saxapahaw mercantile

{photo credit: me}

i briefly mentioned in this post that i had some exciting news to share with you guys. well, i'm finally ready to spill the beans! (i finally uploaded my pictures from my roommate's camera is what that means). 

a few weeks ago i responded to a "call to artists!" ad from a new handmade market opening in saxapahaw, nc. i sent off an email with a whole slew of pictures of product items and a link to my etsy shop and crossed my fingers. a few days later i got a response from the owner asking me to come in and show her my items in person. i took this as a very good sign so i allowed myself a few minutes of celebratory dancing. this was a bold move. definitely premature. but i was feeling epic. i went with it.

a few days later i drove over to saxapahaw and met with owner tiffanie at her beautiful store. she welcomed me inside and gave me the grand tour. think big, open floorplan, hardwood floors, exposed brick, high ceilings. near the back of the room was a small area for a coffee bar and in the very back, a brick room set up as a speakeasy. through two big, wooden doors exiting the speakeasy was an outdoor patio with lights strung up for outdoor movie nights. in other words, this place was every hipster crafting mama's (or papa's) dreamland.

we sat down at a small table near the front of the store and chatted a bit more about the shop. she told me she used to do store designs for anthropologie and ralph lauren. so not at all intimidating as i'm about to pour my little novice creative heart out on the folding table before us.

i laid out all of my goods and told her about my processes for each piece and the inspirations behind them. she was super nice and listened to me blather on and on. she asked questions about pricing and custom orders which i took as a good sign that even if she didn't understand what my rambling mouth was saying, she at least liked my product.

when i finished my spiel, she said the words i was hoping for, "we'd love to have your goods here!" or something to that effect. i was buzzing just like neon at this point so it's kind of a blur the exact words she said. we talked a few more details and i thanked her profusely for meeting with me and for this opportunity. i think i may have skip-jumped back to my car.

i am so excited to be a part of this new handmade store! i have been feeling unsure and restless about life in general but have also been thinking that my creative talents needed a new outlet. so thankful that i reached out and gave it a go. it's a scary thing to do, and doesn't always work out (i know because i have gotten plenty of "NO!!!" emails from various other shops), but when it does, it's pretty exhilarating.

i didn't get any pictures of the inside of the store because i didn't think it would have made a great first impression to be crouched here and there at weird angles snapping pictures, but i did take a few of the town itself. saxapahaw is kind of in the middle of nowhere and is probably about a mile in total length, but it's such a cute place. take a look! and check out the saxapahaw mercantile on facebook. tomorrow is their official grand opening! wish them (and me) luck.

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}