This is the 3rd blog post of this title. Each year this dress means more + more to our little business, to our little story, to our little downtown community.
I met Sue in 2019 while looking for a retail space---at the time I was working out of our garage, me (while teaching full time) + two employees. All I can say is that I knew Sue + I were going to be friends.
She was pretty picky about who she rented to, I could tell I was getting interrogated for more than just renting her space. She was smart, witty + a little scary in her small frame. She lugged her oxygen around like it was nothing, showed us around + said that she would be in touch.
We walked out of that space + knew it was the right space, the right time + the right landlord.
Over the next year + half, Sue would come in + check in on us frequently, as she did with all of her tenants...our row of woman business owners. She would always inquire about business, if it was good, slow---and most importantly upon leaving, she would say, "Just keep selling!"
Our success was her success.
As I reached in my closet to grab the red dress this year, I carefully inspected the handmade stitches, the tulle + thought how far we had come since we first put this beautiful red dress on display.
Small business is hard, some months are great, others not so. Sue knew all of this + was our cheerleader through all of those months. She knew that with every challenge there is opportunity for growth, reflection + hope.
As we look towards our 5th year as a brick + mortar, I love remembering my sweet little conversations with Miss Sue, her stories of the past + advise for the future are some of my favorites.
This dress is such a beautiful symbol of love, love for our community, love for small business, love for our neighbors, love for our beautiful state + country. And so much love for those who have gone before us, paving the way, crushing those glass ceilings in times when it was much harder than today.
Thank you Miss Sue for sharing your love, sharing your space + helping to create a beautiful downtown community! We are doing our best to make you proud!
XO---Lexie
PS--If you would like to hear more about Sue, here are a few blog posts from the past.
