Amidst the global COVID19 pandemic, a morsel of an idea was first imagined…
My husband had been dreaming of having a business for some time. Throughout our first two years of marriage he contemplated a wide range of ventures. One, a dry-cleaning business, we even invested in but to our misfortune didn’t pan out, thankfully it didn’t exactly “take us to the cleaners” so to speak. Still, the experience shied me away from the risk of starting a business altogether. Then COVID arose and… (well haven’t we heard that phrase all year?)
Early March 2020 my husband was off work for what we thought may be a few weeks, while I was assigned to work from home because at 32 weeks pregnant my employer considered me “high risk.” He spent his days watching videos and reading endlessly about how to start-up an online business. I silently rolled my eyes at his newfound devotion to such endeavor as I could focus on nothing other than prepping for the baby. His mind at full speed, he spoke incessantly about business ideas and I found something wrong with each and every proposal. Truth be told, he was slowly convincing me of the overall concept, but I still had a considerable amount of hesitance. If I was going to have any involvement, even a supportive role, then we needed to create something which I could get behind with passion and believe in wholeheartedly. We brainstormed and talked of little else those long days at home awaiting the moment the baby might decide to come. Lockdown felt like a prolonged snow day, with the world not knowing when the storm would break. I felt we were living in almost a frenzy of excitement.
A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for. — JOHN A. SHEDD
Finally, later than expected, our dear baby girl was born, Selma. The delivery and hospital stay was quick, we stayed as short of time as possible due to COVID. No friends or family visited whatsoever because everyone was stuck, and it wasn’t safe. Little happened the way I had envisioned months prior to her birth, but that was more than alright. We were in a fog of joy, prioritizing her above all else. She and I basking in a peaceful quietness as my husband took care of me, cooking, cleaning and loving on us both. Naturally it was all new and emotional with considerable difficulties, but oh how beautiful it was.
The arrival of baby Selma prompted an even stronger fury in my husband to establish something successful for our family. COVID was teaching us that plans can unfold, whether they be short-term or long-term they were never guaranteed, and not to be our only dependence. About a month after Selma’s arrival we were discussing things to buy for her. Before birth we purchased only the major necessities and a few extras. In our discussion we both agreed we didn’t want to be flooded with toys, envisioning an organized array of just the right products for her, purpose serving, eco-friendly, sustainable, reusable, wooden… LIGHT BULB! Wooden toys! There it was! Products we ourselves believed in, items which aligned with our lifestyle, beliefs and the vision we had for how we would parent and raise Selma. I doubt I’ll ever forget that moment. That was when my husband’s dream, his desire to build a sustainable, worthy business for our family seemed not only plausible but exciting. The beginning of the beginning.