Internet - 24 x 7? Let's meet in person!

Our new store is well underway with construction, organization, and more as we work toward the February 15th deadline we have imposed on ourselves and we're just flittering with excitement!  I have to share with you what we have discovered as we undergo all these wonderful preparations (is it Christmas again?):

I am mesmerized by anything old.  I'm obsessed with antiques - they have a story to tell and something inside me believes I have to help antiques tell their story - my husband will tell you it is a sick fascination.  I just bought an old Singer Featherweight sewing machine and I'm itching to get it out and try it.   However, Janet and I are busy moving to the new store location while managing the orders coming in, so my passions will have to wait a while - but thinking about my precious antiques really drove home the meaning behind a quote I read today on Ebay (yes, I was looking at antiques).  It really encapsulated how our society has gone bonkers rushing through life and I had to share it with you:

"We're open weekdays, 9-6 Eastern, except for closed holidays, tornadoes and giant lizard attacks. We have families and enjoy natural light, the internet may run 24/7 but we do not."

Doesn't that just say it all?

Our wonderful customers come from all over the world and we get emails and orders around the clock (trust me - we LOVE that part of the internet! lol)  However, we've all grown so accustomed to having everything at our fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week we've really lost touch with reality.  How often do we make a phone call to a business and hang up in frustration when no one answers the telephone - without realizing it's 3 AM their time or maybe they are helping another customer?

Ahhhhh.....and here we are again back at my passion for antiques.  You see, a huge part of the value of opening this new store location is going to be actually getting to meet our customers, hug them, and welcome them into this building full of treasures we call "home" - just like my great-grandfather did 100 years ago in his General Store in East Tennessee!  No more dwelling like moles inside our warehouse wishing we could just show our customers how the finished product looks or feels or show them how gorgeous a new fabric is when it arrives.  We'll actually get to show our friends in person!

While we are thrilled to get to meet everyone, the very best part of our new building is the SPACE!  It's so much larger than our old location and we can actually spread out all our wares and get organized.  We do have to send out an apology to anyone who has waited a few extra days for their orders since we got caught in a crazy loop of snow storms, moving between buildings, and finding ourselves upside down for a few days with half our merchandise in one location and half in another!  You are all the best customers for being so patient with us and now that we're in the new location, all we have to worry about is "holidays, tornadoes and giant lizard attacks"!

Many hugs ~ Amy
Visit us starting February 15th at:
MMIJA
1009 Highway 11E
Jefferson City, Tennessee 37760