Hello world! Whew, it’s been a while…

When I sit down at this blog after a long hiatus like this (not the first time, mind you), I feel like I’m 12 years old, staring at a blank diary page after I neglected to write for months. I would look down at the diary and feel this huge expectation upon me. The pages saying to me: Well, where have you been? Fill me in on the past three months of your life! Surely you must have something to tell me?

And thus, this blank blog entry feels a lot like that. As though I am expected to recap everything that has happened in our lives since where we left off. Before the changes in our day-to-day lives and this amazing new adventure owning ReThreads really began. Back when I didn’t know what it was like to work 70 hours a week and we still spent the majority of our time together. As though I could just slowly turn the dial through these past few weeks and months, sharing and savoring the funny and beautiful moments, fast forwarding past the difficult ones.

But… (tell me you didn’t see this coming) I’m not going to do that. When I was 12 I picked up the diary out of the blue because I wanted to gush about my latest crush or how my best friend and I weren’t best friends anymore. I didn’t want to take on the task of bringing my diary up to speed from where I last left off. BORing. Then, as now, I had something pressing on my mind, and that’s why I came back. To share this juicy tidbit. This new passion in my life. Perhaps then, as now, I found it more suitable to live in the present rather than dwell on the past?

And so, here it is. The reason I’m back: to share an idea. It’s an idea in infancy right now, not yet a well thought out idea. But it’s still an idea worth sharing from the start. And a joint one at that. (As some of our best ideas tend to be!)

The basic premise is that we are going to spend $500 locally, on things that help grow our community and our selves. And we’re going to blog about it.

Here’s the story that led up to the idea: Due to a strange set of circumstances that nearly left us homeless, Mark and I were forced out of our most recent apartment and we received $500 in compensation for the inconvenience of having to move earlier than expected. At first we thought that the money would go a long way toward helping us furnish this new apartment and make it more homey and comfortable than the previous apartment. The last one always felt temporary to us, and thus we weren’t inspired to really make it feel like home. And even if we had been so inspired, there wasn’t much time: Have I mentioned we’ve been a little busy with a new baby in the family. Now, though I’m still just as busy at ReThreads, we’re more inclined to settle into this apartment and make it feel special, so we’ve been shopping for furnishings that feel like “us”. This would be a great way to spend our newfound moolah, right?

Right, except that home furnishings are things we would have bought eventually anyway. We’re both always keeping our eyes peeled for secondhand items to bring home that serve us functionally or aesthetically. And occasionally we buy new: we covet rare trips to IKEA like the cheap college kids we apparently still are (somewhere deep inside?). Buying furniture and artwork might be on our to-do list, but this new money won’t really be noticed if we just put it in savings and wait until the right pieces come along… That is to say, it’s like every time I receive cash as a holiday or birthday gift. It’s very very appreciated, but I don’t usually spend it on something I really want or will remember into the future. It usually just goes into the bank and ends up paying bills or some other nonmemorable purchase.

So we shifted our thinking, and wondered how else the money could make an impact in our lives, and maybe other peoples’ as well. After all, IKEA doesn’t really need our money. How can we have fun with this $500 and engage with our community at the same time?

Nearly every day it seems we learn of a cool new organization in Charlottesville, or local project that needs support, or fundraiser event that we want to attend. Or someone who could use their day brightened by a bouquet of flowers. So we decided that this is how we’re going to spend our money. Intentionally. On local products and services. Paying forward kindness. Treating ourselves to a class or event we might not have otherwise. Putting 100% of the money into the community, in a recordable way. As in, recording it on this blog as we go. What lessons will come from our $500 adventure? What new experiences will we have? What richness and beauty will we see in this community?

While we work out the groundrules of our little $500 challenge, here’s my question to you: If someone handed you $500 right now, how would you spend it? What would you do to make the world a little happier, your community a little stronger, yourself a little richer?

Welcome to the next segment of FAQs about Melissa’s new store, ReThreads. If you missed the first set of FAQs, you can find it here.

What does the store offer the community?

I envision ReThreads being more than just a retail reuse store (I would call it a “thrift shop” but that term has associations that aren’t what I’m going for).

ReThreads will serve the community in various ways. Not only is my mission to help keep things out of the landfill, but I also want it to be a helpful and fun community space offering community message boards, hosting skill shares and workshops on repurposing items, and potentially serving as a collection place for recyclables such as corks (through ReCork Charlottesville) or an educational hub for other environmental news and activism.

Mostly, though, ReThreads will be a fun place where useful things go to find a new home.

Where will the store be located?

I have signed a lease on a storefront in a great section of Charlottesville called McIntire Plaza. It is easily accessible from all directions, just off a major roadway (250 Bypass). Not your typical strip mall, McIntire Plaza’s history as a former industrial park turned mixed-use colorful commercial community fits perfectly with the mission of ReThreads: to reuse what you’ve got. Now home to many successful anchor businesses such as C’ville Coffee, Great Harvest Bread Company, and two reuse-related antique/vintage furniture stores, the Plaza is the perfect place for ReThreads to call home.

I’ve got nearly 30 feet of full window road frontage, a front and rear entrance, ample parking and an unloading zone. I’ve got neighboring businesses that cater to my target demographic (in addition to the businesses mentioned there’s a yoga studio, a donut shop, a rock climbing gym, a framing/art studio and many more). I’ve got affordable rent and a nice property management company. Seriously, it’s perfect…

What about foot traffic in front of your store?

Okay, it’s perfect except for one small detail: there’s not a ton of foot traffic directly in front of my store. To bring people in, I need to do some major marketing campaigns, post signs and sandwich boards near the other businesses in the Plaza, and hire Mark to stand with a billboard on the highway like this guy.

I know what this letter is all about. You want money, don’t you?

With or without outside funding I am committed to launching this business in early spring 2013. Thanks to my frugal lifestyle and income from various freelance work, I have a bit of savings I’ve been using to translate my idea into brick & mortar reality. Now I am looking to you, friends, to supplement my startup funds and help kick start my new business.

Speaking of kickstarting, you may wonder why I didn’t use an online fundraising tool such as Kickstarter.org or IndieGoGo.com to raise money. The answer is: I nearly did. In fact, I had already created the text behind such a campaign before ultimately deciding against it for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fee they charge for such services: 4-9% of the funds raised. Doing it informally like this allows me to keep more of the money – after all, if you choose to donate, you’d prefer it go to me and not administrative fees, right? (For the record, PayPal only charges 2.9%, and my bank doesn’t charge me anything if you just send me a check!)

But here’s the truth: This really isn’t about the money. I’m just happy you’ve read my note/update/manifesto/FAQs thus far. During this awesome but occasionally overwhelming startup phase I’m in need of emotional support just as much – or even more – than financial. So if all you can afford is a hug from afar or an internet high-five, then I’m grateful.

What will the money be used for?

There are so many business investments and expenses in this startup phase – from rent to store fixtures to beginning inventory to business licenses – but the biggest financial need for me right now is marketing. I have confidence in my store idea, location, and implementation thus far, but now I need to tell people I’m here!

It costs about $200 per week to buy (small) ad space in the either of the most popular newspapers in town. If I want to reach people with underwriting a local radio station, that’s another $100+ per week. Add in other local newsletters and targeted Facebook and Google ad campaigns and we’re talking over $2,000 per month. Of course I don’t have to – and can’t afford to – do it all, but in order to start off with a bang I’d like to dedicate at least $3,000 to advertising over the first six weeks (based on an industry recommendation from this awesome book).

Advertising isn’t the only marketing cost, of course. There are business cards to print, fliers to post around town, and storefront signage to buy. The outside signage alone will be another approximately $2,000.

Thankfully, there is one cost I don’t need to worry about right now: I’m working with a wonderful local artist to design my logo and marketing materials who has offered to work with me entirely for store credit. Meaning: I’m able to reduce my outlay of cash up front, and create a relationship with someone fully engaged in the success of the store. Win/win!

But yeah, back to the thousands of dollars that it will take to get this ship sailing… Might you be able to help? Perhaps you would consider buying me an ad? If I can get just 25 people to chip in $30, that will buy me a 1/8^th page ad in the popular C-ville Weekly for one month. It’s a start to getting the word out, and that’s what I’m in the business of doing these days!

Thank you – for reading this, for being excited for me, and for your support!

Stay tuned for the next post where I’ll answer some of your most common questions like: Where do you get your starting inventory?, and What will the floor layout look like?