FEBRUARY IS 'POTENTIAL' MONTH....

Let me start with the fact that February 2nd, known as Groundhog Day to many, is honored in our house as Imbolc, or Candlemass.  This wonderful date just happens to be the balance between the Winter Solstice, (Yule), and the Vernal Equinox (Ostara).  We physically see the days grow longer now.  It may seem just as cold, but the slight visible increase of day light will get my excitement rising for the coming of green and frogs.
  Because we are half way to Spring, and because it still is dark and the cold and snow continues to chill our bones, this is a good time to regroup. Staying close to the warming hearth, hot tea in hand and I close the ledger of a year past, and prep for 2016.  The taxes have been filed, it's time for planning and looking at this new year as one of only 'potential' and all things good.
  If you are like us, we plan for positive potentials.  We know that potential lies within our own efforts, and deeds.  Potential is a vibrating void, awaiting for what we plant within.  If we plan well, put in the effort needed, and are creative enough to excite others to help nurture our potential, we can only benefit and grow, just like a beautiful garden.  This could be a large scale life plan, but also each year the same holds true, on a smaller scale.  There may be carry overs from our past, but to be successful in anything, we have to follow these simple steps, and take into context what changes have brought to our new door of 'potential'. 
  As I said in my previous, January, post... Change Happens!  Change can be devastating, or we can use it as a new seed in our Potential Garden.  Who knows what may sprout from that mysterious seed, that so suddenly and shockingly popped up when were least expecting it?
  This year, Jerry and I are focusing on ourselves and our tiny business.  We will be helping ourselves and working hard to create a better flow of prosperity.  We realize that we need nurturing too.  Giving is always a good and up lifting life effort, but when those tasks are done, it's time to focus on our own garden of good things.
  Our plans are just beginning in February, but we can say one thing for sure, is that the 13th Annual May Day Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 14th, from 11 AM to 5:00 PM.  Mark your calendar to be here that day.  It will be a joyous event to benefit the good folks at the Northern Michigan Women's Resource Center Safe House one more and final time.
  Yes, we, Jerry and I, have come to the fact that age happens, and with that, energy and stamina becomes more elusive to aging bodies.  As much as we don't wish to succumb to our growing years, our age is spitefully tugging on us.  It would be nice to be as energetic as we were in the past, but reason and logic is also settling in.  So this year is THE year for May Day!  You can't say you'll catch next year, because this is IT!
  Sacred Sparks is holding a sale of 25% OFF all Tarot Decks and Sets.  So if you are in the market, this is a great time to get a beautiful set at a fabulous price!  No on line sales, you have to come to our shop for this great deal, and no checks or credit/debit cards, this is a cash only sale.  We are simplifying our life, I am sure you can understand.
   So if you are coming out please do call ahead, so we can be here and have the shop warmer.  We close the inner door between shop and studio to conserve on wood and keep our studio warmer for working fingers.  Call 231-536-2704  We look forward to seeing your happy face at our door.

Ch, Ch, Changes.....

All that is constant in American society is CHANGE.  I feel that is good for many reasons, but specifically it keeps us realizing that we are ALIVE, that we aren't ALONE, and that there is a FUTURE!

January 2016 see's Jerry and I and our tiny art business, riding the swells of change the best we can, in our humble little life boat.  Who would think that after 20 years of having a directional sign on the corner of Mt. Bliss Road, the M-32 Hwy, and Rogers Road here in East Jordan, Michigan, would be removed with no communication from the land owner.  It was a shock to say the least.  We went through an emotional series of shock, pain, grief, anger, and final acceptance. It's a long story but to be brief, our sign was requested by a gal who loved the arts and knew us and our efforts.  she approached us the first summer we opened.  She passed and the land was sold.  The new land owner took 3 years of time to accept their disgust of our business and name to finally tear down our sign to relieve their discomfort. It would have been a respectful gesture to us, to let us know they were going to do this, and allow us to remove it.  We did design and create the sign.  That has all passed now and we move on without that crucial directional sign, but we still have GPS and Google Maps to aid folks trying to find our out-of-the-way shop. We also have Face Book, our web site and our Etsy shop.  We hope people will continue to seek us out in this commercial world that is consuming all things unique and small.
  Along with that 2015 October incident, our customer traffic has diminished over the year, to bring us to some hard conclusions.  Having a shop full of bright, new, glossy inventory is a visual sign of speculative debt.  A risk that the shop owner takes, in trust that the purchased inventory will be sold to customers and thus pay the debt accrued. Life is a gamble on so many levels.  Dusty merchandise is a sign of low interest, on-line purchasing or low traffic, perhaps all of the above.  What this adds up to are the symptoms of a dying business.  When the owners have not created any significant changes to their operation, it becomes a puzzle to reasoning the cause. 

Such symptoms tell the story that no business owner wishes to come to grips with, especially after 22 years of happy sharing and empowering.  It deserves mourning.  The anguish of letting go of something, not unlike a well loved child, is worth the tears that well up at the thought.  What I mourn is no longer purchasing nifty things from other small American manufacturers.  It not only helps their business, but opening a box of ordered items is exciting to me.  I love offering new and unique things unlike the ho hum offerings of big box stores.
  The symptoms I discussed earlier, are demanding a change, as does the debt of inventory purchases.

  Being artists, ideas flow fluently and need to be brought into reality.  To stop creating would bring on stagnation, and the beautiful flow dreams and innovation.  So.. after much thought and discussion, Jerry and I have concluded that we will continue as we did 40 years ago, before our little shop was even thought of.  Sacred Sparks evolved from Jordan Valley Studios.  We will not reverse back to the old name, because we have created a strong identity to Sacred Sparks.  We will, however embrace our art, and all the things we create from our hands.  We still need to pay bills, so we will continue to keep our little handmade shop open to customers who seek the unusual and beautiful.
  The commercial inventory that we currently have on our shelves will be randomly placed on sale.  We may announce these sales, and we may just put a sign on our door, stating that a sale is happening that day.  We hope we can entice folks curiosity to stop and see what cool thing they can find at a reduced price. We will not be replacing any commercial inventory.
  We will, from this point forward, offer our art to our visitors.  So Sacred Sparks will continue as everyone remembers us, but just not the commercial stuff.  When it is finally all sold off, we will fill the empty space with our creations.  The calendars, date books, sculptures, doo dads, will slowly disappear as they are sold away, and we will become a bright and shining shop full of awesome Aydlott Art!
  Hopefully, if you have been a regular customer that you will continue to visit, and find cool, colorful and sparkly things.  If you only purchase the commercial items we offered, then you will need to go to Amazon for those.  What we do ever so hope, is that you will continue to visit our cute little shop to see what's new that day.  It may be a little drawing, new photo cards, new Goddess Dolls, pendulums, Faery Dust, Elf Powder, Earrings, Pins and notable Intentional Necklaces, and Women's MoonMeets, and who knows what other events we may offer.  But Sacred Sparks is far from dead, and this new direction is our resurrection! ...So Be It
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