“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu

Hi Everyone!

Well, I hope all who came to our Fall Open House had a wonderful shopping experience! This letter is a little challenging to write this month since I’m writing it before the Fall Open House. This is the first time I’ve had to write about one of our events before it’s happened. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the Mulberry Gals for all their hard work and dedication in getting the shop ready for the event. I’ll talk more about how the Open House went next month, so I guess you might say this is a two-part letter.

This month I’d like to give you a behind-the-scenes “snapshot” of how we go about getting the shop looking so magical. First, it starts with finding all of the distinctly unique items to bring in for the season. This year, I knew I wanted to do something different. This is why I chose to move Halloween into the “Bedroom”. I had a vision that started with the big spider web and the big spider over the bed. The idea was of moving from a little “whimsy”, to the “elegant”, then to the “dark forest”. I kept that in my mind as I chose the unique items to bring in. It’s a process that can take months just to select and order the right things, and then weeks for all of it to come together.

Once I had completed the ordering (most of it anyway), I walked through each room with Michelle and Veronica, my helpful decorators, and explained to them the story that I wanted to tell. I wanted the “Kitchen” to represent an elegant dinner table setting with the entire room depicting nature’s bounty of fall colors, and the “Front Room” to portray a beautiful fall day full of fun and “whimsy” just as if you were all walking up to the families house to gather for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. This is the idea, the story I wanted to tell. This is what I explained to Veronica and Michelle. Once I explain my ideas to them, that’s all I need to do. It’s so important to all be on the same page and we three are. We all work so well together. Their talents to know what I am envisioning are fantastic. We each have our own “niche” and that’s what makes it so special and come together so wonderfully. The entire process takes about 6 weeks to display and decorate for the Fall Open House. Many long hours working wee into the morning, but we all agree it’s so worth it! I’m sure you all will agree too. Now that I gave you just a “snapshot” of what we do, let me say thank you to you all for coming and being a part of this special day, for with out you this little shop would not be possible!

If you were unable to make it to the Open House, I urge you to come in soon before all the wonderful Fall treasures are all gone. Now, there’s still many new items arriving throughout the month, so if you thought you’ve seen it all at the Fall Open House, you’ll be surprised how much more there is to see! Arriving soon are some wonderfully unique items from Park Hill. The gals and I just love this line! We’ll also have a new line of cards from Cardthartic-Honoring Emotions that I guarantee you will love. They’re funny, beautiful, and I can say from experience, reading some of their sympathy cards will definitely bring a tear to your eye. Yes! And this line also carry’s pet sympathy cards too. I’ve been searching for a well-written card line and I’ve found it! We’ve also brought back some beautiful canvas pictures from Moonlight & Roses. These are just beautiful. You will find these in the beach section. I could go on and on about what else is coming in, but I’m not going to. I want you to come in and discover them for yourself.

We have so much, everything from wonderful Fall items to everyday gifts and home decor and now that we are… yep, I’m going to say it… at the start of the holiday season, there will be new things arriving almost every week. Oh, I almost forgot! You know what else has arrived… YES! THE LANG CALENDARS ARE HERE! SO COME IN QUICK BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS SELL OUT FAST! On that note, I will close this letter by saying this in celebration for all the little wee ones that are going back to school and giving all you moms a little break. “School days, school days, Dear old golden rule days. ‘Readin’ and ‘ritin’ and ‘rithmetic, Taught to the tune of a hick’ry stick.” Come on now… do you know the rest of the song? What adult today doesn’t remember singing “School Days” in his or her youth? This classic song of nostalgia for the rigors of “readin’ and writin’ and ‘rithmetic” was composed by Will Cobb and Gus Edwards and first heard in 1907. Ahhhh… the sounds of Fall! Happy Fall Y’all!

Love and God Bless,

Jamie