OUR NEW VENTURE…

Every week…”I will not wait until the last minute to sit down and write my email.”

…11:41PM Tuesday Night and I’m still sitting here writing….

In my defense, I spent most of the day yesterday driving half way to Louisville and back.  My kiddos went to Gee Gee Camp this week.  That’s code for staying with my parents in Louisville.  They love going there each summer and my parents will sufficiently entertain them.  By the time I got home yesterday all I had the energy to do was watch the Bachelorette in real time.  A rarity.

Before you go thinking we’re getting crazy at the Kid-Free Gilion House let me reassure you there is pretty much just a bunch of catching up and work going on around here.  Jeremy and I did get up and go to our morning workout together.  Another rarity.  We normally have to alternate mornings since we can’t leave the kids at home sleeping by themselves.  It was Teamwork Tuesday today which means partner workouts at our gym so I told him I would only go to the 5AM workout (I’ve been sleeping an extra hour and going to the 6AM class this summer) if he would be my partner.  Normally I finish last in every single work out.  When we got home today I said “Thanks for being my partner, I didn’t actually finish last today!”   He said, “Everyone actually finished at the same time, it was a 20 Minute Workout.”  Hmmm…yes it was.  No wonder I felt so good!

Today I worked in the shop all.day.long.  Jana came and helped me rearrange quite a bit in the new space. We’re actually creating a Team Store for the new Football and School Season and it’s turning out so dang cute!   I lost track of the number of cars that pulled in and out while we were working.  I was able to catch a few customers and let them in, but others would see the hours on the door and pull back out.  This has become a pretty normal occurrence as the shop has grown.  Almost every time I’m there while we’re closed, customers who don’t know our normal hours pop in.

Then when I forgot to lock the door back one of our regular customers came in and surprised me when I was working on the other side of the shop and scared me half to death!  Then I scared her right back because I hadn’t showered from my morning workout, still had my workout clothes on and no makeup.  I was filthy dirty from moving things around and cleaning out all the dusty nook and crannies in the shop.  To top it all off the shop was a disaster!

After all that today, I feel encouraged about our decision to become a 5-DAY a WEEK SHOP.  YES!  You heard that right. Starting right after Labor Day, we’ll officially be open Tuesday – Saturday.  It’s taken almost 6 years but we know it’s time!   And we’re so excited!    I’ve always had 5 Days in the back of my mind as our “final destination” for our shop hours.   I almost went to 5 days in February when we added Wednesdays, but didn’t feel 100% at peace about it at that time.   I wanted to have the summer with my kiddos before adding another day to our schedule.

I’m pretty certain in my head (heart) that we will remain closed on Sundays and Mondays long term.   I need that for my sanity.  I need to know there are always going to be those 2 days when the shop is closed.  Because even if I have people working and covering the shop, my mentality and ability to be present with my kiddos is just not the same when the shop is open.

I picked up some Osaka for Jeremy and I for dinner once I finally found my keys in the mess of the shop.  I knew I wouldn’t be cooking tonight because we had a bunch of shirts to print.  (Which are going in above mentioned TEAM STORE!)

In case you missed it over on our Instagram Stories last weekend, we now have a small Screen Printing Press!  Jeremy spent some of his college time in Hawaii working in a TShirt shop screen printing tees.  Ever since Plume opened he’s mentioned how much he enjoyed screen printing and then a couple years ago actively started looking for some used equipment.   The stars all aligned a couple months ago and he purchased a small 4 Color press. It’s been fun learning about this with him and watching him print.

We’re excited to design and print shirts for you to enjoy.  Here’s one of my favorites so far,  I designed it with the Lyrics from the University’s Alma Mater, which was written in 1895.

Jeremy printed my design on a super soft Bella Canvas Circle Tee.  This style is feminine & flattering with a loose flowy top and a tapered waist line which creates a blousing effect.   These shirts are available in the shop and online if you’d like to snag one, HERE.

It’s just the beginning and we sure hope you’ll continue following along!

See you in the shop!