Since we have no fb page access to tell you what's going on the for the month, I thought I would take this time to catch up with you here.

As most of you are well aware, we had a crazy, busy September. Our Fingal Fall Festival brought over 500 people to our little community - we were actually a city for a few hours. The weather held out and all-in-all, our vendors had a great day. The success of these events is only because of participation. Not only from the vendors and the customers, but our community and our sponsors as well. I want to take a minute to thank BEK Communications, Fingal Booster Club, Fingal Roadhouse, H. Anderson Concrete,  Hometown Community Bank of Fingal, and the Lisbon Fire Department for their generosity in helping make this event a success. It would have been really tough to do this without them, so THANKS, for supporting us and our crazy ideas. To everyone that spent part of that day with us, thank you for that, there was a lot going on and we appreciate you being here. Now that I'm somewhat recovered from September, let's move on to October!!!

Trunk or Treat is BACK! I've had people asking, so we are doing it again. We will have candy at the store and on 3rd street (in front of the store) from 3-5pm. Decorate the van and load up the family, we will do a prize for the best decorated vehicle, and the store front will be open for the adults to enjoy a beverage. If you would like to participate by having your vehicle here, or donate to the cause, just get a hold of me.

​Thanks about it! Enjoy October...Laur

     ​First of all - THANK YOU! Another month, and because of you guys, our box sold out once again. You seriously amaze me. When the C-19 hit, I really had to scramble with how to do business without you guys being here. The SOTM idea has been in the back of my mind for a while, and now I finally had the time to make it happen. And happen it did, I never thought you guys would grab on to this the way you have, and I am grateful. This little bit of sunshine in a box has kept me going since everything shut down. I can’t say thank you enough. Because of that, and all else happening in the world, June’s box was extra special, it was all about sharing good vibes and lifting spirits. 
     We were gifted a box to pay forward this month. If you've every received a SOTM, your name went into a drawing, we had over 65 entries. Stacey Lilja was our winner and she sent her extra SOTM box to a friend in Bismarck. This is exactly what we need right now, a little good cheer! The bottom line of this month’s box was to use what you want and pass on or gift the rest to cheer up a friend. We are all in this together, we rise by lifting others.
     Now that the boxes are out, and I’m slowly getting caught up on commercial work, I want to catch you up on the latest at FDno54. As you all know, I’ve been struggling with how to approach our expansion. Do I really need it? Should we invest in this building or build new?  Can I really afford it? I really did struggle with the options. Because I haven’t had a lot of foot traffic in the store, I’ve temporarily moved production to the main area and I really like having that much work space. It’s now obvious how much I really do need to expand. My business won’t get any bigger if the building doesn’t.
     We had a few options on the table, and after it is all said and done, the best thing for the business - and for you, my customer, is to stay right where we are and add on to the south of our building. I really thought we would be making a move and build new on our empty lot, but after the new porch was started, I just couldn’t leave. I've had a lot of people tell me it’s not the most solid financial choice, but my heart says it is the right choice and I will do what I have to to make it work.  I've been told there is no shame in asking for help, so I'm looking into grant opportunities, sadly, the reality is that there's not a lot out there for businesses like mine in the middle of a small town.  I'm also throwing around the idea of a fundraiser t-shirt, watch for details on that, and if anyone else has any fabulous ideas or solutions, I'm all ears! The construction process will have some impact on events and shopping for the rest of the summer. I will be available for retail therapy (happy hour), I’m just not sure if I can pull off any special shopping dates/events. I really don’t want to slow down our building process any more that I already have with being so indecisive. 
     So, if you want to shop, message me and I will make it happen. If you want to bring a group out for a little therapy session, same goes, let me know when you want to be here. I will continue with the SOTM boxes and bags, and try to post as much as possible on FB, IG and my web site. If you want something special, let me know and I will do it for you. I am still experiencing some product shortages and shipping delays, but not nearly to the extent last month. I’ll take progress in any form right now.
     So, that’s it in a nutshell. July boxes and bag links are ready, order here.  I do hope you enjoy your products as much as I appreciate you!

​xxooLaur

Our store went from hosting cooking parties and ladies shopping nights, to me trying to navigate the sea of endless paperwork for small business relief packages - which I either did not qualify for or the money was quickly gobbled up. Just like every other extremely small business, the pandemic certainly took a toll on my store. No walk in traffic, classes cancelled and refunds given, supply chain slowed down, and shipping was even slower. I knew if I was going to survive I had to learn to do business differently. Up until then, I relied on foot traffic, word of mouth, and social media for sales. After all, everything I do is custom designed and the variety of products I offer is best viewed in person. But, I quickly realized, that wasn't going to happen for quite some time. 

I had no choice but to figure out how to do business in this new environment. Through the holidays and the first part of the year, my store was busy and the merch was heading out the door as quickly as I could produce it. Design work and orders were fairly steady, and upcoming classes and events were filling up...that was until COVID-19 decided to rear it's ugly little germs. I had to think fast and pray hard that you, my tribe, would follow along with me. And boy, did you ever.

I  had been playing with a shirt-of-the-month concept for a while, but never really had the time it to get off the ground, until now. It's funny how a situation or circumstance can create motivation. If this lock down has a silver lining, it has to be our shirt-of-the-month boxes and bags. I truly LOVE planning the theme and creating the products that go into them.  But I'm not gonna lie, there has definitely been some issues.

Our first SOTM was shaky, I ran into shipping problems and product availability. You guys were patient and kind through it all. And when your boxes and bags arrived, you were quick to post pictures and share your excitement. People wanted to know more about it and how to order, which lead to even more success the following month. The May boxes are all delivered, and once again, you posted and shared your excitement with your friends and family.  As I write this, the anticipation of the June boxes has already started.

I am blown away by your response to my crazy SOTM concept. All of the generosity and kindness everyone has extended to me with this product has truly been amazing. Who knew the boost I was sending you would in fact be exactly the boost I needed. And that is why I am feeling pretty...grateful.  

Grab your June FDbox54 here,  The theme will be Pay It Forward.

Laur