We’re Thankful for SO Much!

At Three Little Birds we’re thankful for so much.  First our families and friends; all who have supported us.  The store has been here four years.  During that time I’ve had major personal changes – illness after illness, a divorce, a bad business partnership, but through it all I’ve weathered the storm.  I could not have done it without our supporters – family, friends and customers who always came through the doors with a smile and an eargerness to work with us.  Some days, especially during my divorce, which was incredibly nasty and long lasting, there were days I could hardly hold up my head.  Like God himself knew my need, the most delightful person would come through the door and make me forget all of my problems.

Having the store has been a huge sacrifice.  There are days when I cry and others when I rejoice; some days I do both and dance and sing and laugh and so much more.  No matter what I do, I am always glad that this is what I do for a living.  With my old job I had so much responsibility, made so much money – I wouldn’t trade what I do even if that company offered me triple my salary.  I hated that job; it made me physically ill – the migraines, the anxiety – all gone.

Our staff – what can I say that hasn’t been said by our customers?  Delightful, creative, nice, fun – all of those things apply.  I have had ups and downs with staffing over the years; the team we have now is great.  Each has their own strengths – illustration, design, organization.  I’m proud to have been able to hire graphic designers, yes, each of our staff has a degree in Graphic Design.  I’m self taught…if you want to call it that.   I have a lot of the skills I have thanks to these lovely ladies and gentlemen who proceeded them as interns and part-time staff members.  I know I don’t say it often enough, but I truly appreciate every idea, thought, design, advice my staff gives me.  No, I may not make the changes they suggest immediately – yes, I am stubborn, but I always come around.  Like with the Apple computers they wanted.  I fussed, but we have them and were all better for it (I do miss my PC though).  I look forward to each of our customers being able to experience the uniqueness of each of these wonderful folks.

Most importantly, the customers we have…wow!  From the planners with whom we work with on a regular basis that bring us customers to create such unique designs and stationery for the beautiful events they create to the industry professionals that trust us to create their printed items and even websites for their companies.  As you know from reading our blog, the majority of our business is tied to weddings, something we love.  The brides and grooms, and sometimes even the parents, with whom we work have been delightful.  The creative license they afford us is uncanny and each has enriched our lives in such a wonderful way.  Yes, we have had one or two who have been a bit much, but you know, we love the experiences gained from those relationships too.  We ultimately know so much is tied to emotions with a wedding – the key reason we like working with brides and grooms so much.  We’re now at the point where our couples are having babies and coming to us for phase two – birth announcements.  WE LOVE IT!

This year has been wonderful  We have grown so much in 2011, outgrowing our darling little space, but refusing to move – we love it here too much!  Our neighbors are great – they kept us going when we first started.  They support the charities we support, buy local like we do, stop in to say hi and let us pet their darling doggies, and see their children grow – we wouldn’t dream of moving.  We just brought more shelves and cabinets and simply make due and ask customers to “pardon the dust: while we remodel”.  The customers have been kind and excited about our growth, even pitching in to help us move stuff, clean, whatever to make sure we succeed – they are truly neighborly.  We can’t help but be thankful of such kindness and support.

We’ve had growing pains, not enough staff at times when there were only two of us, now there are four, plus an occasional visit from Issy who we can always count on to entertain the customers and neighbors and count envelopes like nobody else we’ve ever met!

Yes, every day we are thankful for the blessings we recieve at Three Little Birds.  We will continue to grow we just ask that you continue to support us as that is what keeps us strong and creative.

Enjoy the day and know that everyday is Thanksgiving at Three Little Birds.