Today as I sat at the shop and helped Toby dismantle all of our tattoo flash from the frames that held them on the wall for the past three years, I couldn't help but let my thoughts take me back to that night just a little over 3 years ago that we had excitedly been doing the exact opposite of inserting the flash into those same frames to await being affixed to the wall of what we would call Gridlock Tattoo.
We had big plans and hopes for the shop. I can remember every step of our business venture..... our morning walk when we decided upon a name, all the hard work, money and time it took to scrub old carpet and glue off the floor so we could install the flooring, all those who were there for us and helped us along the way, and mostly our loyal customers who helped keep Gridlock open.
But the time has come for The End. The shop was not going in the direction we anticipated it would. We weren't in bad shape, but for all the work we were putting into it, the outcome was not enough to make it worth all the effort and time we were putting into it.
It was no secret, I was skeptical (and very, very, afraid) when Toby came up with idea of opening our own shop, and the closing of Gridlock was a bittersweet affair, but mostly I was sad for Toby. I know how hard he worked to make things work. How much of his thoughts were consumed with making it work. He gave it a good fight and I give him full credit for that.
But, from my life experiences I believe.....
"New Beginnings Are Often Disguised As Painful Endings" - Lao Tzu
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