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Holly sighed, melting more into my body.
“I’ll clean up. You go in and sit down.”
“That sounds heavenly.”
“I’ll be right in.” I watched her as she left the workshop, then got to work. I was so proud of her and impressed with her work ethic. I’d seen other artists completely shut down with a large order like this before a holiday. They’d insist they couldn’t create under the pressure, but Holly was able to focus and get the orders filled.
When things were cleaned up, I headed inside, running into Heath on the porch. “I thought I’d deliver these for you.”
“You just want to eat our pizza.”
Heath chuckled. “You know me.”
I shook my head and took the boxes from him so he could open the door. Inside, Marley was on the couch with Holly next to her, and Lori was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water.
I set the pizza boxes on the coffee table where it had been cleared of packing boxes and tissue paper. Everyone dug in.
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you did,” Holly said to Marley.
“I didn’t get to hear how the live stream went,” I said around a mouthful of pizza.
“I set up in front of the tree, and the questions started almost immediately. Can we get a closer look at the ornaments? What’s the theme of your tree? The questions went on and on.”
Holly’s skin practically glowed as she said, “You should have seen it. They were so excited to learn it was a local artist who’d caught Marley’s eye.”
“Ever since I moved here from California, and shared that with my viewers, they’ve been obsessed with learning more about the farm. They went crazy for Holly’s ornaments. I’ve never had anything explode like that before. I put Holly’s website and information in the show notes and on my website.”
“I’ve been searching for ways to get more attention on the online shop. But I didn’t have the funds to advertise it properly.”
“I just shared something I liked. It’s as simple as that. Your work speaks for itself.”
“I can’t help but think how amazing it is, but that demand will dip after the holidays, and no one will remember me next year.”
Marley leaned forward. “That’s why you need a newsletter signup on your website, offering them a welcome discount for their first order. You can reengage your shoppers when you have a new item released, like your hearts on Valentine’s Day, or your birds in the spring. You can sell year-round.”
“You think so?”
Marley nodded. “There are so many options. But you don’t have to do everything at once. You’ll have your staples, and you can add more over time.”
I sat on the edge of the couch by Holly. “I’m so proud of you.”
Holly leaned into my touch. “It was all Marley.”
But Marley shook her head. “It’s your work that they want to see. I just provided the platform.”
Holly chuckled. “A very large and enthusiastic platform.”
“You just needed someone to showcase your work, and I knew you’d sell. You have amazing ideas, and you put a lot of thought into each detail to make your work unique.”
Lori stood. “I’m proud of you, too. But I’m going to head home. I think we’ll be doing a lot of packing the next few days, and I need my rest.”
I stood and followed her to the door. “Between all of us, we can get the packages shipped.”
“I don’t mind helping. It keeps me busy. But I’m working in the shop tomorrow.”
“Between all of us, we’ve got this.” I hugged Mom and waited for her to drive away before heading back to the living room. Then Marley and Heath said their goodbyes with promises to touch base tomorrow.
When we were alone, Holly seemed to sag into me. “I think I’m too tired for a bath tonight.”
