She was just about ready. Siena was set to flip the store sign to open. For the first time it would be Just The Thing, not Vivian Blackwood Boutique.
The window display had a few of her mom’s kaftan creations. The garments were a hot commodity. Her mother was so talented. It was good not to be in that shadow but try something different.
Siena smiled when she saw the tag her mother had sewn into each of the garments she’d made for the re-opening.
Viv and Breathe.
Siena felt like that was as good a sign as any that her mother was moving forward. The vitality that had been missing had started to reappear for longer and longer periods.
It made Siena feel lighter too, and as she arranged the last kaftan before she moved to the next task, she almost started to cry. It was not the plan she’d made when they’d set out for Irish Hills, but it was working!
Siena would sell the kaftans, maybe a shawl or two, and perhaps even things to wear on the deck or boat. But she would focus on the home more than the clothes. That was what the customers had shown that they wanted from this store. But it was an experience more than just a store. After the redesign, she’d transformed her store from four walls and a cash register into a magical place. She felt it. She wanted her customers to feel it too.
Her store.She was amazed to hear herself call it that. The grand reopening wasn’t grand in terms of fanfare. There were fliers up at the mercantile, and every diner at Hope’s got a little coupon for a free bud vase if they visited Just The Thing.
But Siena wanted it to be a soft launch. She wanted to have time to see if people responded well and to fix what didn’t work.
She did move the open time to nine am. People wanted to shop in the morning and get out on the water early. Ten, her original opening time, was too late—on a sunny day, at least.
She made coffee and had pastries for sale. If Libby could get a bakery in the downtown area, she’d do a deal with them, but for now, a nice cup of coffee and scone were there for people as they browsed.
She'd toyed with the idea of rainy-day hours and sunny-day hours, but that was one of many ideas she’d yet to implement.
For now, it was the traffic flow that interested her. She watched the customers filter in and paid close attention to how they interacted in her space. Alison was at the register, and today at least, her mom was there, gently welcoming visitors.
“No hard sell. Just let them browse.” She’d told her mom the same thing she’d told Alison.
If the store was set up right, they’d be in the palm of her hand without realizing it.
Now, there were pockets of people slowly moving through the store. Siena had crafted a journey.
It was a good-sized space, and she wanted customers to travel through it in a specific way. They would see visions for the entryway of the home: a bench and the trays she’d found for muddy boots were on display. Each item she loved was staged in a way for customers to see how they could do the same in their homes.
She had a large section for kitchen and dining décor. There were no cooking supplies. They could find that at the mercantile. But linens, vases, and small prints in gold frames showed how a kitchen space could be personalized, warm, and inviting.
The customers then migrated to cozy spaces for reading or watching TV, or just sitting. Siena displayed pillows, more of the lap blankets that had sold on the first day, and a lovely lamp she’d thrifted and repurposed.
There was a small section of powder room accessories, and the handmade cachets she’d found were responsible for filling the store with a slight scent of lilac.
Finally, the bedroom items she’d curated had everything from duvet covers to adorable dishes for jewelry or your reading glasses. She imagined the dream lake cottages of her customers. It was at the front of her mind as she selected inventory.
It wasn’t done, this store, and maybe it never would be. It was supposed to move and change with the way people lived here in Irish Hills. That was her dream, at least.
Her dream.
She’d never really pursued her dream. She’d always seen her dreams as a side note. She’d watched her big career woman mom and was happy that her life could fold into that. It was a family business, after all. And she had enjoyed it. She’d learned how her dad managed the business side at the same time as watching her mother’s creative ideas turn into products.
They were both important and had come in handy when she’d decided to pivot. Siena had a sure hand and didn’t vacillate. She knew what items would be perfect for the shelves of Just The Thing.
Cole had said he appreciated shopping with her because when she saw what she liked, she acted.
He’d told her so last night as she checked things one last time before the opening.
“My last girlfriend couldn’t take a single step without texting her friends a picture. And she needed constant reassurance. I haven’t once seen you take a selfie. That’s all she seemed to do when we went anywhere.”
Siena had still been at the beginning of what Cole had just said.
“Last girlfriend? I’m your current girlfriend?” She’d caught Cole. They were spending a lot of time together, but he’d said girlfriend. Were they official?
