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“Ah okay. Yeah, I missed that part when the bracelet fell apart.”
Maria replied with a soft laugh. “So, you said your jewelry is selling well online, right?”
“Yeah. Surprisingly well. If I wanted to, I could try to go full-time as a jeweler and have my nursing as a backup career if it fails for some reason,” I informed my friend. “I just haven’t taken the leap. I don’t want to do it all on my own. Besides, there’s really not much of a demand for it here. They sellonline. I’m spending quite a bit to send these pieces all over the US, ensuring they don’t fall apart because, well, the bracelets are great, but the post office isn’t exactly known for being gentle with their packages. And all the beads are glass, so it takes some doing to make sure they’re packed safely and shipped properly.” I shook my head. “Why do you ask?”
“I’m thinking of renting shop space in town. There’s an opening in a cute downtown area, and I think I can afford it,” Maria said. “I think it’d be a good idea to have a multitude of things that people can pick from. While I do quite a bit of crafting already – and think I’d be selling beaded curtains, bags, and belts – I don’t do jewelry. That’s your area of expertise. And if we went in on it together…” She trailed off, the suggestion clear.
“In Lantana? There’s a shop opening in Lantana that would have space for us?” I furrowed my brows.
That didn’t seem likely. I had visited Maria a couple of times after we had graduated from nursing school and found Lantana to be an interesting area north of Houston. However, the smaller shops all appeared to have been multi-generational family-owned shops. How had one gone out of business?
“Yeah. It’s got a perfect window to show off the beaded curtains and some other crafts we want to sell. Jade, I think it’d be a fun opportunity for the both of us,” Maria continued.
I considered for a few seconds. I could hear Maria holding her breath on the other end.
Honestly, it might work. I’d wanted to try selling in person, and I really wanted a break from full-time nursing. So many pieces were falling into place.
“I just have one small question,” I said finally. “Where would I live if I decided that is where I wanted to be right now?” I pursed my lips. “Last I checked, you’re living in a one-bedroom apartment, right? You have no space for another person to come stay for an extended period of time with a whole house-full of their own things.”
“You’re right about that,” Maria said. “However, I think there are plenty of rentals around, or if you’re interested in owning your own house, you could always look at what’s on the market. It might take some time, but I’d love to see what we could do together.”
“What are you going to do if this falls through, Maria?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
While I already had a backup plan, I wanted to be sure that Maria would also be all right if this didn’t work out. Sometimes, businesses failed in their infancy. It was just part of being a business owner. We both had to take that risk.
“Same as you, honestly. There are plenty of hospitals around here that could use an extra nurse or two, and I’m sure that they’d be willing to take us on quickly if it came to that,” Mariasaid. “Look, I know it’s a huge ask, and so sudden. But I think it’d be a fun thing to do. We always joked about it in nursing school. Why keep it a joke when we have the chance to make it a reality?”
“Could I sign the lease for the building virtually? I’ll need a bit of time to give my notice.”
I was being swayed already, though I had to admit that going full-time into jewelry had been a pipe dream of mine since I was a child. Having a chance to try so soon after getting out of nursing school and knowing that I could return to online-only selling if I needed to for the success of my brand made me feel like it was worth a shot. Especially if Maria was going to be working in the store with me.
“I’m not sure, but I’m meeting with someone about it in a week. I know it’s quick, but the sooner you can get out here, the better, I’d say. I know that means you’ll have to break your lease, but I only found out about the shop space being available today. I set up the meeting and immediately realized you would also be a good fit for the shop.”
“Well, I appreciate that you kept me in mind, Maria,” I replied as I started to put the bracelet back together.
Thankfully, I had done this particular design a thousand times before. These beads were simply small. Or maybe my hands were a little less steady than usual. The thought of having an actual storefront—an actual business—had always felt like a total dream. Now here it was, walking into my life in a five-minute phone call.
“What do you say?”
I couldn’t stop myself from grinning in spite of the practical worries in the back of my mind.
“I think we’ve got to do this! I’ve got to start looking for a place to live in Lantana and thinking about how I’m going to get everything out there,” I said. “This sounds like a wonderfulopportunity. I’m excited. And it’ll give us an excuse to have more in-person meetings again. I miss going to a coffee shop and just chatting with you. It was always a good way to wind down after a long shift.”
“And give us the energy to get our groceries,” Maria chipped in.
I laughed a little.
“Yes. That too.” Both Maria and I were all too familiar with the exhaustion from working a ten-hour shift, only to realize we didn’t have food at home. Starting our own business would mean a whole different rhythm—a whole new way of life for both of us. “I’ll start looking into stuff right away. Or,” I corrected myself, “as soon as I finish this bracelet. I’ll keep you updated, and you tell me all about the building when you find out more.”
“Of course, Jade. Let me know what you find, and I’ll see what I can do to help you find a place. With the housing market the way it is today, I’m not sure what the rental pricing will be like or what kind of mortgage you’d be able to qualify for,” Maria said. “But that’s all something we can talk about later. I hope you have a wonderful, uneventful night.”
“You too. Have a good shift tomorrow.”
With that, we hung up the phone.
I gently set the bracelet on the table in front of me before taping the edges down. Then, I examined all the beads that had dropped to the floor. Only one had some paint scrapping, but that was easy enough to fix. I kept extra paint around for a reason. I even had a brush small enough to get into the bead to fix it.
Once the paint had been fixed, I decided now was as good a time as any to start getting ready for bed. I had an early shift tomorrow and didn’t want to be late.
