I was completely excited when a comment on my blog lead to me finding Susan from Love Where you Live.  Not only does she write an interior design blog, but she owns her own home store! Hello, dream job! I was totally in awe of her and wanted to be her new BFF.

Then I found out that she is also a magazine scout, which means she gets to scout out locations/home in the TX area and submit them to shelter mags to be featured! Ok talk about dream job number 2!!!!

She splits her time between Salida, Colorado and Galveston, TX and today she is letting us in on a day in her life as a shop keeper. In the coming months she will follow up with a day in her life as a magazine scout.

So sit back, relax and enjoy!

6:30 a.m. — I’ve been awake, a little sore from moving around furniture in our store a few days ago. But it’s time to get up. There’s a chill in the air. So, I’ve grabbed a sweater and some socks (which I prefer over slippers).

With toes all warm, I’m ready to walk into my kitchen. Our bedroom is just off an open-concept room here in Colorado, where the living and dining rooms converge with the kitchen. Anyway, time to make tracks to the coffee maker!!

6:50 a.m. – Fresh coffee is brewing.  It won’t be long now . . .  Coffee in hand,  (Love the large Cuisinart that makes 14 cups – perfect for company.)  I head for our long front porch that offers some spectacular view of the Rockies. My plants need a little water, and the hummingbirds are hungry, too.

Now, it’s time to pour more coffee and watch the news . . . .

Up until about 8 a.m. – I’m sitting over in one of two wingback chairs flanking the rock fireplace, I learn Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, has received her first haircut ever in Las Vegas. And her guardian, Sister Rose, has asked the hairdresser to pick up from the floor alltraces of her hair…… Time to walk.

8:10 a.m. – I slip on these well-worn (in case you didn’t notice) Land’s End athletic shoes to head out with my dog, Sam, for a 2+ mile walk. (Oh, I never forget my i-tune thingy.)

8:22 a.m. Before heading back home, Sam, our 3-year-old Australian Shepherd, takes a quick swim. (We have an irrigation pond on our property.)  I also take a look at my plants in back and give them a little water.

9 a.m. – I make and eat a bowl of oatmeal – with raisins. Then I prepare my lunch. A salad. And I take some snacks: yogurt and a couple of leftover polenta things.  I shower, get dressed, put on my makeup – and a pair of black, strapy low-heeled numbers:

Gotta go, gotta go .. . grab my lunch, laptop, purse….

10:10 a.m. – I’m at Sears! (I know I’m running late…. eek.)  I’m looking at dishwashers. I want to replace the one we have – a Whirlpool – with a Bosch. I know what I want; I’ve studied the offerings online.  I really wanted to see in person the dishwasher drawers, which intrigue me.  But, the Kenmore drawers don’t get positive customer reviews.  Too bad.  Do you want to weigh in on these or other models? (As a shop owner, I appreciate the importance of shopping local. So, my choices are a little limited. So, Sears it is.) I do like Bosch; I’ve gotten them in the past for a few homes. It will be a quiet and efficient addition to our open-concept home.

10:25 a.m. – I’m leaving Sears. Denny, the manager, says he will look to see if any of the Bosch models are going on sale soon and will call to tell me. Wow. Nice small-town touch. Save me money. I like that. (So does my husband.)

I’ve reached our store:

10:45 a.m. – The Green Plum (Salida, CO) is supposed to open at 10:30. Guess it’s a good thing I’m the boss.  I start by taking out the connected whitewashed “revival” chairs. I place them so passersby can sit under the red awning. Plus, it’s an eye catcher. It’s good, too, that people congregate around the shop door. Looks like I’m a happening place (smile). I turn on some music, plug in scented oil . . . and take my lunch to the kitchen fridge.

11 a.m. – I turn on my computer. Look at email. See that I’ve got an invite to visit an exhibitor at the Las Vegas market. The vendor looks interesting, so I visit their site online, register as a retailer ….. Now, I’ll have to wait for them to approve my access.

11:30 a.m. –Denny at Sears calls to tell me the high-end model I like will go on sale this Friday. I’ll save $200-$300. Yeah. I make a note to call him then.

Noonish — I call a curtain vendor I want to add to our line. I want to order samples for a catalogue customers can peruse. It also will allow them to see and touch the fabrics. They’re hard to get through to . . . is that sign? Hmmm….

I now look again at another vendor that I found when at the Denver market recently:

I browse their catalogue and go online. What do you think of these things? They caught my eye:

I thought the fireplace mantel might work in my display window for the Holidays. Picturing stockings and a pretty display of mercury glass on the shelf.

We’ll see…. They Web site indicates they’re out of stock on many things. Do I sense a problem.Hmmm..

Customers continue to come in to browse, talk….  I invite each to try out this terrific soybean candle (Colorado made – and only $20!!) that contains a moisturizer to use on hands, elbows, feet (it gets soooo dry up here during the winter months)

“Enjoy the lovely scent of this candle,” I tell each, “and as it melts, apply a bit of the liquid to your hands.” (It doesn’t burn.)  One customer buys all of the vanilla pear scent. Christmas presents for friends, she says. (This reminds me how soon the holidays will be here!)

Next in . . . UPS and then Fed-X.  They come with big boxes:

2ish p.m. – I’ve started to open up the packages, but I’m getting hungry.  Salad time. Yum (I’m easy).

I start to figure pricing on the items and fill out little price tags….

2:30 p.m. — One customer comes in and likes the little dogs posing as leash holders.   I’ve just taken them out of the box and set them on the counter by me.  Good thing I’ve already done the pricing. I’m prepared. She takes two:

Only $27 each. Cute, huh?!

I continue to unpack my goodies for the store . . .

dragonfly coasters (they look like fossils almost)

pinecone candleholders

and the cutest, a woodpecker doorknocker

4:45 p.m. – The day has gone by pretty quickly. My husband calls to say he’ll swing by and pick me up in about 10 minutes. We’re meeting friends downtown for an early dinner.

8:30 p.m. – Back home. We enjoyed the evening. Thought we were going for Thai food, but the people who prepare it  –only once a week at this terrific Riverside place — are dealing with a family emergency. So, we walked over to another place.

Anyway, it’s been a nice day. Tomorrow, I really need to work on my bookkeeping; my accountant keeps hounding me…. And, I’ve got to write copy for a local ad…. Oh, and I need to break down boxes. It never ends. 

All good!  ‘night.

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A big thank you to Susan for participating. I loved every second of it and I must get my hands on that dog leash holder. Love it!

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend!

Tomorrow my husband who wants to make me prematurely gray is having his first solo sky-dive! Then it’s off to the vineyards to celebrate my parents 29th wedding anniversary!

I promise to talk lots of pics!

Enjoy these last couple of days of summer.

xoxo,

Camila