New Year, New Guts!

Hi W&L fam, 

Please excuse this disruption in our regular programming for a little story. 

This fall, at pretty much the exact same time as our upstairs expansion and Baby Luke's arrival, I started having mysterious gut troubles and non-stop pelvic pain. By the time Christmas rolled around, these symptoms had transformed me into Krampus himself. Krampus' general attitude is a little off-brand, so that's why you didn't see me around much. [Accurate depiction below, minus lederhosen.]

Fast forward to the new year, some surgery, and the good news: I'm going to be okay! Quite a lot of life left, experts agree. The bad news is I have some chronic illness things that I will probably have to manage forever. Wuh wuh.

For anyone who has ever started a small business or organization of any kind, you probably know how precarious the first few years are, and how any major situational shift in finances or health could make or break the whole thing. It was frightening. But we're still here because Erin, Baby Luke, and the W&L crew kept everything 100% intact and excellent this whole time. I could not be more grateful for their hard work, generosity, and understanding.

In case you were wondering, angels ARE real, they apparently have dimples, and two of them dropped from the sky onto Water Street just in time. Not only are Jess Weitz and Carolyn Loeb some of the smartest, kindest people we've ever met: they emanate energy, focus, and style. They are a huge part of what Watson & Lou has become, and we could not have maintained business as usual this fall without them.

Carolyn has now moved on to a job in her field and OH GAWD WE WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH. As luck would have it, we may have a new angel or two in the wings and will introduce them very soon. 

Our new upstairs studio dwellers: Leslie (Madderhouse Textile Studios), Jason (Wilkin's Art & Creative), and Aryn Mahood (Sweet Song), offered a ton of support too. From holding Baby Luke to installing routers to not killing anyone while waiting for the internet to work to covering the sales desk at a moment's notice, these three demonstrated patience and generosity far above and beyond the call of neighbourly duty.

With additional help from my main squeeze and some dear friends, not to mention the superhuman, not-surprising-but-still-impressive, nevertheless-she-persisted type strength and will of Erin Watson, the business made it through this rough patch totally unscathed. For all of this I am eternally grateful. 

Now that I finally have a diagnosis and am on the road to appropriate care, I hope to be in the shop more and more in the coming months and can't wait to see all of your nice faces. In the meantime, please high five whoever else you might encounter behind the sales desk, because they are supremely awesome. 

Thank you for your continued support in making this little dream come true and helping to spread the good word about #ptbomakers!

Missing you all,

Anna

p.s. My mom's fibre art guts have already sold out, but she's got new things in the works. Have a hooked wall art request? Drop us a line, or send her a message on Instagram @oddducksvintage.