Closing a Chapter
I’m a glass half full kind of girl. I haven’t always been that way, that’s for sure. Those of you who know me probably wouldn’t believe that’s true, but trust me on this one. I’ve worked really hard to look inside myself, to heal myself and to become a positive, inspirational person. I’ve read tons of books and I completely lean on God & my faith for my decisions.
I have made the very tough decision to close our Brooklyn location. We will be closing our doors at the end of February (only open Fri-Sun in February). This is not because we have failed, we have decided to start a new chapter ; )
When I started Suite Pieces almost 4 years ago, I dreamed it would not only serve as a fantastic retail store to make your design dreams come true, but also as a source of inspiration to others following their dreams.
We opened our Brooklyn location 2 and a half years ago in August of 2013. It was an exciting time, searching for real estate and creating a space from scratch. The concept of DIY boutique & Chalk Paint® were not yet available in New York City and we would be the first to offer it. I imagined that the Brooklyn location would be even more busy than our Huntington location was at the time. It only made sense that there were tons more people in the city than the suburbs so we braced ourselves for a busy time. And at first it was. We were out of the gate running and we did some great business.
As time went on and I had to figure out how to split myself & the passion & excitement I had for Suite Pieces between 2 stores, 1 of which (Brooklyn) was an hour away from home, I began to realize this was going to be tougher than I originally thought. I started to realize that just because there were more people didn’t mean more business. Knowing your market is incredibly important in building a business and I began to get a tough lesson in that.
When you have a passion for what you’re doing, things go much smoother, they seem to just work. When we opened Brooklyn I had a partner who had a passion for the city, for the Brooklyn style of decor. I have a passion for the paint & the concept of DIY Boutique & design. When my partner left a bit over a year ago, I began to realize Brooklyn was not my passion. But I am not a quitter and I like to finish what I start. I started the kind of business I put my heart & soul into, the kind of business that was created not from business degrees or a lot of experience, but rather the kind of business that is gut wrenching, exciting & filled with passion. I had begun to lose the excitement that brought us thus far, and I know it’s because I’m not following my true passion but rather trying to make something work that just isn’t.
This was a decision I didn’t take lightly. It took me a long time to make it, probably too long. We have been struggling in the city for a bit, but I don’t like to give up on things. I asked God for signs, I asked him to tell me what to do, I asked him to give me a giant, flashing light. He didn’t really give me any of those things, definitely not the giant flashing light. But what he did give me was a quiet feeling down below. If you listen closely, you can hear it in your heart whenever you ask God a question. And I knew it was the right decision, but it wasn’t the easy decision. Deep down, I thought if I stuck it out he would change the answer.
The latter part of 2015 wasn’t in particularly kind or easy for the hubs & I or my family. I’ll share more on that another day. We lost my beloved sister, Sam & it was devastating for my family. We find strength in each other & in her memories.
And although most of the yucky stuff happened after I made the decision to close Brooklyn, it only reaffirmed that I made the right decision. I sat down one day, after laying out the facts and asked myself a few questions. What’s important in my life? My health, my family & my faith. Why did I start this business in the first place? To follow my passion, to create something I love & others love being involved in. When you have control over what you’re creating, sometimes things can get out of control. You can start to do things because it’s what you think others want, it seems to be the right answer. But at the end of the day, you have to be sure it’s the right thing for YOU…and that’s the most important thing. Unfortunately, Brooklyn isn’t part of my overall plan, at least not right now.
We will miss our little Brooklyn shop. We’ll miss our loyal, faithful customers that have helped us survive the last 2 and a half years. We’ll miss helping people transform their city apartments, but don’t fret, we aren’t really going anywhere Brooklyn peeps. You know we have a fabulous website and of course the doors of our 2 Long Island locations will always be open to you. You never know…we may make another appearance someday, but for now we say goodbye to start another chapter.
And if you venture into the store to ask why we’re closing, the simple answer is “we’re starting a new chapter”.
We hope you’ll come visit us a few last times. Come grab some paint or a new piece for your space. We’re having some pretty big sales on all of our vintage goodies so don’t miss out. Stop by and say hello one last time ; )
As one final gift to our customers in Brooklyn, we’re offering free shipping for the next 6 months. You can order one of 2 ways. Either place your order regularly on our website & email us…we’ll refund your shipping cost. Or call and order over the phone and there will be no charge on shipping.
As of February 28th, 2016 we will close our doors. Check our contact link HERE for our most up to date hours. And feel free to contact one of the other stores with any questions if we’re closed in Brooklyn.
