It's been an emotional day. The very last day that I own Melange. Tomorrow, (October 1st) Amanda officially takes over, and does the last 5% of the stuff there is to do (because truthfully, she's already been doing 95% of it for a very long time).
Amanda started working for me well over 10 years ago...it was probably nearly 13 or 14. I can't quite remember to be honest. Suffice it to say, forever ago. It's been a long time, and we've been thru a lot together. We've seen the ups and downs of life, juggled the crazy, and had lots of laughs, creative inspirations, and fun along the way. We've both learned a ton from each other. This day has been a long time coming, but somehow I also thought it would never arrive. Amanda has grown into this job starting from the ground up, until she's arrived at the place where she can run a business and a website on her own, and she's ready.
I however, am a little bit freaked out and a little bit heart broken. It's balanced with being overjoyed for her though. I've had this business for 20 years, and during that time it's become part of the fabric of who I am, a representation of things I think are important, people I adore, hard work, devotion. I'm not really sure what I am without it to be honest, and that part is scary to me. I've done this before though, and I remember how hard it was to make a change when you perceive your identity as attached to what you do. I know this time that I'm not Melange, and instead, it was just a really cool vehicle to learn a lot of really cool stuff, and now that vehicle will be driven by someone else and that's ok.
I couldn't ask for a better person to carry on all the things I love about Melange. Amanda is one of the very best people I know in the world. She's incredibly creative, she is kind (but not so kind that she's annoying), she's authentic (but knows when she isn't), she's funny, has a fantastic eye, listens to people, she's loyal, and is willing to learn from her mistakes. All the things that will make her the most amazing business owner. I feel like I put my blood, sweat and tears into Melange, and I know Amanda will do the same and that makes me happy.
So today, amidst the tears, I'm celebrating new beginnings and new starts. She is kicking off an incredibly exciting stage of her career, and I know she is going to do fantastic. I'm kicking off into another stage of my life, and as scary as that feels, it's also time. I'll still be working for Amanda a bit though, so I won't be totally out of the picture. I love this place too much to be ghosted!
So it is with eternal gratitude that I thank all of our amazing customers and friends who have supported this small business in the past 20 years. It's amazing to me that I know the names and stories of so many of our customers--and I've known them for 15+ years (some of you will remember when Ava was born and she's 17 now)!! In this fast paced world, where things come and go, and often feel so disconnected, we've created a family of people that we know and love. It's the most special thing about Melange. I have enjoyed the ride immensely and I know your continued support and love for Amanda will carry her into the next 20 years!
Mad Love for you ALL! Signed, LV {lv}
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