ALL THE CHANGES!!!
Hello Everyone!
Things have been super quiet on the blog for a bit. There have been a lot of big changes for myself and the business over the last few months…so let’s just get into it…
First off, I’d like to give a huge shout out and thank you to my former Social Media Manager Tianna Cohen. While her time with me was short lived, she was a tremendous help in getting me back on track with social media. As things started opening up again, she landed a wonderful opportunity that feeds her soul and is more aligned with her passions in theatre.
As a woman who strives to live her best life as her best self, I love seeing and encouraging others to do the same. So farewell Tianna! I wish you all the best that life can give you and may all your theatre dreams come true. Don’t stop until you reach Broadway, and then keep it going!!!
The business has moved. I had a family emergency pop up that led to my husband and I doing a mad scramble that started in February. Long story short, we sold our home in Carbonado, WA, moved into an RV that we completely overhauled, and hightailed it back home to Oregon. I was born in Tacoma, where my button business first started in 2011, but I spent my school years in Salem, OR. This is where the bulk of my friends and family live. So I’ve brought the business back home in a way of sorts. Never in a million years did I ever believe I’d move back to Oregon (I left at wise old age of eighteen), and now twenty years later, here I am again. It feels the same, but different, and in a good way.
Thing is, sometimes the universe gives you all these clues and signs that you’re moving in the right direction, so with all these crazy changes, I also have now moved in to my very first store front. I have an awesome landlady, and I’m bringing a little dash of magic back to my home town.
This is the happiest place in my world right now, a testament to never give up on yourself or your dreams. I’ve already hosted two button parties here and have helped guide dozens of the young and young at heart through the process of making their very own buttons for the first time. It really makes my heart happy and gives me something positive to focus on while I juggle learning how to become a caregiver for my grandparents and prepare for all the wonderful stressors soon to come with buying property and building a house.
The new Button Shoppe not only provides party space, it also allows me to run the DIY Button Station/Creation Station all year round. People can design buttons on a desk top computer…
They can recycle comics and magazines to make buttons, or use precut circles, stickers, and markers, colored pencils, etc, to create their own little pieces of art…
Photo Credit :Melissa Briscoe
I have also had a wonderful assistant who volunteers at the Button Shoppe, my sister-friend, Rebecca Wedel. We have a lot of fun being creative and helping others dive into their creativity.
The Power of Becka & Becca combined = awesome!
And while I’m totally taking advantage of it being October, I’m going to own all these new fabulous costumes I’m grabbing up year round. I’ve been wanting to offer themed parties since I really started embracing vending. The party I hosted last week was a Cruella Deville themed party for an 11 year old named Trinity. I had so much fun, and am going to be offering a specialized button for every guest of honor who throws a party in my space.
And of course, I’m still pumping out custom buttons for folks too, like this order designed by RinSinSin for The Plaid Pig in Tacoma.
I feel like after a crazy six months, I’ve landed on my feet and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. It feels good. I have a new social media manager who isn’t new to me, but she is new to the button business. Here name is Mrs. Hannah Johnson, and she is amazing. For folks who were here at the beginning and 3 business names ago, Hannah was one of my right hands with my old performance troupe, The Industry of Sound, that I started when I was 21 or 22.
She’s the gal in the purple, front and center. For anyone who’s paying attention, most of the people who made the first 5 years of Punx In the Woods happen are also in this picture, and yes, Hannah was one of them. She also performed with me when I worked for Seattle band, The Pleasure Elite. It all feels like many, many life times ago.
There will be a full on introduction post coming from her once we’re caught up on all the other social media stuff we’re doing. Honestly, I’m grateful to have her. She’s a wiz at what she does and I’d like to think I’m a much better boss sober. I think she agrees or I doubt she would’ve raised her hand when I put the call out for a social media guru. I type this up as a grateful recovered alcoholic, celebrating 9 years, 3 months, and 14 days…1 day at a time.
I don’t like to get preachy about it, but I will say…if there’s anything standing in the way of you living your best life, I promise you there is light after the darkness…everything I’ve done with my button business is testimony to that…anywho…got lots to catch up on and update around the website. Please leave a comment and let me know how you think I can make your experience on the website better. The next few months will be dedicated to updating it and making it better so now is the time to speak up….if you find yourself in Oregon, please swing by the Button Shoppe and make a button or three with me and the other Becca. You can actually find me on google now!!!
One by one, I am overcoming my obstacles…I’ve been trying to get listed on google for years, and I finally got over my road blocks and figured out how to do it…also…one last thing before I go…FREE BUTTON DAY on Halloween!!! That’s right, no catch…show up on Halloween and make 1 free Halloween button…just my way of saying thank you for being rad.
There’s so much more to share…upcoming pop-ups, community shtuffs, and so much more…go follow me on Instagram if you want to see the latest, it’s where I post the most!!!
In Love and Buttons!
-Becka