A Well Deserved Break

I'm closing Kiskadee. 

I've rewritten this article more times than I can count. I consider myself a truth-teller. I don't sugarcoat things and tend to be blunt. Letting everyone know why I made this decision is important to me. 

My lease expires on April 30. As the time drew near to commit to the two-year renewal option, honestly, I felt dread. That's right. Dread. I don't want to do it anymore, at least not at this point in my life. I knew I didn't want to stay in Kiskadee's current building for a variety of reasons. I started looking for a new location, but I wasn't feeling inspired by other spaces I looked at or the prospect of continuing as a small business owner.      

I recently read an article from The Atlantic that spoke to me; maybe it will speak to you too. The subtitle in the article says, "As we peer around the corner of the pandemic, let's talk about what we want to do - and not do - with the rest of our lives." The last two years, running a business in a pandemic has zapped me. I haven't been the wife, mother, or friend I want to be. I haven't been present for the most important relationships in my life in favor of exerting all my energy to maintain Kiskadee during tough times. I haven't taken care of myself, either. 

When the pandemic hit, I was a new business owner, only three years into owning Kiskadee. Wow! What a doozy of a curveball for someone who had just started to know what she was doing. I'm proud that I was able to weather the storm and survive. However, it took everything I had. I have nothing more to give.

My daughters are getting older, and I would like to spend more time with them. When I looked at my family's summer calendar, it encouraged my decision to close. The summers of 2020 and 2021 were hard. Staffing has been difficult. Supply chain problems persist. In addition to the delay of products, I receive emails daily from vendors telling me to expect steep wholesale cost increases this year. With all these contributing factors, I made the decision to close. I want nothing more than to spend as much time as I can with my family this summer. This was a huge decision, and initially, I was concerned with what people would think. I have moved past that. I feel very lucky that I can make this decision fully supported by my family.

This is not the end of Kiskadee! I just need a break and may reopen another brick-and-mortar store sometime in the future. For now, I'm going to focus on the online segment of the business. The website will stay active, and I will add new products regularly. I also hope to do pop-ups and holiday shows. Please keep an eye out for these, which will be updated on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. 

Starting today, February 24, ALL full-priced merchandise is 20 percent to 30 percent off. We also still have some amazing deals on fall and winter merchandise that are part of our ongoing in-store Warehouse Sale. Some items have been reduced even further. As time progresses, there will be additional markdowns. 

If you have gift cards, please come soon to use them! The store will close on Sunday, April 3. However, if needed, I may reopen on April 18 to reduce the remaining stock and fixtures. Our final day in this space will be April 30.

I want to thank all our loyal customers for being so supportive, especially during the last two years. I also want to thank my employees, especially the ones who have stuck with me through it all. I appreciate all of you. Despite the hardships of the last two years, it's been fun, and I've learned so much. I've also made some amazing friends along the way and was able to get involved in my community more.

I look forward to seeing you all around somewhere in our tiny town!