Incarnations

I saw our first snowfall this morning outside THE BLISSFUL. In my mind, that's a wonderful sign of things to come: Winter is on its way and the Holidays are almost upon us. But the current in the air is that of waiting. As the nation holds its breath awaiting the results of next week's Presidential election, it's a little difficult to completely surrender one's thoughts to Thanksgiving plans, etc. {though my sister-in-law is putting up her Christmas tree as we speak!}. Though this may seem a bit early to most of us, I think she's got the right spirit!

This is an unusual week for us at THE BLISSFUL, but one that we prepare for essentially every other week of the year in one way or another. This Sunday the 2nd, we unveil Peace on Earth, our Holiday Open House. We hope you'll join us that day for some peaceful shopping adventures through our unconventional Parisian-esque Christmas story. Festive bites and beverages will be served and we're throwing a special sale to trumpet the new saison. Maybe it'll even take your mind off of the pollsters and pundits!


In order to pull off the big feat that is our annual Holiday Open House, the shop will be closed this Wednesday the 29th through Saturday the 1st. We've got all of our favorite girls lined up--Zoey, Jamie, Lindsay, Lisa, Francie, Krystal, Kate, and Becki--and we're ready to go to town on this place when the clock strikes 6 PM tomorrow. As usual, it'll be a whirlwind of four 15-18 hours day in a row, but with a well-trained creative staff, I am more at ease than I ever have been going into one of these events.

If you're going to be traveling from some distance to attend, our staff would be happy to make suggestions for hotel accommodations, great local places to eat, etc. Just call the shop at 330.492.2500 or e-mail us at helpdesk@theblissful.com and we'd be delighted to help out!


I may try to blog periodically throughout the week with progress shots, but I'm not promising anything. My goal this year is to get more than an hour and a half of sleep the night before. Some of you will recall last year's 1:45 AM pizza-box-as-pillow debacle, which I blogged about here.

Speaking of that link from last November, it's kind of cool and kind of deflating for me as Proprietor to see what we accomplished last year. As a shop keeper, your eye develops so much from year to year that you tend to astound yourself. I look back at past displays as captured on my blog posts and from my own photo archives and think, "Wow. We did that? I probably wouldn't do it that way had I the same merchandise now." It's both humbling and an interesting objective exercise for my stylist's eye. I can just promise that this year when we emerge from our new incarnation at twelve noon on Sunday the 2nd {after shaking off a good coating of glitter}, we will feel that this year's Holiday story is so much more right, so much more us. In this business, you are perpetually trying to surpass what you did last year, last time. . .and I don't necessarily mean in terms of bigger and "better" {whatever that might mean}. I'm talking about creating and re-creating a shop that is ever more aesthetically apropros, ever more soul-stirring, ever more evocative of your concept, ever warmer and more approachable, ever more buyable {especially in these crazy economic times}, ever more true to the present moment than yesterday's shop.

This is why we so appreciate those customers who grow with us, those who have been there from the beginning {even way back to our first incarnation in a Barn} and those who just discovered us for the first time today {thanks to you, Pat and Cher, if you're reading}. You are the people for whom we create the shop anew, season after miraculous season. We dedicate Peace on Earth to you.

Next time you hear from me, I'll likely be knee-deep in a mound of cherry cordial red XXXXX or stacking up boxes full of XXXXX dusted with pink Himalayan sea salt. Or maybe I'll be folding our new grape and persimmon-colored scarves and XXXXX. Or trimming a tree with recycled XXXXX and our Merry Christmas XXXXX, you know the burlap ones in earthy tones of XXXXX and charcoal. Did I mention, by the way, that one of the looks in our Holiday story is in a palette of deep blood red with zinc, XXXXX, and XXXXX? I know, it sounds a little out there but I see it as traditional with the cool quotient turned up a few notches. Several notches, in fact. Oh, and one of my favorite things we found are the mercury glass XXXXX XXXXX embossed with XXXXX! They will be amazing with the new Falling Snow XXXXX from XXXXX. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

Okay. I'm going to get out of here for the night and go home and rest. I have a big week ahead of me!

Peace.