Mobility

One of the main reasons I started Bon Lemon was because it had the benefit of being mobile. I could be in Washington, Montana, or New Orleans and I could feasibly be running my business. I could accept online orders, have trunk shows, and ship out wonderful packages of sparkly goodies.

What I didn't realize is how much packing is involved in mobility when you are running a retail business. Yikes! 6 Par Farmer and I are on our way to Scottsdale where he will spend his winter months. (One of the benefits of being a farmer that counteracts the stress of wondering whether it's going to rain the rest of the year.)

After some incredibly poor planning on my part, which was saved by Johnnyocrates,(This story deserves a whole blog for itself and will have one soon.) we hit the road from Olympia, Washington in two cars. We would drop mine off in Missoula, Montana so it would be ready for my upcoming trunk shows and we would take Tyler's Jeep the rest of the way to Scottsdale. I loaded up my car with all of my wares, and displays, and tissue paper, and bags, and invoices, and business cards, and blah blah blah. It is a full car! I then realized, I would need to take some materials with me, so I could fulfill the "Hump Day Half-Off Special" orders from the road. I made an executive decision that all other orders would just have to wait until Monday. So I packed up some mailers, stickers, business cards, tissue paper, ribbon, earrings, and boxes and loaded them into Tyler's Jeep.

I have never enjoyed packing. I enjoy the feeling of having roots, being settled, and taking trips that spice up your life, but don't make you feel discombobulated, unorganized and transient. My new lifestyle as a travelling salesman has many pluses. Excessive amounts of packing may be considered one of the negatives. I am always forgetting something. And I am ALWAYS doing laundry. This I do not love. But I do love getting out and spreading the Bon Lemon love, which I try and remember when I am aimlessly loading up my suitcase, yet again :) (I am lucky to have trunk shows planned all over that require me to travel.)

And on this trip, I have a partner in crime. Talking about funny street signs, having the opportunity to doze off while the other is driving, enjoying some good meals and some disgusting gas station fried delicacies with someone who can appreciate the irony, and just talking makes travelling oh-so-much more fun. 6 Par Farmer makes the long drive seem not so long.

Today, is our last day on the road. We have stayed in some roadside motels. Enjoyed a couple of mediocre books on tape. Talked about the meaning of life. And gotten stiff backs from uncomfy beds. (Yes, we are old.) And soon we will be hiking Camelback, riding the cruisers to happy hour, chilling out by the pool, and eating Tee Pee All while keeping Bon Lemon up and running.

They say it is the journey not the destination. I agree, and I am enjoying the journey, but today, I am excited for the destination.