how did it happen?

A year ago I had no idea I was going to open a store. My husband and I had it in mind that someday we might open a little business in the Catskills where we have a weekend house, and we even looked into buying a used books store there (Bibliobarn--best used books store ever. Alas, no website, but you can read about it and other great Catskill used books stores here.)

I would need several pages and some therapy to explain why I, who never even worked in a store, now own one. Long story short--I had been doing difficult depressing work for many years (work involving child abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and, well, you get the picture). I needed to do something fun. I only realized that after my best friend and my stepmother, both inspirational women who lived life to the fullest and had fun doing it, died last year. And... I had been collecting vintage art, and my father and stepmother had an antique business so it was not completely unfamiliar to me.  I was looking into taking a space in a coop, when my friends George and Gerry told me they were moving out of the store I'm now in, into a bigger store in the same building. The rent was low, the stakes were low, it would only be open on weekends, I signed a lease last September and opened in October. It's also 240 miles from home so I've put a lot of miles on my car. Man, it happened fast!