Ever since we added Wednesday hours to the store I've struggled with taking photos for the blog. Connie and her amazing team do pricing and setup Wednesday morning prior to our 1 pm opening. I need several hours to take photos, upload and write this weekly post - which means I have to take photos on Tuesday when there's hardly anything "new" priced and arranged. So I'm taking photos of - what often feels like - the same furniture I took photos of the week before! I usually can find a number of pieces that were brought out that hadn't been priced and "photo ready" the previous week BUT some of the coolest pieces aren't priced and are still on dollies waiting to be arranged.
Combined with a - sometimes - overwhelming volume of incoming calls, texts, and emails about possible donations and I'm feeling squeezed for time ON TOP OF feeling a bit stale and uninspired. The truth is I've been doing this weekly post for OVER FIFTEEN YEARS (yep, started in June of 2009) and simply put - I'm tired.
Don't get me wrong - I'm still madly in love with furniture (actually have loved design and furniture since I was little) - and still love our mission of reselling quality used furniture to help support the programs and services at Outreach (we're a faith-based, social service agency assisting those most vulnerable in DuPage County). It has always felt - and still feels - like a win for our donors (they donated good used furniture instead of throwing it out), a win for our customers (you can buy good used furniture at drastically less than the retail value) and a win for our community (individuals and families are provided with the services they need while paying a fraction of what those services would normally cost).
Every time I even hint to Connie I'm thinking the blog has run its course and we should shut it down - she exclaims how important it is to casting a wider customer net and bringing people in (which was the point when I started it). BUT! But, might there be an even better way of doing that? Could we establish an Instagram account and I could snap photos and upload on Wednesday mornings so you're seeing some of the "hot off the press" pieces?
So, that's what I'm thinking about and we'll see where this goes - but, for now, I can attest to the fact the store is bursting at the seams with some really amazing pieces and you should absolutely stop in and check things out! Cross my heart!
AND I can also share we're having a major décor sale AT BOTH STORES - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday!
