I'll be 28 weeks pregnant tomorrow. 28! That means, I'm officially entering my third trimester, which completely blows my mind. I guess I expected these weeks to crawl by, but they have just flown!
With time whizzing by, I've started a few lists of things that MUST get done before this little one makes his/her appearance. Some things are absolute musts, like getting registered at the hospital, and others are musts in my head, but probably not mandatory, like organizing the pantry.
My etsy shop has been showing steady growth all year {which is fantastic!} but it's going to have to go on the back burner for a while. I've had an announcement on the front page for some time warning customers that I'll be closing down around Labor Day for the remainder of 2012, reopening sometime in early 2013. As of this moment, I have 13 piggy banks, a growth chart, and a toy box to paint......yeah. I'm busy! Problem is, my attention is getting pulled more and more toward nesting! Jon and I were discussing when to close up shop over the weekend. {Oh, it also doesn't help that I'm about 1/8 inch away from not fitting in my school desk that I paint at anymore. Belly's getting big!} I hate to close up the shop, because I love it so much! And, I can't help but wonder if my customers will return in the new year after I'm gone for so long.
But, I also know that I need this time before BabyD comes to prepare not only our home, but my heart. I need time to sit and contemplate this magnificent change that is coming.
To soak in this time with my husband.
And to scrub the crap outta every inch of this house.
I'll be making a decision on the official closing date this week. So, if you're wanting anything from jdavissquared in the next 4-5 months, you better get on over there! ;)
Does anyone have experience with closing shop for an extended leave? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I closed my shop for a summer and for a few weeks while we moved. While you can start back up, you lose a lot of momentum. Whenever you stop blogging, tweeting, and facebooking, the constant increase in traffic wil immediately decrease and as for traffic, you have to start from scratch. Granted, if you have a big following, it helps! Congrats on your sweet baby!
ReplyDeleteI haven't closed for an extended length of time, but I know a few shops that have done it. My recommendation is to post it everywhere...Shop announcement, profile, "about" pages, and all your social networking sites. And then when you come back, do the same, letting everyone know you're back, and make sure to update your turnaround time for any orders placed (because you'll have a new baby to keep you busy as well).
ReplyDeleteIt will be a little hard to get back into it all. I haven't left completely, but I've had to take a few "vacations," where I've kept the shop open but did absolutely no social networking. It's sometimes hard to get back to, but you can do it!
=0)
Focus on your family and enjoy every moment, and when you're ready to come back, ease into it - you'll have a lot of Etsy (and Blogging Buddies) support when you do!
~Kim
from Blogging Buddies
http://2justByou.blogspot.com
I remember nesting!! Enjoy this time :) I closed up shop for maternity leave and haven't reopened yet - I"m a little nervous about it too!
ReplyDelete