Etsy Shop Closing

Hello again! I come bearing some news today, which you can tell from the title of this post. I have decided to close the Lina and Vi Etsy shop at the end of this month. While it is a bittersweet decision in many ways, it is the right decision for me at this time in my life. The last 4.5 years of running a small online business has taught me so much, and there is still so much that I need to learn. For now, though, it is time for me to take a pause.

This has been a transformative year for me personally as you probably already know with the birth of my daughter in 2017. Having a child puts a lot into perspective, and one thing that I have realized is that my time is at a premium now. The additional workload of running Lina and Vi wasn't producing the same amount of satisfaction as it was in the past years. The 2018 year for my business has been the slowest yet, and I can tell that my own motivation to keep it going has diminished. I no longer have the commitment level and free time I once did to experiment with new products, take photos, and continue to build an online community to help drive my online sales. It was hard to recognize, but I finally realized that the joy I once had in creating for the shop was hidden far beneath the frustrations I would have with myself for not giving this handmade business the time it needed this year to continue to be successful. It was a lose-lose for me, as I was holding myself to an expectation I could never achieve right now with everything that is on my plate. Running your own business, including dreaming up your own products, requires a lot of hustling which most of us don't realize until we do it.  For now, I want to step out of online sales, and focus on other interests, like reading, exercising, etc to help me grow in new areas.

I plan to continue to sew. Creating and crafting bring me so much happiness. I am a person who thrives on producing something, and if it is tangible in my hands, even better. Lina and Vi fulfilled that need for so long. I believe that we choose, or we are put into situations where we are presented with, certain paths that we need at that specific time of our life. Kind of that "everything happens for a reason" viewpoint. I started Lina and Vi in 2013 when my personal life was in transition as well, and I believe I focused on growing this initiative because that is what I needed at the time and having this small business was truly a source of pride and positivity for me during those years, some of which were particularly tough.

So I am going to leave this post saying that this won't be the end. I am sure I will start something new, but I'm not sure if it will burlap, bags, or sewing. I'm not sure yet when that will be, but I am keeping the door open. In the meantime, I will share posts here of things I have been creating to share with the general crafting and DIY community.

The Lina and Vi Etsy shop will be open until the end of December. I am hoping to sell everything still remaining in the shop before then and if not, it will be available at the Birchwood Boutique in Plymouth until sold. Thank you for continuing to support this small business and me. I hope that you continue to shop on Etsy and support the handmade community!

Erica