08/07/2026
We are quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of closing our flagship Wi******er store, and that has brought up a lot of emotions. While The Quirky Closet has continued through different ventures, locations and platforms, the truth is that running everything as a one-woman show has allowed some of my greatest strengths to shine—and made some of my weaknesses impossible to ignore.
I’m really good at being on camera. I’m good at helping women challenge the negative self-talk in their heads, try something new and explore styles they never believed they could wear. I can buy beautiful clothing, create displays, tell a story and help someone see herself differently.
Since opening The Quirky Closet six years ago, I’ve had women tell me that I changed their lives in profound ways. Most days, I still can’t fully understand how a clothing store could do that, but I’m incredibly grateful that I was given the opportunity.
But there were reasons I had a staff at the store.
Organization, consistency, inventory management and shipping are not where I naturally shine. I could create the vision and inspire the clients, but my staff brought talents that made the entire business work. Now, I’m trying to do all of it alone. Without a store that has to open at a certain time and people beside me who are counting on me, it has been harder than I want to admit to maintain that same structure.
I’m not great at sticking to a schedule. My emotions and self-doubt sometimes get the better of me. I’m also terrible at shipping things on time. I am. I own it, even though I really do try.
Over the last year, my head and heart have been pulled in a dozen different directions. I started selling on Whatnot, changed what I carried because I thought I needed to be more like everyone else, and watched the category eventually circle back to the kinds of products I had stopped selling.
I originally brought boutique clothing to Whatnot at steep sale prices, but it still wasn’t enough for many buyers. I switched to thrifted clothing, only to realize how difficult it was to make a sustainable profit. Now, boutique items are becoming popular in the plus-size category again—but many of the brands and styles don’t feel like me.
They don’t reflect the message I spent six years building: You don’t have to hide your body behind big, baggy clothing. You are allowed to show your shape, take up space and be proud of who you are regardless of the number on the tag.
I began questioning my identity as a buyer, a reseller and a business owner. Then came the devastating disaster that was Painted Tree. My once-manageable home became buried under excess inventory, fixtures and pieces of businesses that didn’t work out the way I had hoped.
My brain hasn’t had a chance to catch up with all the spinning and pivoting.
Then, another light came back on. One of our former locations reopened, and we were invited into another local vendor co-op. Both are solid concepts where I genuinely believe Quirky could do well. But they also require inventory management, product tracking and consistent social media marketing—the exact things I’m either not naturally good at or so burned out from doing that some days I struggle to begin.
If you’re still reading, thank you. It means you care, you’re invested or you’re at least curious about where this winding road is going.
And on top of everything else, SURPRISE, I accidentally became pregnant at the wonderful age of 39.
I am considered high-risk and have the lovely medical label of a “geriatric pregnancy.” After more than a decade of loss, I had finally started accepting what my life might look like without children. I had begun building a different dream.
And then—bam.
Another spin. Another pivot. A completely unexpected and incredibly precious new future.
I had to step away from Whatnot during my first trimester. I was sick, exhausted and overwhelmed, but I also needed distance from the stress, drama and mean-girl energy that had started surrounding something I once enjoyed. My doctors told me to reduce my stress, and I took that seriously.
But how do you stop stressing when you still need an income? Whatnot had become an important part of my business and was helping fill the financial gap left by the store and Painted Tree.
I tried sewing. I made bows. I upcycled clothing and pressed custom shirts. Each idea had merit, and some were genuinely fun, but they felt more like hobbies than businesses I could realistically grow into sustainable income. If I’m being completely honest, my self-doubt often whispered that no one would buy what I made anyway, so why keep trying?
The pressure to contribute and provide for my family feels higher than ever with a baby on the way. I’ve applied for jobs I’m qualified for—and some I’m overqualified for—with nothing to show for it. Apparently, building and running your own business for six years doesn’t always translate neatly onto a traditional résumé.
Maybe I’m also just a woman who marches to her own beat, and that doesn’t always fit inside the tidy little boxes employers want checked.
I am now only one class away from completing my master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. I’m incredibly proud of that, but the timing of starting a traditional new job after the semester isn’t exactly ideal when I’m due in February.
So, once again, I find myself asking: Where do I go from here? Where does Quirky go from here?
I never wanted The Quirky Closet to become an online-only business, but for now, that may be what it needs to be. Maybe I need to work on my own self-talk and remind myself that different doesn’t mean failed. Smaller doesn’t mean insignificant. Changing directions doesn’t erase everything we built.
And the people who don’t understand may simply not be the people this next chapter is meant for.
I am incredibly blessed to have clients who have stayed with me through journey after journey and pivot after pivot. You continue showing up, encouraging me and believing in Quirky even when I’m not entirely sure I believe in myself. I’m genuinely shocked and in awe of that kind of loyalty.
I know I keep saying that I don’t know what the future of The Quirky Closet looks like. I've been saying it for a year now, and maybe thats where the self doubt comes from, I feel like I should have that figured out by now. But I also know I’m not ready to let it go. It may not continue in the way I originally imagined, but that doesn’t mean its story is over.
So, I did something new.
I took a chance on something exciting—something I can do from the comfort of my home while sitting, resting and allowing this baby to thoroughly kick my ass. It is completely different from anything I’ve done before, but I think it could bring back the fun, connection and excitement I’ve been missing without carrying all the stress that has weighed me down.
For now, I’m asking you to stay tuned, keep an open mind and ride this crazy journey with me a little longer.
There’s a new surprise on the horizon, and it may be closer than you think.
And if you’ve already been in one of my recent Whatnot shows and think you know the secret—mums the word. 🤫✨
