A Good Beginning

You know the old joke about the plumber with the leaky faucet? Or the mechanic whose car hasn't had an oil change in two years? Well, meet the marketing professional and website builder who, after 15 months of owning a brick-and-mortar shop, finally got around to building out her own website.

Yes, that would be me, owner of The Shoppe on 3rd Avenue, professional marketer, and holder of years of experience building websites and content for other businesses. And yet, here we are, well over a year into this adventure, and I'm just now launching Phase 1 of our website.

The cobbler's children have no shoes.

The plumber's toilet doesn't flush.

And apparently, the website builder's business has had a placeholder page gathering digital dust (for those familiar with the Enneagram, it may have something to do with the fact that I am a ONE). #IYKYK

In my defense, opening and running a 410-square-foot shop filled with products from over 60 local vendors keeps you just a little busy. Between curating inventory, connecting with makers, learning the ins and outs of retail, and actually, you know, running the store - building a website kept sliding to the bottom of the never-ending to-do list. Every time I sat down to work on it, another vendor would drop off a beautiful new product, or a customer would share an idea, or I'd realize we were out of Elderberry Gummies (yes, that's a real thing, and yes, they're amazing).

“Good” never seemed enough.

And then there's the other side of the equation: my marketing jobs. The ones that actually pay the bills while The Shoppe grows. Let’s be honest (cliche’, I know)… When you're building websites, managing campaigns, and solving marketing challenges for clients all day, the last thing your brain wants to do at night is shift gears and tackle your own website. I know there are others who feel my pain. It's a different kind of tired - the kind where you've spent all your creative energy on everyone else's projects, and when it comes time to work on yours, the well is dry. So The Shoppe's website stayed on the back burner, simmering quietly while I juggled everything else.

But here I am. Phase 1 is live.

And I’ve only just begun.

Over the coming weeks and months, I’m excited to build this site out even further - sharing more of the story behind The Shoppe, introducing you to the incredible vendors who make this place special, and providing resources for both our makers and our community. I want this website to be more than just a digital storefront (Collaboration Projects? Doordash options?… Who knows!). I want it to be a reflection of what The Shoppe truly is: a celebration of local craft, a hub for connection, and a love letter to the Oakdale community.

So stay tuned. Follow along. Check back often. This is just the beginning and I can't wait to share this journey with you.

And if you need a website built? Well… maybe give me a few more months to finish my own first.

Learning to be content with “good”,

Mindy