Who Has Babies Anyway?

The overwhelming sense I had when they discharged us from the hospital after Levi was born was “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Wait! Let us stay a bit longer! What in the world are we supposed to DO now?” The process of opening a retail store is like unto bringing home your first baby from the hospital. Here’s how:

First, you’re making everything up. You’ve never been here before. All experiences are uncharted territory. You can read books and take classes, but when the rubber hits the road you’re on your own.

Second, you don’t sleep a lot. If you aren’t there caring for your new store/baby late at night, you’re waking up with a start every hour thinking “What about this? What if this happens? Did we take care of that?”

Third, you’re always cleaning up a mess. Every new fixture or product or project in the store produces waste, mess, dust, or cardboard… SO much cardboard. Wipe the drool, change the nappy, scrape up the spit up food, sweep the toys under the couch… repeat.

Fourth, you always have to feed it. More products, more fixtures, more trips to Home Depot, more times sending friends to Ikea. And the more you feed it, the more it fills its diaper with cardboard.

Fifth, you change it fifty times to find the cutest look. That diaper shirt doesn’t work with those skinny jeans, does it? Those scarves can’t be next to the wallets! Rip it all down! Do it again! What would my second cousin twice removed think looks the cutest here?

Sixth, you look at that baby/store and you see hope, promise, future, and endless possibilities. You see joy and life and the fruition of a labour of love. And that makes all the rest totally worth it.

We’re opening a store. A real-life, 4 walled, brick and mortar, sweat and blood and tears retail location. And it is opening soon. Really soon. Like this Friday the 16th of November! We are super excited about it, and we hope you can get excited, too.
In amongst all the work and the sleeplessness and the things mentioned above, one thing sustains us. Our business is called The Intersection because we desire to connect people to the stories of the producers of their goods. There are wonderful, beautiful people overseas whose lives are being transformed because they are being offered work. They are being rescued from slavery and trafficking. They are being given a chance to climb out of poverty through the work of their hands. They are being restored and given dignity and hope. And that is why The Intersection exists, and why we would be crazy enough to try and open a retail store. Because we believe that in our own tiny way we can be a part of changing peoples’ lives and stories, and we want to invite everyone we know to join us in that.

So when that baby screams at 3:00 AM and you need to go deal with meconium for the 15th time, take heart! One day that baby could cure cancer or change governments or feed millions. And maybe our little store at #110 6820 188 Street, Surrey (parking at the rear) will make a difference in the world as well (BUT ONLY IF YOU COME SHOP!).

Subtlety is a gift.