When Heartfelt opened on the last day of April 2011, its aesthetic was certainly “spare”–I had purchased all the inventory I could afford and it filled only part of the store. Products were artfully arranged on tables and we had several seating areas to help fill the space. Thank goodness for the big tree house, which filled the back corner nicely. Fast forward almost seven years: the inventory has doubled, our craft tables are often filled to the max when kids are off school, we even moved our comfy couch to the basement to make room for an additional table for the busy holiday season. Our bustling birthday party business can make Saturdays very intense for my staff, our drop-in crafters, and shoppers.
About two years ago, I mentioned to my landlord that I would be interested in additional space, should it come available. We discussed a Heartfelt expansion every once in a while; things finally started to gel last summer. The Christian Science Reading Room decided to find a new location and my landlord offered me their space. After some negotiating, we came to agreement–Heartfelt 2.0 is coming!
The plan is to take down part of the wall between the two spaces. There is lots of work to do before this happens. I hope to repair the tin that is hiding above the current drop ceiling, install a kitchenette with a dishwasher, add an art sink at the back of the existing Heartfelt, pull up the carpet, decorate the bathroom…it’s a long list! I am targeting spring break for a finish date; earlier would be even better. Stay tuned for updates.