Time to Tell the World about "The Shops"

I cannot start this post any other way but to say THANK YOU LORD!! It’s been a long time in the making for this official announcement. As of March 1st, I am the new lease holder of this beauty. The whole gosh darn thing, not just the little space I started with ; ) It’s been a completely surreal & incredibly busy time over the last few weeks.

Let me go back to the fateful day I walked into Yankee, I think for the 2nd time. That’s when I saw this…

Space for rent, huh. Yes, please! That was 2 years & 25 days ago. I fell in love with the building for the first time that day. I saw such incredible potential…it was for sure a diamond in the rough. It hadn’t been loved on in a long time.

My little business started to grow. And I started to rent more space in the building.

And 7 months ago when the new owners asked if I’d be interested in leasing the building, I knew God was behind it all. I had dreamed of giving it new life, giving it direction & vision since day 1…but after it sold, I thought He had another plan for my life.

You see, I wanted to buy the building while it was for sale from the previous owner. When it sold, I assumed it was time for me to move on and find my own space. I wasn’t in a hurry since we were still looking for a Brooklyn location. I was sad that it sold, but after a good cry, I put my big girl pants on and vowed I wouldn’t let it steal my joy ; ) How wonderful and specific God’s plan is for our lives…trust Him.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve been planning and thinking and praying. And it has all lead me here. Ready to embark on another new journey. To give new life to an amazing building. After negotiating leases, forming another business, bank accounts, insurance plans & analyzing numbers, we’re now starting with the fun stuff…the pretty stuff…like picking paint colors, buying cabinets & planning built-ins.

So over the last few weeks, I’ve been settling into this new role of “landlord” & master vision-eer. Wow, seriously, I’m a landlord. My right hand man, John (the one you’ll find in the shop any day I’m there or not) pointed that out the night we had the meeting with all the dealers letting them know of the changes. It never hit me until that moment. Holy Crap, I’m in charge of leasing space to 31 other people. Oddly enough, I never really thought about it. I was just analyzing #’s and following the path the Lord laid out for me. I think that if I actually stopped to think about the Big Picture all at once, it might have scared the ever living crap out of me, or made my head explode. It might have even stopped me from moving forward.

Since the signing, I have experienced more Holy Crap moments…many. And I will even admit, I’ve had Holy Crap days, 2 of them to be exact…where I just feel like the whole world might be crashing down. And that maybe I am truly crazy for taking this all on…can I really do it? Can I really pull this off? This is a lot of work…and I’m not just talking about the physical labor, but also emotional labor. Being a landlord & changing a culture that has been in tact for the last 40 years, leading 31 people with a vision that is not quite 20/20…yet. It’s an enormous task. It’s a task that I know can only be done with the favor of God.

Just as God knew not to overwhelm me in thinking about the whole Big Picture before the lease signing, I don’t think he has quite revealed to me the exact vision of this other side. Those that know me well, can understand that this drives me insane. I am a planner, I am analytical and I like numbers & facts, I like to have plan A & plan B. Those that know me well also know that I am always somewhat discombobulated because I always have so much going on. There are always so many balls in the air. So, my personality is planner but procrastinator…it’s truly a blessing & a curse at the same time. A lot of this is due to the ridiculously large vision that God has put in my head. I really believe that if I actually sat down long enough and thought about it, my head might actually explode ; ) For me, the moral behind the story is, I have to continue to trust God. Because when I do, it makes things so much more pleasurable. He has not failed me, not in the 3 years since I made the decision to leave that corporate job. To take that big giant leap of Faith. So, that is what I am doing, trusting Him.

After watching my Sunday morning dose of the Joelmeister, I vowed (declared) to my husband that from here on out, I will believe All is Well. No matter what is going on around me, All is Well. As long as I am doing the right thing, and being guided by my heart & intuition, I have nothing to fear. God will be my vindicator, my deliverer, my dream giver, my way maker, and no weapon formed against me shall prosper ; ) These are things I say to myself on a regular basis, but if I allow myself 2 Holy Crap days, that means I don’t totally trust God. And I realize we are human and we all have our moments, but I also believe there is a time & place for every lesson.

I realize that I have to be patient with God’s plan & I need to cut myself a break. Since I’ve now started to take this all in, and I see the journey in front of me, it’s finally real, it’s finally here. And it’s scary. And it’s big. And it’s exciting. Believe me, I planned it all out. I’ve done my homework. I’ve got plan A & B…and C in some cases. I already trust God, I think I need to learn to trust myself. Writing this, maybe that’s the lesson God is teaching me….hmm…interesting. I mean, why would God let this all work out, if he wasn’t going to make it ALL work out, right? There is no need for those Holy Crap days anymore. If I trust him & I trust myself, then that’s all I need ; )

On January 29th, we had a meeting with all the shop tenants to let them know that I was taking over…exactly 2 years to the day when I got the call I could rent that original space. As I had suspected & prepared for, there are some who do not believe in the vision. Some who have decided to leave, which of course I had also prepared for. I have chosen to focus on the ones that do believe, the ones who want to be part of something really awesome…the ones who believe in me. And luckily, it is most that believe and are excited for the future. And thankfully, there are others who can’t wait to become a part of it. And that’s what keeps me going. If we dwell on the negativity, then there’s no hope. It will destroy God’s plan for our life…our belief is the only thing that can hold back the destiny the Man Upstairs has prepared for us. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly not going to allow my beliefs to hold me back in life. If God says it’s so, then I’m going to believe Him. Thanks to Lillith for snapping this pic at the dealer meeting ; )

I’ve been dying to get to the computer, plop myself down and write this post. It’s been crazy, and every time I had planned to do so, it was like something was pulling me in another direction. This is one of those things I beat myself up over. Going with my new mantra, All is Well & trust in Him and myself, this was exactly the right moment when I was supposed to announce it. Not a minute late, not a minute too soon. And I don’t know why…we may never know the reasons why certain things happen…that’s what trust is, that’s what Faith is. Maybe God wanted me to be humble and talk about how challenging this has been, and how scared I am. Maybe I needed to have 2 Holy Crap days before I could write this. Maybe (and I hope this is true), I needed to write this for someone else to read, maybe someone else going through a similar situation. When I sat down tonight to write, it was like the words just flowed right out. It was natural.

Over the next few months, there are going to be some really exciting things happening at 1038 New York Ave., which will be transformed into The Shops at Suite Pieces. A collection of shops & artists. The business will get a new name & a fresh new look. It’s going to get a nice clean up while keeping it’s roots of vintage, local & artistic. Along with all the wonderful vendors that offer a diverse array of ever-changing merchandise, we’ll also put more focus on the DIY & design aspect of shopping with us. As Suite Pieces, I’ve always wanted to be a one stop shop for all your furniture DIY needs. We’ll continue to offer all of the awesome products we currently carry, but we’ll be expanding our lines over the next few months. We’re launching a new line of stencils by Royal Design Studio this week. You’ll also find a wider array of hardware, brushes & other supplies over the next few months. We’ll continue to offer exciting events & workshops, and there will always be product demos available when the shop is open. We’re planning an inspiration lounge, where we’ll have design books & magazines to browse, while sipping on coffee (yup, free coffee too ; ) We even have plans for an upholstery drop-off.

Take a peek at this rendering a wonderful artist with Renaissance Downtowns & Source the Station did for me. Thanks Ela!! Suite Pieces is yet again getting a new space. We’ll be taking over the main front room, expanding our demo & DIY boutique area 2 fold. We’ll have lots of sample boards and try before you buy areas. We cannot wait to reveal what we have in store ; )

Are you starting to understand why I had those Holy Crap days ; )

This is a big vision God has put in my heart. And I thank Him every day that he has put the right people in my path. Thank you to my amazing team for believing in me. Thank you to our amazing customers who have been flooding the store with excitement and who cannot stay away from the fantastic products we offer. Without you, I would never have done this. But then again, if we go on my mantras, you’re all part of God’s amazing plan for me too. I’m so excited to have you all along with me ; )

So if you have actually read all this mumbo jumbo going on in my head…here’s your reward…hehe…a few pictures of the changes as they’re happening…sooooo exciting.

Here are a couple of shots of the new back vestibule.

There is so much more going on…but I will have to keep you in suspense ; ) Or stop by the shop & check it out!! But please…excuse our appearance over the next few weeks…we’ve got dealers cleaning up, moving out, moving in, moving around & lots of cleaning, painting & building going on. And as a testament to God’s awesomeness, with all of this craziness, this has been one of our best months ever, even with the ridiculous weather we’ve been having…just another one of those confirmations from the Lord that we’re on the right track.

Next week, from Monday, March 3rd to Friday, March 8th the building will be closed to rip up the horrid rugs that are on the floor. I cannot wait!!!! The good news is the carpet is going, the bad news is Suite Pieces has to close for a few days ; ( If any of you out there need paint during that time, please call us ahead, we will offer a pick-up service during those days. However, we will not be able to show sample boards or walk you through your projects so much. Of course we’ll be available by phone and email, but we’ll be busy working away to get a new & improved space ready for you.

So there it is folks…our latest big announcement. The Shops at Suite Pieces is being born. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out…but you better believe, I’m enjoying the journey too.  I do think, however, the journey would be even better if there were someone out there to document it. Just putting it out there ; ) I do believe there is a show in my future…just not sure how quickly God plans on making that happen…wink wink.