Times are a-changing and our storefront is too…
Running a business is one of the most rewarding and most challenging things I’ve ever done in my life. More challenging than running it? Growing it. Throughout the process of building our company, I have unexpectedly been stretched and educated in many ways. I’ve experienced success and failure, the highs and the lows. I wish I could say we went from 0 to 60 with nothing but unicorns, roses and rainbows… but I’m more into being honest and a little vulnerable than I am into faking it.
Growing with the right people who share your passion and enjoy the climb is something we have worked to cultivate for years. It’s taken some twists and turns to get here, but I can say with all my heart, that we have the most incredible group of talented, fun, thoughtful and amazing team here at Amy Storm & Company. So, when it comes to more growth or change, I sometimes feel a little timid to shake things up. However, I’m so confident in our staff, the work we are producing, the support we receive from our clients and colleagues in the design industry that this next shift in our business will be the right decision and worth the effort.
Right now, the most challenging area of growth we are facing is about our space. Unfortunately, the most creative space planning (which we do on the daily for our clients!) can’t get us out of this one… believe me, I have tried! Allow me to provide a little backstory for those of you that haven’t known or followed us for very long. In 2016, we moved our small business out of our house and into our current space in downtown Glen Ellyn. We thought the new space was way too big for the team, so we opened a retail store in the front half of the space. Did we have retail experience? Well, I worked at OldNavy on the weekends after college to help pay off student loans. While in college, Josh worked at the campus bookstore… but he got fired because he was reading a course book at the register. So, not much. In 2018, we decided to take our store online. In 2019, we literally knocked down a wall (yes, the same one we put up) and assumed more space so we could grow the design studio, again. Now, in 2021, there are no more walls to knock down, but we need more space to expand our interior design studio. There is one (easy) way to get it. After months of consideration and prayer, seeking wise counsel from our incredible financial consultants as well as gifted industry strategists, we have decided to evolve our store to be online only and sunset our brick & mortar store.
Blah. There. I said it.
When you are trying to grow a business, it’s extremely easy to get distracted by all the things you COULD do and lose focus on the things that you SHOULD do. You get caught up in seeing what everyone else is doing and think “we can do that too!” Honestly, I love having a retail store. I love chatting with customers and sharing our beautiful goods we’ve curated. I love sharing the stories behind the artisans that create them. I absolutely enjoy the process of scouring the globe (or even a flee market!) to find unique product and incredible vendors. It’s allowed us to offer everyone, not just our clients, access to the same great products and vibe with which we design.
If you are a faithful visitor of our store… THANK YOU! You have a special place in our hearts. And don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging. We will still have our favorite finds available in our online store with new items that we think are must-haves. We’re just going to be a little more selective about what we include. Much like how we help define our clients’ design DNA, we’re refining our store’s DNA, which is very exciting… we’ll have more on that in the weeks to come! For our local friends, we will still offer local deliveries and order pick-up, so now you can just shop longer in your pj’s.
Excited to show what this space becomes!
