The Gallery Has Moved
As a little girl, I would hop in the car with my family and head down to Tucson, AZ to visit my Nana Dolly for all the major holidays and some “no reason” weekends. We loved our road trips as a family, and I really loved being at Nana Dolly’s house. We would hear all of her stories from her days as a nurse in World War II, play Balderdash, and watch White Christmas (no matter what time of the year). My favorite game of all was playing store. During the day, we would go into Dolly’s room and pull out all of her jewelry; the nice pieces, the costume jewelry, and the items she had collected from all over the world. I would set up all of her jewelry boxes and Nana Dolly would knock on the door and ask me if my store was open. We spent hours of her shopping and me wrapping up the pieces, bargaining, and adding up her total. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with my desire to want a business of my own, but I can imagine at the very least it planted a seed.
As many of you know, I opened a gallery in Downtown Rockwall. It was such an adventure! Like anything else I do, I just jumped in headfirst. I have had my photography business for years now, I have worked a couple different retail jobs, but nothing could have fully prepared me for all that I would learn owning my own space. In the year that I had the gallery, I learned so many different marketing tactics that I was able to put into practice. I grew my brand and I met so many new people. As soon as I signed my lease, I signed up to volunteer for the Downtown Rockwall Association where I brainstormed with so many fabulous business owners on the Square. I built new relationships and while doing so, more people came across my business. I also learned about payroll and payroll taxes… yuck. And, I learned about the difficulties and benefits of managing employees.
I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again. I’m sure people look at my quick lease as a failure, but I have to say that I did my very best to maximize the time I had in 116 East Rusk. I feel that even though it was a short-lived dream, it was my dream come true nonetheless. I don’t regret for one second my last year, I only regret not having all the time in the world to devote to it. I know that somewhere later in life I will probably open another space, possibly a different concept, possibly the same just revamped… now I can take all of my lessons learned and use them for the future. I have to say, I’ve always been one to learn by experience. I can read all I want and listen to others’ sage advice, but for some reason I learn so much better when I jump in and do it. If you are anything like me, just jump in. Take the risk and make your dream come true.
If you are wondering where you can get your Meggie Taylor Favorites, so you should know that we have MOVED to Bonafide Betties on the Square (right around the corner from Zanata). Some of our favorite items are now for sale in their shop amongst their fabulous pie selection! You can also still purchase online! Click here to shop now. We are revamping everything soon so that shipping will be FREE! As a business owner, I am happy to say that I have so much more flexibility again with my business. I no longer have to be at my gallery every day to have it open, but I am able to still sell the products and prints that I love so much! Moving my things into Bonafide Betties has made me so happy! I am able to focus fully on my photography and clients, while still shopping for fun products to fill your homes with happiness! So, as I say goodbye to my physical gallery, we say hello to Meggie Taylor Boutique online!! Keep your eyes out, because you may even see me doing a few pop-ups here and there!
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