The sign wound up being the very last thing taken out of the store. They're finally adding that back room that I was promised for January.

Hey, zjman, I've still got some consignment stuff and a check for you.

-pb

My last customer came in at 6:30pm. She was the first unscheduled visitor since 2pm Wednesday, which is pretty much a complete vindication of the decision to close the store.

All in all, even with the massive discounts, June was not our best month to date, falling over $100 short of the high water mark set in April. Lillian's Village closed with exactly $7447.00 in total sales over 8 months, which is approximately $40,000 short of recouping the total operational expenses of the store over the same time period.

At least now we won't be wasting any more money on it.

I think I need a drink.

-pb

So, this wasn't easy.

Last night, together with victoria_fusion, I decided to close Lillian's Village. For months now, I've been telling myself "it'll get better when [x] happens". Well, [x] kept happening, and things weren't getting better. I was looking forward to the next [x], which was opening the back room, but at this point, I've accepted that I'm kidding myself if I think that 150 more square feet is going to put bodies through the door and money in the register.

The decision was also precipitated by the fact that we have, in fact, hit critical mass financially. I'm working a part-time job, the money from which goes right into the store's coffers. Even with that money, the store has not even come within 50% of what it needs to sustain itself on any given month, even on our best months. Therefore, we've had to pay for the upkeep out of victoria_fusion's salary. We've taken out lines of credit to cover it, but those are tapped. It's at the point where we're deciding which utilities not to pay. And that's at home. I can't actually afford the utilities at the store.

I'd like to say we've had a good run, but when it comes right down to it, we haven't. I was encouraged by April being our best month to date, but even that wasn't enough to cover our expenses. Even without restocking our inventory, the money we took in through April was not enough to cover the store's expenses. But, I was encouraged, nonetheless. It appeared that nicer weather and more exposure were working in our favor. Well, then came May. May is shaping up to be one of our worst months yet. We went five business days in a row without a customer that wasn't related to me (and, while I appreciate their support, they really don't count when it comes to determining how the business is going). Coupled with the above financial situation, it has become painfully obvious that things are not getting better.

Even if they were, we simply cannot afford to wait for improvement any longer. So, now the process of closing begins. In the next week, I'm going to start marking stuff down to move. We need to raise approximately $3000 to close the store, which includes cancelling our phone/internet contract and paying out the remainder of our lease. Not to fear, though, because whatever's left over is going to get stored in the basement and listed online. Of course, I'm going to keep most of these herbs, dammit. That's what I started the store for in the first place!

In the meantime, I've started applying for web development jobs. Here's hoping I can actually get back into the field. If anyone knows a company that's hiring a classic ASP developer, please let me know. (I even updated my resumé)

I'd like to thank everyone that supported us. I sincerely appreciate everything that you've done, even if it was only coming in and poking around.

-pb

Anyone who's been into the store will be suprised when I say that my December electric bill was $162 dollars. My November bill was $60. I didn't change anything between those months. Now, they said it was probably my electric heat. That would explain why my January bill was $173, when I made a point to turn the heat down when I left all THREE DAYS IN JANUARY THAT I NEEDED THE HEAT. My February bill is back to $160.

They were supposed to come out to check the meter in January, and they showed up at 10 for a 12-5 appointment, you know, like they do. Needless to say, I wasn't here. I never got my January bill which was due Feb. 9th.

They're coming out again on MARCH 15TH. The guy indicated that it might be a meter mix-up with another tenant (there are 5 units in the building), which gives me some hope. The usage seems to indicate a larger space with more constant use than I have. The first time they called, they basically said "if the meter isn't foaming at the mouth and pacing, it's not our fault". The guy I just talked to said it could be a number of factors.

I also don't have to pay the bill until they make a determination, so I'm off the hook for the electric bill until April. Hopefully, it will be a much smaller bill.

-pb

Please direct your browsers to lilliansvillage. Thank you.

-pb

Tonight we'll be town at Shadowlands at Ulana's selling our wares from Lillian's Village. Come on out and say hi!

-pb

I swear, Verizon is a black hole.

I'm having a weird relationship with a woman named Star who works in the FIOS billing department. I love calling her. Every time I call her, instead of paying her, she gives me money.

She is, apparently, the only competent employee who answers phones at Verizon. Well, there is this nice guy in DSL Tech Support who I keep getting transferred to who makes sure I get to the right department. Not sure why I wound up at the DSL Tech Support when I asked for FIOS billing, but you know, stupid people.

Except for Star. She's the man.

-pb

Beginner TAROT CLASSES Are Now Forming at Lillian's Village in Collegeville, PA

Taught by crystalsage!
This is a 10-week course outlining the basics of reading the cards,
including reading for yourself and others,
and gaining intuitive knowledge through meditation and study of the tarot symbols.

Course fees are $12 per class, or $100 for the complete 10-week course paid in advance.*

Classes will begin Friday, January 27th from 7-8:30 pm
at Lillian's Village
361 East Main Street, Collegeville, PA

Please send an email to sage@crystalmoon.com and put “CLASSES” in the subject line,
or call the store at 610-489-0762 for more info!

*A $12 deposit is due upon signing up.
Course fees must be paid in full the first night to get the advance fee discount.
Course fees are non-refundable.

-pb

Ha ha! No excuses, people! I know we were hard for find before, but now if you miss us on Main Street, I suggest a new pair of glasses!



( More identifying marks )

-pb

It's BLACK FRIDAY!

Thousands of screaming people will be battering down the doors of various big-box stores, trampling innocent stock boys and fighting like hyenas over the last toy on the shelf. Hair will be pulled, eyes will be blackened, authorities will be called, and feelings will be hurt.

All of this will likely happen before 9 am. That's where Lillian's Village comes in!

We're opening at 9 am this Friday to give you a nice place to shop for things that you just can't find at those other stores! In addition to the wonderful merchandise by zjman, goddess_of_art and jennybean42, we've just received a huge supply of jewelry from freyas_fire and crystalsage! We've got stuff for the whole family, and in honor of the capitalistic orgy of commercialism that is the day after Thanksgiving,
we're having a very secret sale just for you.

Mention this post when you come in on the 25th, and receive a $5.00 gift certificate for every $25.00 you spend. You can apply it right to your purchase, or give it as a gift!

Also, the first 10 customers will receive a free gift (so come early!)

We'll be open from 9 am until 4 pm. See you tomorrow!