After 25 months of business, Petite Boutique is closing its doors. Simply put, the economy has trumped our novel concept, creative branding, and tireless efforts to clothe the shortest of stylish women. Our business started exceptionally strong, but since November of 2007 we have been fighting a nasty bug called a "recession," and despite frequent visits to our "business doctor" and lots of pain killers (reducing inventory), vitamins (focusing on our core customer), steroids (renewed business credit), and eating lots of fruits & veggies (re-vamping marketing), we are forced to give up the good fight.
We are very sad about our decision, but the bottom line is that we are not able to sell in one week what we used to and need to sell in one day. Women have stopped spending money -- at least "our women." So, in the end, when Lori and I, along with our incredibly faithful husbands, made the decision to close the doors, it became easy -- as we had taken all the meds prescribed and still found ourselves running a business with rapidly declining sales.
As a friend reminded me, it's important to think about the wonderful dividends that the business produced. These are non-monetary dividends, of course! Here's a few that come to mind:
- We employed a total of 9 different women over 25 months, plus a cleaning crew and two seamstresses.
- Nearly 2,000 petite women joined our mailing list.
- We dressed some of the most amazing women -- from politicians to musicians to teachers, lawyers, healthcare professionals, CPA's, bankers, stay-at-home moms, and so many more!
- We have laughed, cried, and laughed again with some of our customers -- both the ones we saw regularly and those we saw only once.
- We have seen customers get married, become parents, become grandparents, get new jobs, pass the bar, go on first dates, go on blind dates, fight cancer, beat cancer, and the list goes on.
- We have seen women come into Petite Boutique with absolutely no confidence about their bodies, only to leave with their heads held high and an armful of clothes -- that fit!
I could go on, but I'll stop at that. Needless to say, we're sad, but we also know that none of this has taken God by surprise. While we're not sure what these next chapters of our lives contain, we are confident that He, who began a good work in us, will be faithful to complete it.
Our liquidation started this morning at 10 am. We plan to -- and need to -- liquidate the entire store, so if you're in the area, please stop by. For all you non-petite women, we have furniture, office supplies, and lots of other great stuff!
I'll close with the notion that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. ... I'm sure in a few years I'll believe the same is true for owning a store ... we can only hope!
Bless you! I know this has to be terribly disappointing... you can be comforted that it was absolutely nothing that YOU did wrong. I am so sorry.
Posted by: Susan Houston | March 04, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Laurie and Jeremy - I am so sorry that this chapter is closing on your story.
Posted by: Jessica Turner | March 04, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Laurie - this post brought tears to my eyes. It is beautifully written and very poignant. I know this is painful and difficult, but the lessons you've learned and the lives you've touched...well, let's just say that this chapter is not for naught in the eyes of God. Take deep breaths and know you are loved.
Posted by: Ellen Hingst | March 04, 2009 at 03:57 PM
Laurie, I have never met you but know many people who do know you, so I sort of feel like I know you even though I really don't. I am so happy I thought to read this. I saw your baby in Jeremy's profile pic and just had to get a closer look. Adorable! What a year you have had--to have a baby and make this big decision to close up shop. Thank you for sharing the joy and the sadness of this challenging time. There are many lessons to be learned just by getting these types of real glimpses into the lives of others. Many blessings on you and your sweet family in this new season of your life.
Posted by: Jenny Black | March 04, 2009 at 07:05 PM
Laurie, I am just as proud of you on the day you close your store as I was on the day you opened it. I believe you were obedient to what you felt God was calling you to do. He allowed a different outcome than we had in mind, but the whole script is not clear to us yet. I love you, Mom
Posted by: Beth Whaley | March 05, 2009 at 04:08 PM
Laurie, I don't know what to say. So I'll just say that I'm praying for you, and I that I myself, though I probably never said it out loud, was very inspired by you doing this in the first place. You had a great career, but you also had a dream. I admire you so much for doing this, and I hope that you do it again one day... or move on to the next dream. Thank you for taking the leap. Even those around you are better for it.
Posted by: Alan Coulter | March 06, 2009 at 06:38 AM
Very well written, Girl. Grace permeates your words. The Lord is in control. Perhaps He needs your energy in other personal endeavors now. You are wise to rejoice in what you learned from the experience & in the lives you were intertwined with during the experience. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. (And I too from a distance have admired your entrepreneurship.) --Blessings from the One in Control, Tracy
Posted by: Tracy | March 09, 2009 at 09:57 AM
Laurie, I, too closed my business recently and know exactly what you're going through. To pour so much energy, tears, sweat, and passion into a business and then see it come to an end is disappointing, and the same time it's a relief to be free of the burden. You said it better than I ever could - "none of this has taken God by surprise". Wonderful work on your beautiful store and best wishes for your next venture.
Posted by: Scott Benton | March 30, 2009 at 08:41 PM