He Reigns Alone - Trusting in Him

Aug. 23, 2007

Trusting in Him

This summer has been a busy summer. I have not only been busy keeping books for my husband's business, but also working to settle our home that we purchased in March. On top of that I entered into a partnership with my sister-in-law.

She is a partner in a store that consigns work for local artists as well as showcases the altered art jewelry, candles, cards and other crafts that she and I make. We registered our business name and sell our inventory at cost from our business to the other business. Our business also pays half the bills for her other business. Evidently her partner in the other business is upset because I am not a working consignor paying a percentage to that business. She does not understand the concept of partners very well. We tried to explain to her that if I am a partner in the business from which my sister-in-law gets her inventory then I am not a consignor and that if we were to give her a percentage then she would actually be taking money from her partner.

My sister-in-law has not been very happy in the partnership, which just started this spring, because of many factors. She pays half of the bills and does most of the work in the business. Because of this we have prayerfully contemplated finding a spot for ourselves and working to extricate ourselves from the other party.

With this in mind, yesterday my husband had me call about an ad in the paper that said "FREE STORE DISPLAYS!" (emphasis mine). I wondered why, but called anyway. The lady that had the displays told me that she wanted to get them out of her way as she had changed her mind about opening a store because rents are so high. She was giving them away at 5 pm to the first person who could get them loaded and out of her way. We went to look at them and as I was pulling up my husband already had them loaded. It wasn't even 5 yet.

So here we sat today with 3 big, free displays that needed some TLC. We were at my sister-in-law's house at lunch and my husband noticed an ad in the paper for a 1000 sq foot space for rent for $475 a month, which is cheap in this area. We decided to call and go look at the spot. It turned out to be quite nice, with great potential. It has 4 rooms that can be used for sales and office. I can already envision the sales areas. We gave the owner a deposit and find out tomorrow if we have the space, after he runs a credit check. He told us that he had others who were coming to look tomorrow, so we got there first.

I left my sister-in-law's this afternoon, after gathering up all the jewelry that we had been pricing (we just received a large shipment of market jewelry that we bought). We had been wondering where we were going to be able to display it all for sale. Now we just have the problem of not enough display cabinets and shelves. Off to the Habitat for Humanity store to check to see if they have anything suitable. Wonder of wonders, (not really, it had to be God), I found a really cool waterbed headboard that has a big center mirror and shelves on the sides. It was only $15. We plan to sand, paint and weather it, add a center shelf in front of the mirror, and make a unique display for some of our homespun items. I also found two saloon type swinging doors for $2 each that we can hang and display western items. Next two sets of white hinged, louvered closets doors that we plan to paint and weather to hang windchimes, spinners, and other items on. Cost for the two, $30.

I left feeling blessed and confident that we had made a start. I then went around the corner to another store to look at two huge displays that I had seen sitting outside for a long time. I wasn't going to get them because they needed work, but I went inside the antique store to look to see if he had anything else. I came away after spending $60 on two spiral staircase, wrought iron plant stands that were really neat and on which I could envision pottery sitting. I also came away with the two displays that I was not going to buy, two more swinging doors, some shelving for the storage area, an old guitar case to display items in, and five nice outdoor lawn chairs that need some TLC, (cushions), ALL FOR FREE! The owner told me to please take all of it off his hands. He had been leaving it outside hoping that someone would want it. No one would even steal any of it!

It isn't enough yet, but for a little over $100, I got 5 big displays, the headboard, all the doors, shelves, and plant stands. Habitat also has glass for shelving for $2 a five foot piece. I may get some of it.

God is so funny sometimes. I would never on my own have gone ahead and taken 3 big displays to store until sometime in the future when we might find a reasonably priced storefront. My husband would, of course, because he did. But it strikes me as humorous that God would provide displays the day before He showed my husband an ad in the paper for a storefront.

Please pray for this business venture of mine called CELEBRATION CREATIONS.