This week marks the last week my work will be sold at Lark Street Mercantile…for now! I wanted to celebrate the past year by writing my first blog post for my website detailing the incredible lessons I’ve learned. My hope is that others thinking about taking the next step in their small business will find inspiration in my experience.
Lesson One: You won’t know until you try.
My partner encouraged me to try selling my work when I first told him about the Merc. I met with the owner, Michelle, to get to know the shop at Clinton Street Mercantile and their business model to serve as an retail incubator for small business owners to explore selling in person. I loved the idea of a community of creatives working to lift each other up and inspire one another. Having just moved to the capital region in late 2019, I was excited to meet new people who shared a common interest. I felt a spark I haven’t felt since I was at Huntington my senior year of high school. And yet…I was hesitant to sign on. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to commit to a six month lease and I worried…what if no one buys my work? My grounding mantra throughout the process has, and continues to be: you won’t know until you try. It could be terrible. Or it could be amazing. The point is, there’s no knowing until you take a leap!
Lesson Two: Launching your small business in a pandemic presents its own challenges.
The Merc opened its doors on March 12th, 2020. I was thrilled to sell my first item (magnets!) and looked forward to making more sales, working shifts, and getting to know the community. Not long after, New York State shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic. Brandon & Michelle were rocks for all the vendors during the closure. They helped us transition to online sales, managed shipping, and accommodated those who could not make shifts when we reopened due to different comfort levels with COVID19.
Simultaneously, I found myself managing my new normal at work. It is no secret that social workers have been busy this past year. I found myself leaning into my creative practice as a means to survive the uncertainty each day brought. At times, I felt disappointed in my lack of commitment to in person sales during the pandemic. Most of the time, however, I met myself with compassion and grace. I felt immense gratitude when my fellow makers understood that my work as a social worker came first. Some days I was busy brainstorming with my coworkers how we would possibly reopen safely to serve our clients in person; other days we were actually reopening and navigating new health and safety guidelines. Being a helper during a time of crisis was a privilege. Balancing my helping career and my passion project was challenging. I was delighted when I discovered new ways to intersect my social work practice and passion for art.
Lesson Three: Inspiration is a ray of light during moments of darkness.
Following the brutal murder of George Floyd, I looked inward to see how I could use my platform to support the Black Lives Matter movement. As a privileged white woman, I knew the space I take up could be used in a more productive way to serve my community. There are different ways to contribute to a movement, and I recognized that my strength is in holding space & educating others. I drew on the small community I built online to get recommendations for local organizations that serve people of color. Art for Advocacy was born in June 2020. I shared the missions of the selected nonprofits on my shelf space to raise awareness in addition to donating up to 50% of profits from my initial art for advocacy collection. The work resonated with the Albany community. Collectively, we have raised over $100 from sales that have benefitted local nonprofits, including Erase Racism, In Our Own Voices, Hamilton Hill Arts Center, and First Tech Fund. I encourage you to check their work out. If you love their mission like me, give them a follow, and tell a friend. Even better, donate (if you can)! Nonprofits need support to continue providing critical services to the community.
Social justice and community engagement remains a top priority and I am committed to donating a portion of my profits from Becky Del Doodles sales to benefit New York based nonprofits. To date, this is my favorite part of selling my art because it enables me to give back. I hope to grow this part of my work and continue to amplify BIPOC voices through this platform.
Lesson Four: Go at your own pace. Don’t be afraid to take a step back.
I signed on for another six months in hopes that the pandemic would subside (spoiler alert: it didn’t.) I also ambitiously thought that I could manage work, getting married, moving into our first house, and my first holiday season at the Merc. The holidays are a busy time for small businesses and as best as I prepared for the rush, I realized I bit off more than I could chew! I watched as other vendors delivered beautifully hand crafted ornaments, holiday cards, and seasonal goods. I felt like I was scrambling to keep my shelf stocked appropriately to the season. Come Christmas 2020, I knew I couldn’t keep up with the pace despite the mentorship and guidance of my fellow creatives. Something had to give.
That brings me to today…the final week of sales at Lark Street Mercantile. It is bittersweet saying “goodbye for now” as I’ve learned SO much from the past year. I hope to return to in person sales in some capacity, whether it be craft fairs, my new neighbors at Clinton Street Mercantile, or elsewhere. For now, it is time to hit pause and shift focus to online sales. I learned how important it is to take a step back and that will allow me time to make plans to scale up my business when I’m ready to take the next big step forward.
Lesson Five: The best is yet to come…
I’m a confident believer in manifestation. This past year didn’t pan out as planned…yet I still count my blessings daily. I am healthy. I am employed. My loved ones are safe. I’m lucky enough to have not one, but two passions that fill my days with purpose. My plan for the present is to continue taking on commissions, rework my website and online store, and grow my digital audience. I’ve learned how to package, photograph, and promote my work this year. I credit that to the incredible makers I shared shelves and booths with at the Merc, who set the bar high! What I initially brought to the Merc was less polished. I’m confident that the next time around, I will bring my best product yet! Until then, I’ll continue social working by day and pursuing my second passion at night.
Thank you for following along on this journey. I hope you’ll stick around to see what comes next. Special thanks to my friends at Lark Street Mercantile. If you’re interested in becoming a vendor, you can fill out an application on their website. I promise you’ll come out of the experience better than you’d imagined.