Advice from a small town girl

I’ve never really thought of myself as much of a gambler.

In fact, I was stunned when I moved here and found out how many people just loved getting in the car and driving a couple of hours to throw their money away.

Since that time, I’ve made that trip a few times myself, usually with that same result.

There are some people in the world who can’t stay away, but I’m not one of them.

Actually, it’s kind of a relief to know that there’s at least one thing I’m not addicted to.

It has always seemed to me that farmers know more than a little bit about gambling, but until very recently I had not connected the dots between gambling and owning a business.

Especially a small business.

Especially a small business in a small town.

And especially a small business in a small town in the middle of a questionable economy.

What was I thinking?

I used to like shooting craps at the Two Rivers casino. The staff there were patient with people like me who don’t think very fast anymore. I liked that particular game because I knew what the odds were (at least sort of.) To be honest, I don’t want to have to think very hard when I’m trying to be entertained. Somehow those two activities seem to be mutually exclusive.

Let’s get back to the point.

The past few weeks have been hectic, as I tried to get the quilt shop up and running with adequate inventory and a friendly atmosphere. March 1 and 2 were the goal, as that was when we had scheduled our grand opening.

For awhile, it was nervewracking, as only a few bolts of new fabric appeared, sort of trickling in.

And it seemed that every notions order was short of what we needed.

We thought we’d have plenty of time to sew up a few samples, using new fabrics and patterns.

Hah!

We did eventually get in enough fabric to look like a quilt shop, and friends volunteered to make samples for us.

We got the shop clean, rearranged everything a bit, made up some gift bags, and opened the doors a week or two early so we could practice our procedures.

Friday was wonderful.

Lots of people came in; some to shop and some to bring cards or flowers, and all of them conveyed their best wishes for our success.

It was great!

We had a little celebration afterwards, and then went home to sleep so we could repeat it Saturday.

Except Saturday was dead.

Saturday was like the last few times I visited the casino. No return on investment.

Well, that’s not strictly true.

We had an OK day, but it wasn’t anywhere near what we had anticipated.

We’ve been telling ourselves that it was because of this, that , or the other thing.

Now, I’m not writing this so you’ll all rush in and become quilters. We’re so new that we can’t possibly be desperate yet. I’m just telling a story. About gambling.

Only time will tell if our business will be a success.

We’ve rolled the dice, and are waiting to see if they come up seven, eleven, or craps.