Last year I closed my small business. It was called hatter & rose. The mad hatter and myself. Making nature-inspired headwear galore!
Originally I made mouse ears meant for wearing to theme parks as I am a huge Disney parks fan. I started with floral ears and castle crowns inspired by Disney and Harry Potter. After the first couple years, I introduced cloth ears to my shop that had a more classic style. Loads of patterns and prints. Interchangeable bow options. You name it! But being a small shop owner who crafts, ships, and markets all their own product is exhausting.
I didn’t mind the exhaustion. But the sales just weren’t what I hoped they’d be. And it was increasingly difficult to maintain and try to focus on getting full-time work elsewhere or maintaining a job at the same time. There are certainly shops that have succeeded in that regard, but perhaps they had different schedules or some savings to kickstart their ventures? Or it’s possible I work too slow. I have always been a ‘quality over quantity’ kind of person and sometimes that can lead to obsessing or overworking or an attempt at perfectionism. And that can really suck up your time. I’m certain the space which I was working out of throughout the existence of my shop was not really conducive to success. I have no interest in making excuses. I simply like to look at all the variables because that’s how you learn. It’s how you learn about yourself, your work ethic/style, your business model. And it’s how you do better in the future. That’s always been my goal.
Toward the tail-end of my shop’s existence, I started making flower crowns. And in truth, I enjoyed making them far more than I ever enjoyed making mouse ears. They were more creative for me and simply more my aesthetic. Eventually, getting a full-time job nearly two hours drive each way from my house made my time even more limited and I sold the remainder of my flower crowns, even giving away the last two just to clear some space at my desk.
I constantly think about starting up the flower crowns again and other faux-flower projects like minimalist wreaths and wall hangings, etc. I still have bags of flowers in my storage unit and hot glue sticks in every drawer – you name it!
There was (and is!) something so meditative about creating with flowers, real or fake! There’s focus and creativity and a sense that nature is around you. Your mind doesn’t drift like you might think because you are so concerned with the perfect placement and blending of color. And having a finished product that echoes the mood you intended and embodies your hard work is so satisfying.
And seeing other people enjoy your work is just as rewarding.
For all of these reasons and more I will constantly be considering reviving hatter & rose. And maybe one day it will happen right here.
