Why did we close?

On December 28, 2013 Waygoose Redux closed it's doors for the last time. By the end of December 30 almost everything had been donated or sold. Very bittersweet, but after 20+ years of retailing American Handcrafts to the public it was time.

I still love what I did for those 20+ years. I loved working with the craftspeople who make such amazing pieces. I loved working with my many terrific employees. I loved presenting beautiful work to the public so that they could appreciate it along with me. I loved my store's neighbors and sharing our experiences and customers. And most of all I loved helping my customers find that perfect piece. As I look back, there really wasn't much I didn't love. Oh right, I hated construction and snow. Which brings me back to the question: If I loved it so much, why did I close the store?

I suppose the simple answer is; I know that once the 2 new luxury condominiums across the street from the store are completed it will be great, but I really dread living through the mess, noise and struggling to convince customers that we are still there. Having lived through the construction of Upstairs at Bethesda Row (Bethesda Lane), I know from experience that people don't like the confusion, dirt and complication of working around the road disruptions, so will find alternatives to traveling into the mess.

The second part to this answer and far more complicated is that over the last several years the way people shop has changed. We see far more reliance on gift registries and brand names, particularly among young people. The ease of shopping online is hard to resist, but it makes it far more difficult to entice customers to the store to buy gifts. So why not create an online store? I'm not sure that handcrafts are easily sold online. The work is individual to that artist, not every mug or bowl is the same, so if you haven't seen it or handled it in person how do you know that it is the right mug or bowl? Apart from Etsy, most of the sites selling handcrafts are ancillary to a brick and mortar store, so more a service for their customers than an Amazon site for Made in USA crafts. As far as branding, except for a few craftspeople, the world of handcrafts is really the anti-brand and that makes the work very special but often under recognized because the artist is not a household name.

There are many other factors that led to this decision, but when push came to shove as the lease was coming to a close this seemed to be the best path. So thank you for so many years of support and if I can help you find something please contact me through the store's website and I will do whatever I can to make sure you can still find the work you love.

with fond memories
Deborah