I have a dream.

So they say that people who write their dreams down are what, 100 times more likely for it to come true?  Something like that anyway.  So, I'm going to write my dream and see what happens. 

I want to own my own business.  More about that in a second.  Looking back, I guess I should have always known this was my true calling.  It started with Papillon Jewelery which I think was my first business jaunt at the ripe old age of 13 or so.  My across the street neighbor, Keri, and I started making jewelery in the crawl space under her parents house.  Yes, in the crawl space.  That's how dedicated we were.  We spent countless hours under there in the cold, dark, damp part of the basement that didn't even have an actual floor - just dirt covered up with a plastic tarp.  And our cardboard table and a light.  I guess her parents figured there was only so much we could mess up in that part of the house.  I'm not sure that we ever sold a piece of the jewelery (not that there was really a venue for it since the internet was only a figment of our imagination at the time) but that wasn't the point.  The dedication was the point.  This went on for years us making this jewelry.

Then came FCC my sophmore year of high school.  This was the brain child of my friend Reeves but I was as serious as a heart attack about it.  FCC stood for Famous Crazy Club and it was our mission to raise enough money to get ourselves to California after our senior year of high school to search out movie stars.  Reeves was naturally the President but I was the all important Secretary/Treasurer.  A position that suited me to a tee because I got to collect and manage all the money.  We had our own bank account and concocted a bijillion ways to squeeze money from our friends, classmates and family members.  Some of the more profitable ideas were selling mixed tapes, selling blow pops in homeroom, the FCC cafe - a restaurant we opened for a day, Lemonade sales, selling mistletoe at Christmas by the grocery store (a REAL great idea, FYI), swimming laps for pledges, a subscription to our monthy celebrity newsletter, and the list could go on.  The point once again was the ingenuity and the dedication.  We raised thousands and believe it or not spent a month in California after we graduated from highschool (and even saw some movie stars!).

Then came Cameron Tucker home.  A business venture my aunt Tucker and I started after my Mom passed away a few years ago.  My aunt owns two stores in Norfolk, VA (check out the White Rabbitt and the Wild Hare if you're ever there - you won't be disappointed!) and so we sold some of their inventory as well as pieces we found at thrift stores and places at two home shows - one in DC at my house and one in Raleigh, NC at my mom's house.  The problem wasn't selling what we found - we did a lot of that and my friends were all really supportive and into it.  The problem was finding the time to continuously find the pieces to sell and to handle the website and do the business of it.  So, we put it on pause and hope to find some business that we can do together down the road. 

Now that I've started my blog which was always a dream of mine, I've been toying with the idea of doing an etsy shop which sounds fun but I'm afraid that will turn into a Cameron Tucker Home fiasco where, with a real day job to go to, the business won't really take off and be something that makes me feel fulfilled.  It will be half-ass if I'm honest about it. 

I like my job a lot and I know the benefits are good and we need the income.  But all that aside, what I really want to do is own my own business.  And I want a partner to help keep me sane and motivated and to share in the bliss of being your own boss.  I want my dog to be able to come to work with me.  I want to feel fulfilled and creative.  I want to be successful and I want to make money.  I want an actual store front where people can come in and I can meet customers and help them and they can see tangible items for sale.  And I want a web based business to boot.  And I want to offer design services.  And all of this has to be affordable - something I definitely feel the DC area is lacking.  I want to make design affordable and accessible for the rank and file.  For the young people who are starting out.  For people who have come to a transient area who aren't staying for long but want to make their places feel homey and cozy and urban.  I want the store to have an eclectic mix of things to suit lots of different tastes.  I want it to feel fresh and creative and not stuffy in the least.  I want to play fun music that makes my customers want to dance and laugh and have FUN. 

Maybe this is a tall order.  And clearly I need to plan this whole idea out a lot more than a blog post filled with my rambling stream of consciousness.  But, it is a start right?  I've got a dream and I hope one day (in the not too distant furture) I can make it a reality.