A TOAST

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate our first year anniversary, and to those of you who have supported us throughout the last year, but were unable to be there in person. Our souls are filled with joy and happiness and gobs of love and we are so thankful for all of you. For those of you who were unable to join us the other night, we wanted to share our little toast with you here, so you can feel a bit of our gratitude from afar. We love you...

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A DREAM
For those of you who don’t know, my sister is 12 years younger than me. In a way, I was like a second mom to her. We have always had a special relationship, and her talents have always complimented mine. Her talent was visual, mine was a bit more conceptual. She was sketching clothing designs from a young age, I was writing and talking too much. As we grew older, we formulated a dream to create something together. Our shared passion for fashion, travel, sustainability and community made a boutique a natural fit. We dreamed of creating something together. So when my sister asked me to join her in this endeavor, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”

A REALITY - LOUISE
Have you seen the surfing dino by “She She” in the shop? Her name is Louise, after our grandmother. She was a sassy, tough and stubborn, but hilarious woman. In October of 2019 she passed away…not only did she leave behind her legacy in the form of tenacity and creativity, but she left a lot of inspiration and a little bit of money behind for us that enabled us to secure our small business loan to help make our dream our reality...and we think about her daily.

STRIFE + MANEUVERING THE UNKNOWN
We’re living in an age where we don’t just wrestle with questions like can I wear white after Labor Day, but now its so much more complex…like are skinny jeans still in, and am I actually cheugy?

Moreover, we are surviving during a global pandemic - something we never thought we’d experience in our lifetime. Over the last two years, there has been immense loss and strife and confusion. We have all been maneuvering so many unknowns.

None of this would be a reality today without our late mentor Pierce McNally. Pierce battled stage 4 lung cancer for months before passing…but not before he was able to come and see the store in real life. Pierce had a special knack for believing in others more than they believed in themselves. He did that for us. 

Between him, Greg Heinemann, and Keely Herron - we had all the business  support we needed (and more!) to open our doors.

And, a year later and we’re all here. Together. Finally. And those who are not here with us in body, are here in spirit.

KINTSUGI
The notion of Kintsugi has come up a few times in my world the last year and a half, and I find it extremely relevant to our current moment.

Kintsugi (or “golden joinery”) is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold—built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can put the broken pieces together to create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.

I like this concept.

Oftentimes, we second guess ourselves. We think, ‘Why are we doing this? Are we crazy? Can we sustain the business any longer? What can we do to help our community and amplify the makers we are proud to work with? Are we doing enough?’ And the list goes on.

THANK YOUs
My sister is incredible. Not many people open a business at 25-years-old. In fact, I was having a 1/4 life crisis at 25. Fewer people, even, open a successful business during a global pandemic.

It has NOT been easy.

A gigantic thank you goes to our one-and-only Eve Martin. Your wise-beyond-your-years spirit, smarts, creativity, passion, vision, TikTok choreography, and so much more, compliment Mikaela and make this shop sing.

Thank you to our community of talented photographers, strategists, mentors, designers, and friends who have helped us to open our doors and bring this vision to reality.

A special "thank you" to all the gold pieces that have put our broken pottery pieces back together the last 18 months…
✨Louise Shisler
✨Pierce McNally 
Greg Heinemann
Keely Herron 
Mikaela Harrod
Eve Martin
Maggie Fowler
Ari Mashad
Olivia Spitz
Jon Ross
Michael Szeszol
Cydney Evert 
Anna & Scott Moss
Emma Panzer
Marina Qualey 
Molly Brandt 
Mom & Dad

TOAST
We started with a dream, and now we’re coming full circle with a dream bigger than us. We are dreaming of a better, healthier, pandemic-free future and we are so thankful to be in a community that continues to grow, inspire, and create a more sustainable future. 

Let's raise our glasses…

A toast to how far we’ve come…to filling our broken pieces with gold, to those who believe in us more than we believe in ourselves, to community, to those who cannot be here with us today✨, to thinking beyond ourselves and celebrating each other, and to new beginnings.

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As I said on Thursday evening to close, I'd encourage you to shop for something that will make you (or someone you love) feel good, meet a new friend, and celebrate community.

Love, Megan 

(Here is a link to all images from the event. Please give credit on Instagram to @imagesbyher.co.)