Thank you

Dear Stylebook Readers,I’m writing this letter to you as I’m sitting in our showroom drawing towards the end of the wonderfully hectic holiday season that we’ve had here at Alx&Co. I hope, as you’re reading this, that you are sitting in a lovely plush chair, wearing your cashmere socks from The Shoe Hive (how many of you got these as stocking stuffers this year like I did?), and that you’re basking in the company of your nearest and dearest for the holiday, may they be your children, your parents, your pets, or your best friends.We had an amazing year here at Alx&Co. and it was in large part because of the incredible support we have received from you lovely Stylebook readers. As most of you know, Tim and I decided that this year was the year we would finally do exactly what we wanted with our business, renovate, and have it become the amazing shop we knew it could be. We put an extraordinary amount of time and energy into redesigning our showroom, updating our workshop, and reframing our business overall so that we can grow and thrive into the next many decades of our business. It has been scary at times, stressful nearly always, but -- and I mean this wholeheartedly -- it has been the kind words, amazing encouragement, and sincere appreciation we have received from our clients new and long-term which have gotten us through the year. (That, and a lot of wine.)The last few weeks especially have shown me how supportive the Stylebook community is. I have had the opportunity to meet some of you for the very first time as you took care of your holiday shopping, and your effusive support of small businesses like mine is what truly make this job so fun. Because the pieces that we sell are so special, I know that our clients always have an amazing story to pair with them and I have loved hearing yours this season. Whether it’s the amazing cocktail ring you were eyeing for months and finally took the plunge on to treat yourself, or those perfect London Blue Topaz drops you wish listed and had your husband pick up, or those disk pendants that you custom created with us and had engraved with the perfect meaningful message -- all of these gifts meant the world to me and I know meant the world to you.I’ll be completely honest with you. Over the years, Christmas for Tim and me has often meant more stress than joy. Running a small business during the holiday season is no joke and it means at least one of you is up every night working, or waking up early to work, and your own Christmas shopping and prep gets pushed right out the window until you both leave the store on December 24th and realize, shoot, I have no gift for my (fill in the blank). This year, though, with the support of our clients and so many of you wonderful Stylebookers -- as well as the incredible management of our de facto Director of Operations, Ana -- we have really been able to enjoy the season.So, thank you to all of you who came and visited our shop, met our team, and got to know us over the year. We’re looking forward to many more years of sharing stories and milestones with you…and for now, we’re going to relax with our families and finally enjoy some spiked Christmas eggnog.With love,Meaghan, Tim, and everyone at Alx&Co.