I am over the moon to share with you my biggest business dream come true. But before I give you all the juicy details, let me start with some storytelling.
When I was 10 years old....I think- a lot of my childhood is a blur, so maybe I was 12...but I digress. When I was 10, I remember doing a school project where we pitched a business plan. I grew up in southern California, so I always loved the beach. This apparently inspired my very detailed 10 year old business plan. My business plan consisted of owning a surf shop, with a cafe, with live music. Don't ask my why a surf shop because I have zero experience surfing other than one surf lesson in 2001. But I did love apparel, coffee and live music, so we will go with it for the purpose of my illustration.
This is where it gets sappy. I always had a dream of owning a little shoppe, even as a little girl. A place where I could curate all my favorite things and share them with others. However, after Amazon emerged and the pandemic I figured my dream would never come to fruition. I thought is retail truly dying? Does everyone expect 2-day shipping? I've always loved the art of making human connections and experiences. I thought a well-designed and run brick and mortar can provide these connections and experiences. I would just have to be in the right location. This is where it gets juicy...
We are officially opening a brick and mortar AND it is in the most beautiful city in all of San Diego, Coronado Island! Yup. You heard it here first. I know. I can't even wrap my head around it myself. I am pinching myself while also possibly peeing myself. I NEVER in a million years thought this dream would be a reality. It just didn't make sense. How could a girl like me with a little dream end up with such an incredible opportunity?
I've been reminding myself to take every thought captive because even though it feels like I don't deserve it, or it's out of reach, God cares about our dreams. I consider this an absolute privilege and honor and can't wait to open our doors to the public. I recently read The Most Powerful Woman in the Room by Lydia Fenet and by "read", I mean I listened to it while driving on Audible because that's how I roll. I had to pause and save something she said that really captured the heart of this next season for me:
"The most powerful woman in the room doesn't do it alone. She doesn't want it alone. She wants everyone to succeed as much as she wants to succeed. Strength in numbers. Power in numbers." -Lydia Fenet
Life is not meant to be lived alone. I'm so grateful that I have the most incredible army of humans that are celebrating alongside me and want to be a part of the store opening. From the most supportive girl friends (you know who you are) to our favorite general contractors (shout out to Jeremy + Eric at San Diego Design + Remodeling-couldn't do this without you), reps (Katheryne at Pirch-I love you, Destiny and Dharmesh at MSI-you're incredible) and cabinetmaker (Nick at San Diego Custom Cabinets-your vote of confidence means the world). And none of this would be possible without the trust and relationship of my new business partner Jane. She believed in my small business and brings 25+ years retail experience and wholeheartedly supports my creative vision. This is the dream team! Their generosity is unmatched. I feel like the luckiest girl in the room. ;). Thank you, thank you, thank you!
There are so many of you that have cheered me on from the beginning. You've shared my page, referred a friend or shopped online with us. And some of you are clients that entrusted us with your home. You gave us a shot and allowed us the privilege to transform your personal home. I am forever grateful that I have had the pleasure of working with so many wonderful people over the years. Opening a shoppe is definitely the next phase for the business and I am counting down to all the smiles and hugs when we open our doors.
I am so excited to share our progress and our store opening. We are moving quickly in hopes of a soft opening in December (because I love spreading holiday cheer) with a proper grand opening in the new year. Make sure you follow along and join our newsletter for progress posts as well as social media for live updates. This is definitely the most personal project I've ever worked on. I would say it's even more personal than my own home because I'll be sharing it with so many lovely tourists, visitors and shoppers. I can't wait to welcome you to our little shoppe on 10th!
Follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Ready to renovate with The True House? Head to our services page to book a complimentary discovery call or email us at hello@thetruehouse.com for more details about working with us!