Maddie Lisee: Creative solutions

Last week, I was reading a post in which the author was breathing a sigh of relief over closing her store last fall. Granted, I don't know her exact circumstances, but it seemed like the gist of it was, "I'll just wait it out on the sidelines 'til things get better." This stuck with me in a week that also contained President Obama's stirring inaugural speech, which had a lot to say about the virtues of staying in the game, even when it's tough. I've always admired people who choose to do just that, and we had a great real-life example this weekend on our monthly visit to Maddie Lisee in Lebanon. Ohio. Heather Kramb, the store's owner, is faced with the same economic climate as the rest of us, but was also greeted with the news that her street and sidewalk will be closed for the next 18 months due to a construction project. Ughh. Any business owner who has been faced with a similar project knows what a nightmare it can be. And right now, people don't need another excuse not be be visiting your store! But instead of closing, Heather came up with a creative solution: She's only going to be open on Saturdays during the construction period and has set up an etsy site so people can still shop during the week. She's using the extra time this change has created to hunt for treasures, work on projects and fabricate her signature jewelry (one example pictured above). We were happy to hear that so far, things are going great! I believe that all adversity is paired with an equal amount of opportunity; by trying to simply side-step a problem, you miss out on the lessons to be learned, as well as the hidden gifts to be received. So join us in supporting Heather's choice! Visit her website, www.maddielisee.com, to see more photos of the store's goodies, such as the cute Valentine vignette pictured below, and check out her new etsy site, www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6014190.