if you love the puppy...

This is the best way to describe the end of my crafty dream. Imagine you find a cute puppy on your front lawn, surely it belongs to someone so you post signs, call the dog pound, and just take care of it until the owner comes for it. The one thing you do NOT do is love the puppy, if you love the puppy the owner will surely come and your heart will be broken.

Let's go back to the summer of 2011...
My etsy shop is in full swing and I was asked to join a local farmer's market.

 Things are good. One day I was approached by a woman who was the director of Project Storefront in my city. To make a long story short;  the city works with building owners that have empty storefronts, they work with ambitious entrepreneurs offering them a space and free rent as you grow your business and/or until they find a regular business willing to lease it. She said I would be the ideal candidate. To say I was over-the-moon happy is an understatement. I left the farmers market and put my etsy shop on hold. I worked on my business plan, a place called Home Ec. that offered classes, supplies and retail space.

 I got my space, it was a former luncheonette... perfect until the roof collapsed after an ice storm.

 Luckily I hadn't opened yet.  I quickly moved into a gorgeous temporary space and ran a holiday pop-up shop for the city, fun, fun, fun.

I met so many people, made some money and had a great time but remember this is a temporary space while they locate a new space for me...I wanted to love the puppy but I knew it isn't mine. After the holidays, Project Storefront offers me the gorgeous space that I am trying not to love. On February 12, 2012 I was days away from signing my lease, ordering signs, working up plans... I let myself love the puppy! On February 13, 2012 the building owner found a tenant after years of having the space empty...the owners came for the puppy and my heart is broken, I packed up and moved out on Valentine's Day.

That is my sad story and the end of my dream. Now I need a big girl job, in September I will have 2 kids in college and one in private high school. I am done wallowing now and ready to move on and figure out a new dream, maybe I should get a real puppy!