Good morning, friends.
It’s been two weeks since we closed our Downtown location, and we’ve been getting lots of questions. I understand—there’s only so much I can fit into a short video, so I wanted to share more here.
As I mentioned in our announcement, since opening Downtown, we’ve welcomed two beautiful grandchildren into our lives. Our oldest son, Caleb, lives out of state with his family. He’s currently in Navy bootcamp and will be graduating soon. After that, they’ll be relocating to a new duty station.
I’m not originally from Florida—I married a Florida military man, but my home state is Arkansas. That’s where my grandbabies are right now. As a military spouse, I know how quickly life can shift. With Caleb’s move coming soon, I needed to get my ducks in a row and summer has proved to be the best time to make this change.
We’d actually been looking for a buyer for the Downtown space for several months, and thankfully, we found one. Running a small business is challenging enough, but adding a second location made it almost impossible for us to travel as a family. And family is everything. Time passes fast. Kids grow up. Life shifts. Priorities change.
We love what we do here in Ocala, and we’re so thankful for your support. But selling Downtown was a necessary decision—for our family and for our future.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be traveling to visit the grandbabies and extended family. I’m so grateful to have the freedom to do that now. I know change isn’t always easy—trust me. Growing up in our little Catholic church, we sat in the same pew every Sunday. If a visitor took our row, you'd think the world had ended. We all find comfort in the familiar.
I know our Downtown space held that comfort for many of you. While the Shady Oaks location is still homey and welcoming, I understand that it’s different. But maybe, in a world that keeps changing, we can greet the new with a little grace.
Melanie