Returning
Our new storefront and a Spring Playlist
I planned for 2022 to be the year of the newsletter- I set up a writing schedule, and even wrote 4 or 5 drafts. The thing is, I set this up to be the year of many things- opening a storefront, spending way more time with my daughters, testing out my business in Chicago, starting to wholesale…I get dizzy just thinking about it all! Instead, I moved out of my commercial kitchen (which was such a positive, educational experience) in order to focus my efforts on the new shop. I took a much-needed family vacation in Puerto Rico. I started an intensive business growth course. I crunched numbers, took measurements, researched appliances, and with my contractor’s help, planned out our new commercial kitchen.
And here we are in March, on the verge of a much needed spring season! So, rather than another newsletter getting lost in the drafts folder, I thought it would be good to share my progress in opening up a storefront with you.
The great news- we have a shop that we are in the process of opening, and it is so beautiful! Located at 119 S. Batavia, there is a gorgeous tin ceiling in a lovely shader of coppery-gold. (And oh, the power of manifestation- a year ago to nearly the date, I frequently texted with my friend Marisa about designing my Boardwalk shop. We brainstormed via text with and imagined ways to replicate a tin ceiling in my little 10 x 10 ft. shop for the season. The ceilings didn’t work out there, but a year later I am renting this dream space with a ceiling more beautiful than I could have ever wished for.)
View of the ceiling, October 2021. At the time, the space was still inhabited by River Peak Apothecary.
During my market season last year, I spent a few months looking at commercial spaces, feeling kind of stressed out and worried that I’d never find the right place. The spots we looked at were either too small, too big, not in great shape, or way out of my price range. I reached the point where I realized that it was time to take a step back and trust. That decision to consciously surrender is rarely an easy one to come to, while never one that I’ve regretted making. Instead of forcing something on that didn’t seem to fit, I chose to focus my attention on our little shop, and to trust that things would fall into place the way that they were meant to. I resolved that if it was the right move, then the perfect home would come to me.
Serendipity and joy!
Less than a week later, I received quite a serendipitous message about 119 being available soon. My heart went aflutter- I knew the space well, swooning whenever I looked up at that ceiling. It was a lot like having a crush, really- I searched for any reason to look inside or bring up the space in conversation. I nervously prepared to speak with the owner, practicing how to chat about the shop without being too hyper or overly fixated. I routinely found excuses to pace around the block, peeking in through the windows with my heart and mind full of possibilities. I saw people gathering, community growing, musicians performing, the sweet buzz of life happening inside of there as I baked my creations in the back of house.
Slowly but surely, things came together. In the final weeks of my Boardwalk Shop season, I signed the lease and in January, NMV took over this beautiful space.
Signing my first long-term lease, December 2021.
Many folks are asking about our future plans. When do we open? What will we sell? What will our hours be? The truth is that while I am grateful for the excitement (and the outpouring of love and support!), I'm not really sure about any of these things. (There is, somehow, some peace of mind in not knowing.) Here is our most recent progress: our contractor is finalizing the floor plans, which will hopefully be submitted to the city very soon for approval. Once that happens, construction of our kitchen will begin. In the meantime, I plan to work on the front of house- painting, planning, thrifting, ordering all kinds of appliances. I'm also in the process of fine-tuning all of my recipes and planning out our menu.
Full of possibilities.
As of now, I plan on making a soup of the day (mostly gluten-free), sandwiches, and salads. I have many special events planned already, and I will return to teaching cooking classes in our new space! We will have a small coffee and tea menu and, of course, plenty of pastries and savory options.
I do still want this year to bring my return to a more frequent writing schedule for this Substack, along with my corresponding playlist. I will determine how frequently the newsletters will be once I get into a rhythm of writing again. I do plan on keeping you up-to-date with the shop, and I would love to continue telling stories. (Please share if you have some ideas or requests for future newsletter topics!) For the playlist, I will likely switch to a seasonal rather than monthly playlist.
Food, writing, and music are my 3 great loves in terms of how I connect with the world around me. So, I consider it an honor to be here sharing with you in those ways.
As always, thank you for reading and thank you for following along on my journey!
And here is your Spring 2022 Playlist! It’s a good one.
Let me know what you think. ❤️
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