Wow! Two years! Part of me thinks I can't believe its only been two years and the other part is like I blinked and what the heck happened?! I've developed a few grey hairs and a few more wrinkles over the past two years, that's a promise;) First off, if your reading this, you're likely one of my loyal customers (I mean to make it onto my website, that's probably a pretty safe assumption), and I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your support. Obviously, without loyal customers, my doors wouldn't stay open. You all are the absolute BEST!!! Thank you for loving my store, on my family, and for all the friendships that I've made through this endeavor. 

I absolutely LOVE what I get to do- coming to work is FUN for me (well 99% of the time- steaming, hanging, tagging aren't exactly my favorites). I have met so many amazing, talented, uniquely beautiful women inside and out through S&S and I am forever grateful. Many of you have trusted me to dress you for some of your biggest milestones in your life- from weddings to funerals, from baby and wedding showers to family pictures that you'll cherish forever, dream vacations around the world to everyday, mundane life, and everything in between. I'd be lying if I said that I don't fill with pride when I see the clothes that I handpicked for my little store on someone. Even my little boys point it out to me if they notice someone wearing something that they've seen in the store. As silly as this sounds, I feel like what I do is much more than just sell clothes- its about making each and every woman feel beautiful, its about the personalized service, and the definitely the friendships I've been blessed with through S&S. Thank you all so much for trusting me and supporting my "crazy" dream- a storefront in a town of 500 people! You all are a true blessing to me, my family and our community! Truly, when you shop small, you are supporting someone's dream and livelihood. 

I promise its not always sunshine and rainbows though (I mean I wish it was!). I have learned many valuable lessons in the past two years- but mostly learned to believe in myself. One of the most difficult weeks I've had was the first week of July 2016. I was so stressed and  planned to publish my website on July 1, 2016- my husband's 32 birthday. I am a reformed perfectionist;) now and didn't sleep, mostly cried for weeks because I just couldn't get it all done and was disappointed in my website and self. I had money tied up in inventory that I was just sitting on without a website up and running. On July 5, I decided no matter what, I was pushing publish on the website the next day- July 6. Was it perfect? NOPE! Not even close. But, it was a start and that's the thing, you just have to start at some point and get better with the process. I remember driving to my daughter's doctor's appointment that morning and I started to hear dings on my phone as orders (which STILL excites me every.single.time I hear them) and I was like OH MY GOODNESS, people are buying my stuff! Like, I was in serious shock (I mean that was the point of starting a boutique and website but I couldn't believe it was actually happening). So, I guess the point is to never quit your daydream. Pursue it. It might not be perfect, or even pretty from the start, but you have to just put yourself out there at some point. You're going to be criticized anyway (unfortunately but that's the honest truth).  My store and website are always going to be a work in progress, but hopefully for the better. And that's okay because I believe that  life is about being a constant work in progress- trying to get better each day and that's all you can strive for. Another MAJOR thing I've learned is that you have to develop thick skin (for real!). I'll be honest and say I've had my feelings hurt many times- I'm not sure if people don't realize that this is my store- that I've put my blood, sweat, tears, and prayers into for the past two years (actually, decades technically, but who's counting). But, just like in life, for every rude person you encounter, there are 99 others who are absolutely amazing and restore your faith in humanity. I am forever thankful for those people!

If you can, I would LOVE for you to come and celebrate with me at the 2 Year Anniversary Bash- Saturday, July 7. There will be prizes, goodies, discounts, giveaways, etc. It's my little way to give back to my wonderful customers. THANK YOU AGAIN, from the bottom of my heart, for being the BEST CUSTOMERS EVER! <3 Rachel