbers.  So, I do a lot of guessing....sometimes I get it right.  Sometimes I don't.  I learned to not beat myself up over it.  Just learn from it and move on.  

Most businesses don't make it past a year....and here we are heading into our third year, still unsure, still pivoting, BUT still loving our little store.  We have built SO many relationships.  Every single day I have someone I'm excited to see come back into my store...we chat, we catch up....

...and every single day I have someone brand new.....we welcome them...guide them...teach them...

My favorite thing has remained the same.  When people from different studios bump into each other and are excited to see one another.  Maybe they met at one of our events.  Maybe they met through our Ambassador program.  Maybe they recognize each other from a photo shoot.  Whether we succeed or fail, that is something I will always remember and be proud of. 

Thank YOU all for sharing our journey with us, and loving our Little Dance Boutique as much as we do!  Cheers to year 3! 

Time to celebrate!  What's not to be happy about?  When we opened our doors on  1/11/2020, it was a joyous time!  The thought of having our local dance parents not having to travel out of state to try on dance shoes was exciting!  Getting to watch the smiling faces walk through our doors---first time dancers, professionals, teachers and my favorite---new dance moms looking for guidance...it's truly the best! 

Well....then we were closed (sigh).  It truly took the wind out of our sails, but we constantly looked on the bright side and of course, pivot, pivot, pivot.  When we re-opened, we were terrified.  Dancers were still on zoom and I sat many days in my empty store waiting for it to become alive again.  

Now, here we are!  I can hear Elton John's, "I'm still standing" in my head right now!  We still have our bad days, weeks, and months, but we are still here.  Comp season is coming to an end, but recital season within reach.  We still experience shipping challenges and backorders, but we have learned how to manage these issues instead of dread them.  When everything is "normal" it's truly going to be a breeze!  It's going to be normal again right???

So, cheers to us, all of the small business owners that stress out like me everyday, and cheers to all of YOU that help us help you!

Here's how you can support your local small businesses:

• Buy a gift card
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• Become one of their favorite customers!