but row away from the rocks

I bought this Egyptian dress on Amazon a couple years ago for like $15 because I thought it was a mini-dress. I was little disappointed to find that it was full length and stashed it away thinking maybe I'll just just shorten it myself later but I just couldn't bring myself to chop up a good dress and risk ruining it with my poor sewing skills. I hung it up and completely forgot about it. I rediscovered it and I was certain I had outgrown it since it was pretty snug just two years ago but lo and behold it still fits... eer... thanks to an extremely tight pancreas-compressing body shaper. 

I decided to give the dress a try today since it's very cool and windy outside.

I'm in love. I dig it hard.

 I also have a dress like this in chocolate brown silk with bold metallic silver thread that was given to me a by a guy whose coffee shop I used to visit every day. His mother picked it up on her travels somewhere in the Middle East and never wore it so he gave to someone he knew would appreciate it. Me!!!

It's too tight and the last time I tried it on, I thought I was going to have to cut myself out of it. Plus it has weird 80s-cut puff sleeves so I keep it in my costuming stash to lend out to whoever needs it.

I also have an genuine men's dashiki pants set that is similar to the dress I'm wearing. I intended to wear the top alone as a dress and I even put it on to wear this morning but it's just too dang big. I'd like to figure out a way to taper the waist and flare the bottom of it out into an A-line. 

And by figure it out I mean... take it to a seamstress.

And by take it to a seamstress I mean... sell it on eBay.

Soooo.... how are things going with me?

Meh. Same ol' same ol'. Nothing's really changing or getting better. But on a positive note, it's not getting worse! That's how I see things. I'm never one to say, "Things just can't get any worse" because dadgummit they most definitely can. 

Like, at any moment you could spontaneously burst into flames or your carpet could start suddenly smelling like feet that have been washed with feet in a foot factory. This has been happening to me today so I guess it is getting worse. Seriously I've been on all fours trying to figure out where the foot odor in the house is coming from and it's the living room carpet! Well seasoned with 18 years of bare foot funk. Yikes!

But if that's the extent of my problems for today, I guess I'm doing alright.

 I'm still slowly raising money to open my shop in the mall (◄ info link) but I'm not sure how much longer the manager is going to hold the space for me. He's a super nice guy but I totally understand that time is money.

Either way, I'm going to open the store in the mall even if that means starting off with a kiosk while I wait for another storefront to open. If I get the kiosk after Christmastime the leasing price will go down significantly so it'll be all gravy baby.

After I fulfill this dream, I guess it'll be time for me to pursue my next level dream. My dream 2.0?

My own gothic themed animal-free circus.

Can't you just see it?! 

One step at a time, Hollie. One step at a time.

This is not a test!!

Guys, guess what.

I'm opening a store.

Yeah, you read right.

MY STORE!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

Little known fact about me: I've been dreaming of opening a bohemian store for a few years now. Before my kids were born I used to sell ethnic goods and used exotic home decor in a flea market booth. It didn't do well. Not because the stuff wasn't desired but because it wasn't the right place to sell that kind of stuff. The flea market I sold my goods at was mostly frequented by old ladies who mostly just bought ceramic roosters and clothes for their new grandbabies. They were the kind of people who were getting rid of their souvenirs from travels at flea markets so I don't know why I thought they'd want to buy more.

After my kids were born and the renaissance faire was in full swing, I put my dream of having my store on the back burner. I tried to revive it through little online shops, and even had a little booth at the renaissance faire but that didn't come close to what I was wanting to do.

A few weeks ago I made a rare trip to the mall and the idea of opening a kiosk popped into my head. I contacted the manager and it turns it would cost more to open a kiosk than a store and that the only storefront they have available is very affordable and directly across from the new Indian restaurant. It's our first and only Indian restaurant in town so it's getting hella traffic. This shop is in a fantastic location, it's small and will be perfect for me to start with.

I feel very confident about all of this and I feel that this is a very realistic goal to achieve. And I mostly feel really good about it because there is zero competition. There used to be a shop in the mall called Romancing the Stone (Earthbound Trading Company), but that closed last year. People were really bummed out about it including myself. But when Romancing the Stone closed down last year I knew that it was my time to step up - I just didn't know where to start.

Why, yes. Yes I do have some new locs! Cheap and fake, but new!

Remembering people's reaction to Romancing the Stone closing gave me the idea to try to raise money to open my shop through crowdfunding on GoFundMe. I figured if everybody really wanted a Romancing the Stone replacement,  they would be willing to contribute to making it happen.  I'm  taking donations on GoFundMe so that I can start this business completely in the black so that I can start making profit immediately. If you know anything about my personal life then you would know we really need it. 

This isn't just one of Hollie's wacky adventures. I know I'm full of ideas and I chase a lot of of them; but that was mostly me trying to do what I could with what I had to work with while being a stay at home mom. The path to me opening up the store that I've been dreaming of for almost 10 years is extremely clear. My biggest fear is that I'm afraid people aren't going to take me seriously and that I won't get the support that I need to make this happen. Even if I don't have the support, I'll still take out a loan and make this happen. It's got to happen soon before the Christmas season hits so I don't really have a choice but to move and to move fast.

That's my teeny tiny shop up there, 136.

I'm not posting this information to ask for donations, although that would be pretty cool, but if you want to see a sample of my stock and a little bit more about my idea please feel free to visit my GoFundMe page.

Wish me luck!

The inside of the shop, Cedar photobombing.