Changes - Let's Turn and Face the Strange

December 31, 2022 1 Comment

“I watch the ripples change their size, but never leave the stream of warm impermanence, so the days float through my eyes, but still the days seem the same. Time may change me, but you can’t trace time."  'Changes' - David Bowie, 1972

2022 was… interesting to say the least. As many of you may have heard things have gotten pretty unstable in the world of small businesses. Everyday items are skyrocketing in price, shipping costs keep rising and what feels like a weekly (sometimes daily) occurrence of our fellow small business shops closing. If you know me, you know I care deeply about small businesses, hell that’s why I started one almost 7 years ago. I wanted to be a part of that fabric of my community that made me feel connected, turned on creatively, and create products that I couldn’t find anywhere else.

I can honestly say that 2022 was the hardest yet for Moonbeams. With getting back to “normalcy” from the pandemic, customers are back to work and inflation has caused us all to watch our spending habits much more closely. Those fun items we bought for comfort and happiness during quarantine and the pandemic have become a distant memory it seems. With the massive changes to literally everything we did this year we will be making some changes going forward. It’s not an easy path to run a retail shop- in the beginning (and maybe even forever) you’re giving up on the things that you’re taught matter- things like weekends and holidays, monetary stability, salary increases, and even retirement. But as a business owner I gain so much more. From the connections I make with fellow owners, to creating friendships from those who were once customers that I now consider some of my closest circle of friends, it truly brings me so much happiness and need to persevere, that the hardships and insecurity of it all seems worth it. All of you know my story and know who I am, and you’ve let Moonbeams into your world to be a party of your stories as well. It’s that connection that I seek, and I know many of you do too, when you choose to support a small business.

Like so many others (Candy Panda, Vintage Chic Scents etc.) I am also faced with the task of having to crunch numbers and figure out how to go forward. It's easy to forget how we small businesses survive. At the very basic level it’s your dollars and advocacy that help keep us going. I feel strongly that spending those precious dollars shouldn’t feel like a duty, but as an exchange- one of positive energy, of good intentions, of being a part of a community, connected. For many small businesses, up to 60% of their annual revenue happens in the last quarter of the calendar year. And this year was not business as usual. Traffic is down, supply chains are an absolute nightmare, shipping is still unpredictable, and staffing is nearly impossible. We are all feeling this strain and I anticipate many more of the small businesses we love will close come the new year.

You’ve allowed Moonbeams to create special scents for your wedding days, custom blends to scent your own businesses, and we’re proud to say that we’re also the official scent of a high school media center! It’s truly these moments that we all get to share together with scent that make me want to push on and continue fighting for what I love to do. I’m not ready to throw in the towel. And my brain that thrives on the creation of scents and making something that can bring someone so much happiness and even a hint of a smile, drives me to continue despite all these hardships.

2023 Changes:

I’ve spent the better part of 2 months (thanks broken ankle) coming up with a new plan for how we can continue to stay afloat and continue to create the scents you’ve come to know and love. This includes saying goodbye to some items, and reevaluating how we do business, without losing the core of who we are. Here’s a breakdown of the largest changes you will see going forward:

• Due to the amount of time it takes to pop out and freshen up each and every Moon Rock (squares) we began to phase them out in July. At this time going forward we will only be using these for custom orders (as requested) and have begun phasing them out of our Gaia’s Garden line as well.
• As stated above with rising supply costs, our current Comet Cups have also become MUCH more expensive and harder to source. Starting in January we will be phasing out Comet Cups in monthly restocks and instead offering them solely with special collections.
• The molds we use for our Sky Bars have become harder and harder to source and, while not surprisingly, have become more cheaply made, making for an item that is not only hard to get when needed, but breaking down at a faster rate. We’ve spent hundreds of dollars on the molds and bags required for them and when our current stock is depleted, we will be saying goodbye to our beloved Sky Bars. But don’t worry, we truly have hundreds currently on hand, so we will continue to produce them through 2023…
• Gaia’s Garden… Oh sweet, sweet Gaia’s Garden. I love having an all-natural line of products made from pure soy, no dyes, inspired by nature and the outside world, and using a portion of their creation to donate to two of my favorite non-profits – The Outdoorists Oath, and the National Parks Foundation. But the sales just aren’t there. And we have decided to take a break from Gaia’s and reformulate, reimagine, and replant this line. Fear not, gardens go dormant so they may thrive once more, and Gaia’s will do the same.
• But it’s not all doom and gloom Beams! We have been working hard on our candle line and love the feedback we’ve been receiving, and we plan to continue to bring your favorite scents as wonderful wood wick candles! We’ve also spent 2022 testing out other products that will be debuting in the coming months… and if you’ve made it this far you deserve to know first that we have created body/linen sprays that are truly unbeatable. Get ready for your favorite scents to be made into a wearable, sprayable, portable on the go ‘Spacely Spritzers’ coming to the site VERY soon!

So with all this- it has to also be said that your favorite small shops need you. In 2023 I urge you to continue to search out these small businesses for all the good it does. Because it keeps your dollars churning forth creativity and human interactions. Because you find better products that are handmade. Because someone really does do a happy dance when they receive your order. Because you get better service. Because the thought of having to leave your house to venture into Walmart, or line Jeff Bezos’s pockets even more turns your stomach. 

Because someone really does care, and we all need more of that, don’t we?

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