......farewell x
After 8
years and 10 months, I have decided to say goodbye to dots and spots. It has
reached a natural conclusion and I long to do something different, be around
people again, be part of a busy work environment.
What started
out as a little creative ‘playing’ in my studio whilst still teaching back in
2008, became a business bigger than I ever intended.
(How young do they look here!)
Something to ‘fit in
around the kids’, soon became something ‘the kids had to fit around’.
I gave up
teaching and after a truly successful five years of designing and trading at
the big London shows, we stocked just over 400 Independent retailers in the UK,
including large orders to Dobbies Garden Centre’s and Harrods to name a few.
However, we started the business just as the recession began and with
increasingly difficult trading times, coupled with Jeff's unexpected
redundancy in 2013 and subsequent ‘full on’ new job, we made the decision to
scale the business back, rather than take the risky decision to employ staff
and move into bigger premises etc.
So, for the
past 3/4 years the business has taken on a steady platform, selling through our
own website, NotontheHighStreet.com and selling wholesale to some loyal
independent retailers. Over this time we have not been designing new products,
as we didn’t want to take any financial risks on big print runs and Jeff
doesn’t have the time or enthusiasm to add new things to the website etc. The orders are easily picked and packed with
plenty of spare time on my hands.
I’ve dabbled helping out in my friends shop,
which I loved but sadly it closed. It did make me realise though how much I
enjoyed other people’s company, I miss being part of a ‘place’, a busy working
environment.
Since moving house last year, I have used the extra time to manage
the extension build and decorate our new home but with my dots and spots unit still
over in Shepton, where we used to live, 25 minutes away and with the desire not
to fill this house with dots and spots ‘stuff’ and move it all over here, the
time has come to say goodbye.
We have
given notice on the unit for the end of April. We will be holding a *CLOSING
DOWN SALE* over on our website throughout the month of March, with 75% off everything
starting on Tuesday the 7th March and in April, will possibly sell
off other bits, cello’s, packaging, postal tubes etc before we ‘give up’ the
unit at the end of the month.
(Poor Jeff - one of the many Ikea flat packs he's put together over the years!)
Want a bargain, want good quality items for
fund raising projects or to sell on yourself, then ask?
( info@dotsandspots.co.uk ) We do still have larger
quantities on some items (notebooks in particular) a few 'full' boxes of tape and
are more than happy to discuss a sensible price/offer. Live locally or have a
van and want IKEA Billy bookcases or the old IKEA 5x5 Expedit, now called
Kallax shelving units, then ask.
New job –
who knows!?! I need to do something to bring some money in and still fit in
around the children but with Sophie learning to drive and hopefully soon
passing her test, I won’t be restricted by the school run for a year or so. I
have no idea what I want to do, I’ve done a little supply teaching recently but
I’m not sure I want to go back to it. I would be frustrated as a classroom
assistant but I don’t want the responsibility/workload of a full on teacher and
I hate the short notice of supply. I just know that I want set hours, a regular
income and to be around other people.
It won’t be
long before Sophie will be off to university and I guess Sam will soon follow.
Jeff’s job in term time is all so consuming, so ‘now’ is a time to find a ‘little’
something for me. I like to be busy, I like to feel I am contributing to the
family pot, I like to know what I’m doing and although dots and spots gave me
reasonable flexibility, it was also so very in-flexible and unpredictable, as
you never knew how busy or quiet you would be.
Family time during the Summer holidays
and Christmas were often our busiest times, so I am actually looking forward to
the 9-5 routine, set hours and holiday time, weekends on/off, a payslip at the
end of each month, no surprises.
No customer enquiries late on a Sunday
evening, no ‘just popping to the post office’ en-route to somewhere else to
drop off mail sacks, no worries about money coming in or going out, no chasing
late payers or saying goodbye to £1000's because someone goes under. No dealing with customer enquiries whilst on holiday, no more waiting
around for couriers, deliveries, lost parcels and hassle!
So it is
with a little sadness that I say goodbye but also with a big smile on my face,
for what I have achieved and for what is ahead. I’ve just got to find the right thing.
I would like
to thank you all for your encouragement, support and custom over the past 8+
years. I have loved sharing the ups and downs of running a business here on the
blog and have loved engaging with people over on Facebook, Instagram etc. The
website and Facebook page will close shortly (end of April) as all the loose
ends are tied but the blog will still continue in the vein of recent years,
more as a personal diary for me to look back on.
I do have to say a few thank you's but will write another post - too many for today.
So farewell to
dots and spots x
