Bye Bye Barn
“Wow, that was quite something” That’s what my wife said to me as we stood alone in our old, practically empty Red Barn that was built in 1837. I was confused! Was she referring to the exhausting days it took to close our physical retail furniture store so we could invest our time, energy and future into our online store and interior design business or was she referencing the whole 16 years? The sixteen years of retail that started in 2008 during a recession, throw in a little COVID, only to be bookended by where we stand today, in the “mess” that are the tariffs and more? The “mess” that now includes competitors with names like Amazon and Costco selling home goods, furniture and more! The “mess” that is the “retail apocalypse” that our industry publication suggested was going to occur?
It was both. The 6 weeks spent closing the Barn was exhausting, mentally and physically. By getting through it though, we found ourselves at a moment where short term and long term intersected. Long term we started and operated a great business with great future potential, short term we needed to get out of the “mess” and move in a new direction. We realized this moment needed to happen 3 years prior and here we were; at the intersection of exhilarating and horrifying. Exhilarated at the idea and decision of moving our business in a new direction, using upgraded methods that have allowed many others to work from home and or any remote location of their choice, all while not being tied down to schedule and location. Horrified at the thought of my mind trying to fool itself into thinking that staying the course, in our Red Barn, continuing with things as usual was the way to go. All while knowing most retail businesses these days are online only and there are additional ways to make money while not requiring such a scheduled/structured life.
We happily chose Exhilarating Ave. “New day, new way”
So here ware are, on the new road excited to grow our business. Excited to start this new podcast. Excited to announce our first sponsor Bell Tower Lake House Living Co. “The Lake House Store For Everyone” visit enjoylakehouseliving.com and buy something for your home. Excited to create a platform where I can share my “food journey”. A journey filled with years of food allergies and food diseases. A journey where I went to college with out the internet and graduated with the internet. A journey that has witnessed changes to our food, medicine, health, aging awareness and more. This podcast and website are a big part of our new journey so I hope you stay tuned, visit, read and listen often.
Jack Kosin