The Trading Post

By SAVANNAH CUNNICK

Today I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath, step on through and start a new chapter in my life.....

Uh oh...you ask : say what? Well, the inevitable has happened and we have closed the Short Mountain Trading Post.

Yes, it is sad. After four years of combined hard work and enjoyment, JD and I are closing the barn doors. It was a fun ride and such an achievement! The act of taking a run down historical barn...preserving it and bringing life back within its walls has been a wonderful experience. It has been an awesome four years and we thank each and every one of you for visiting us and showing your excitement toward what we have created. Comments such as: It's so relaxing here!...I feel happy here!...This is a real adventure. I've never seen a barn fixed up like this before!...These items remind me of my grandmother's way back when....I love the way you have things displayed!....Do you live here?...You have such unique and different items....where on earth did you find them?....Oh, my gosh...you have a Loft full of things also?
We put so much effort, thought and love into this business and never stopped when we were tired...we stopped when we were done.

(Done? Never !!) Well, some very nice folks bought all the remaining merchandise and the owner of the barn is now going to use it for storage (so, we are told.) Our lease was up and he decided to use the building for his own purposes. We are sad, but life goes on and we will always cherish the fact that : WE BUILT A DREAM AND PEOPLE LOVED IT!! I am still going to be writing THE CHAT every week....so, I am not totally abandoning you Folks!!

Mark Twain once said: If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't you're right!

I have always believed that the greatest pleasure in life is doing what others say you cannot do. My father taught me that and I have gone with it my entire life. He said: If the plan doesn't work...change the plan...but never the GOAL.

Oh, we all realize that there have been many businesses that come and go. Some lose their patience too early and close too soon. It's a shame...because a person can fail many times, but they are not a failure until they give up. I have always got a kick out of the people who say: Ohhh, I can do this with OUR barn at home. Or, I can make ALL these crafts in here...look, you just need this and that and..... Hey, I SAY: Thunder is impressive, but lightning that does the work! Sometimes, it's better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove ALL doubt. But, it takes all kinds to make the world go round....in EVERYTHING!!

Whatever you folks choose to do with your life, be a happy heart. I know, we cannot always work in the manner we wish to, but try to always do the best you can and stay pleasant throughout. It's hard to be a DIAMOND IN A RHINESTONE WORLD!!

Aunt Martha says: A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man! (Amen to that, sister) She gets disgusted with Festus. The other day he called her on the cell phone and told her that he was stuck in the blood pressure machine at Walmart. He finally came home and took two exlax and one Prozac. He can't get off the john, but feels good about it. (Sigh). See what I mean, says Martha....show me the money, Not the beef.

Festus is heavy set and hates going to work. His boss tells him to: Go that extra mile. But, when he does the boss man has to find him and bring him back! Festus does strange things at work....just to get fired. He switches the decaf in the coffee machine to espresso. He puts mosquito netting around his work cubicle. He will SKIP instead of walk. He answers any request from his boss or co-workers: DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT? He even uses a large hunting knife as a pointer during his visual aid presentations. Nothing leads to termination...so he HAS to keep going to work!! (Trust me, if I was one of his co-workers I would believe that on the keyboard of life--always keep one finger on the escape button.)

Then, there is Cousin Clarence who thinks that by reading a two page story in Business Week is all it takes to make him an EXPERT as a pizza shop owner. I, myself, think his REALITY CHECK BOUNCED. He tells me that: His brain has a mind of it's own. Honestly, Clarence
doesn't suffer from stress, he's a carrier!! He asked Cousin Pete for a loan the other day. Pete said: I'd like to help you out...which way did you come in? Clarence yelled: My bartender can beat up your therapist!! (Just give me a hammer !!)

Another example of my working family is Auntie Ann. She was hired and fired for a secretarial job on the same day. Her boss became very exasperated over the fact that when the phone rang, Ann ignored it. He asked her why she never picked it up and she said that it was because 9 out of 10 calls were for HIM. Actually, she has always wanted to be a historian...but realized there was NO FUTURE in it. You know, even if Annie was on ever on the RIGHT track, she'd get run over by just sitting there!

Cousin Patsy needed her kitchen sink fixed. The plumber arrived with a sign on his truck: We repair what you husband fixed. Patsy yelled out: Ya' got that right! She said it was almost as good as the sign on the local septic tank truck: Caution...this truck if full of Political Promises. Even though, she did love the Tow Truck Company truck sign: We don't charge an arm and a leg...we want TOWS. Patsy doesn't work, but she does grow a beautiful garden....I guess in a way, she is a Plant Manager!! (Oh man, Savannah...that was bad !!)

Well, heck...if you can't laugh...Listen, having a good sense of humor is an essential social tool. At the Trading Post we always had a HOOT!!

Humor helps boost communication AND leads to productivity. Funny people are very successful in life. Along with emotionally able to understand and care about folks...you have a grand gift in life and the capability of being a super business person. Learn to give and take with a smile. If a customer doesn't have quite enough money....sell it to him anyway. I always believed that NO ONE leaves the Barn empty handed. We always
made it work and made folks happy. Future business and a big smile was the balance of their payment. Worked every time!!

Anyway....that's my story and here we are...off to another adventure. Always believe that you are NEVER TOO OLD to set another goal or to dream a NEW DREAM. Chat with you next week. Take best of care of yourself and family, help your friends, laugh, smile, drive safe and summer RAINS are here....so let's do some dancin'!!
Hugs.....
SAVANNAH