2019 started off with dreams and hopes of being an awesome year. Then February 23 came and my world was turned upside down as a foot of muddy water came in the door of my shop overnight.
It was so hard to believe that this disaster had happened. Within a few days the water subsided and we were able to begin seeing what things made it through the flood. At least 1/4 of our yarn was wet and needed to be washed and dried to see if it was useable. And 2/3s of our fixtures were totally destroyed. We lost both printers and both computers. Thankfully, some computer techs were able to same one file...the most important one...our Quickbook file. We moved what was salvageable to my garage, to a friend's garage and to a storage unit.
For 2 months (March and April) while the shopping center was being remodeled, every day was spent washing and drying yarn and trying to figure out what to do. There were many times that I just wanted to give up and close the shop. We had lost so much. But as the days went by, a little spark of renewal began to grow. I was not ready to close my yarn shop. I still had at least a few years to go before I retired. So the work of getting the shop ready to reopen began.
In early May we were finally able to move back into our shop again... with less fixtures to display the yarn, but a lot less yarn as well. Then in July I decided that we needed to move to a smaller rental space...out of the flood zone where we could begin rebuilding our business. After many weeks of searching, the perfect place opened up and the month of August was spent preparing that space for us to move in. I spent hours and hours taking down ceiling tiles and painting them, painting all the walls, putting down flooring and praying that I didn't collaspe from exhaustion. At last we were ready to move yet again into a new space...that looked very different, but was still a cozy little yarn shop where folks could learn, share, and be creative.
I have learned so much this year...about myself and others. The flood did some cleansing out of old, wornout ideas and brought me back to a renewed creativity. After moving 3 times this year, I think it will be a while before I ever want to see another moving van. Because the new space is smaller, a lot of things are still being stored in my garage. So I'm still trying to find some files I need. But I think when a disaster strikes, you learn things you didn't know. I learned that many people love The Yarn Haven and wanted it to reopen. I learned how giving some people can be - both with their time and their money...even when they get nothing in return. And I learned that I really like helping people grow and learn new skills. I guess I'll always be a teacher at heart.
So it's a been a very difficult, interesting, and yet exciting year as we finish up our 13th year in business. I can't wait to see what 2020 will bring as we begin our 14th year!
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