06/06/2020
Dear customers, as many of you know, I have been agonizing over decisions I need to make for the future of my business. For quite some time now, I’ve been suffering from various physical ailments, many of which are due to overuse from all this baking over the years... my hands, fingers, arms... and my knee has bone-on-bone. It swells when I am on my feet for long periods of time. I have had to admit over the past several months when I have baked, even just for several orders and not a big sale, that for my physical health I need to quit. But mentally and emotionally I couldn’t do it. You all mean so much to me!!!
Over the years, I have gotten to know so many of you on a personal basis, and you have become my friends. Without knowing it, you have helped me through many trials over the years. Baking and being with my customers has been so therapeutic! Your devotion to my products is what has carried me through all the times when I was ready to call it quits.
And now something new has come along to cause me to give even more careful consideration to the future of my business: COVID-19. Our family has not been overly worried about the virus, but it’s potential effect as relates to operating my business has caused some concern. My husband pointed out that with contact tracing, there could potentially be a domino effect that would shut down his place of employment, were someone who attended the market diagnosed with the virus. There are also added rules and restrictions that will be implemented at the market now... masks, social distancing, preventing people from touching your products before purchasing, “safe” payment methods... Where does it all end? Of course, I’ve always made every effort to provide a safe product to my customers, but all of these added safety issues have given me that last nudge “over the edge.”
I have given these issues prayerful consideration; I have sought counsel and advice from many people; and I have made one of the most difficult decisions of my life, to close down the usual operations of my business. I have had to go through something like a grieving process since making this decision, and the hardest part was telling my kids and seeing how this decision affected them. They watched from the beginning as I built up my business, and it has been something very special to them as well. But together we are getting used to the idea and moving towards a place of acceptance.
I will still give consideration to occasional special orders, as long as there is no urgency, so feel free to reach out if you need something. And if I occasionally feel up to baking a quantity of something, I’ll offer it up here on this page for anyone interested.
Thank you all so very much for your patronage and devotion over the years! You are the ones who made my business the success that it has been, and I love you all for that! 🥰
