Hello, and welcome to the home of The Tiny Department Store. Here you will find my weekly newsletter where I share the behind the scenes of setting up a small business and working towards making my dream of opening a concept store a reality. Without premises or a large budget I have created possibly the world’s tiniest department store, measuring just the dimensions of the wooden box on the front of my shiny blue bicycle. The Tiny Department Store will pop up once a month with a new theme and a limited edition range of products that constantly evolve. I will also give you a peek inside my world, sharing snippets of my daily life, travels and inspirations. I would love you to join me on this journey.
Do you believe in magic? Not the white rabbit appearing from a top hat variety or the type that requires a wand, but more the kind of magic that sends a welcome jolt from your head to your toes. Serendipity is a more accurate descriptor but I secretly prefer to believe in the idea of tiny tantalizing glimmers of magic! You have to be in possibility mode of course, and need to build the door, before magic can gently knock. You also need to be listening carefully or she will become impatient and knock elsewhere.
I can think of a handful of tiny moments of magic that have occurred over the years and I have each stored and labeled in glass jars on a small wooden shelf tucked in the back of my mind. In more testing times it brings me comfort to close my eyes and select a jar. Releasing its heavy glass stopper to let the twinkly swirling warmth flow out, enveloping me like a warm embrace.
I was thinking about these little nuggets of magic when I read Posy her favourite book in bed last night. In the story, Llewellyn; a small white rabbit collects memories, sounds and seasons, storing each in a jar. Rainbows, raindrops and the crashing of waves are all neatly bottled and preserved. She was surprised when I shared that in my own small way I did the same thing.
A couple of small moments of magic have happened to me recently and they felt particularly magical as they began life on my vision board. I am still unsure as to where I sit with the concept of manifesting and am definitely not here to instill its virtues but I thought I would share my experience. I have always loved creating collages using tear outs from my favourite magazines. It began in childhood when I would design my dream bedroom and continued with mood boards at art school and Pinterest boards to plan my wedding. It felt like little more than a shuffle step from a mood board to a vision board so I got out my glue stick and scissors and made my very own. An hour or so later the crisp white sheet was filled with inspiring words and beautiful images that made my heart happy. I included the names of people that I would love to work with, ideas for projects and collaborations. Some goals were specific whilst others were much more ephemeral.
I like to keep my vision board folded inside my sketchbook and look at it frequently. A goal for the spring was to have some lovely photographs taken of my Tiny Department Store and I was beginning the search for a local photographer. As I was beginning to send emails, my eyes caught sight of my vision board and the name of a dreamy photographer that I have wanted to work with for years. When I wrote a book proposal several years ago, Ashley Lima was recommended to me by a good friend in publishing and I was immediately drawn to her light, bright and aspirational style.
Ashley take photographs for beautiful books, she is a seasoned professional who doesn’t usually photograph girls selling wares from bicycle baskets but bravery was on my side and I decided to drop her a line. I told her the absolute truth that she was on my vision board and I would love nothing more than to grab an hour with her if she was ever in the area. I had a very small budget and knew that the chance was slim but that I wanted to at least ask, fortune favors the bold or so they say. Well the stars aligned and after a little back and forth we found an hour that worked for us both and booked it into our diaries.
The second tiny streak of magic occurred when I reached out to the owner of the most beautiful store in town. It is the kind of place where nothing has a price tag, and is only open by appointment. I peer longingly through the window every time I walk by but have never been inside. My initial location had fallen through at the very last moment and with only days before my photoshoot, my bicycle and I were homeless. I again managed to dig down into my reserves and found a small sharp shard of bravery. I reached out to the owner to ask if there was any possible way that I could meet the photographer in her lovely space for an hour. After a day or two of nervously waiting and trying not to imagine the worst, she said yes and the little glimmer of magic grew to become a bright shimmering pool.
The morning of the shoot arrived and despite several spanners in the works including a very sick child and a night with little sleep, I uncorked the two newly added glass jars from their special shelf and allowed myself a moment to soak in the magic before packing up my bike and setting off. The precious hour zoomed by in an instant and I was so grateful for these two women who had gifted me their time, beautiful space and creativity. Whatever lens you choose to view this situation, if certainly felt like little wishes coming true for me.
I would love to know if you too believe in magic. Has anything from your vision board ever jumped from the page into your reality? It can feel hard when the world feels heavy and bleak but surely it is even more important to seek out the chinks of lightness. I would love you to share any small moments in the comments.
Until next week, Kate x
It just shows what can happen if you are able to overcome your fears and find the courage to ask. This is such a difficult thing to do x
I one-hundred-percent believe in magic! This was a delight to read.