05/30/2026
Long and personal for our Agate Edge family:
Small business is scary. Everything affects how your business runs from month to month. It’s no secret we’ve hit a couple bumps in the road this quarter. Between the fence that has made everyone think that our West Main location is closed, to the massive theft that happened at our last show. I do my best to remain positive in the face of obstacles, but this month I’ve been hit a few times too many.
I am now considering closing our West Main location in an effort to reduce overhead expenses for a few months to recover before finding a more suitable area to reopen. This is a consideration that is not ideal for several reasons. The main two issues that concern me are the value of all of that space for our treasured artist collective, and also the loss of a work space to create my products. I’ll be honest, this level of honesty is uncomfortable, but necessary for everyone to see the impact just a couple “small” events can have on a business.
Small businesses count on steady support and it’s hard to put into words just how much impact every purchase makes. From our wax melt shoppers all the way to our tie dye and opal shoppers, you all keep us going so that our doors stay open. With West Main losing 82% of sales since that fence went up we are at serious risk if something doesn’t change fast.
Center Drive is doing well and is not going anywhere, but it’s not enough to cover the gap. A lot of people have been asking how to help.
1- Shopping is the first and most obvious answer. Even if it’s a wax melt once a month, EVERY purchase helps keep the business, as it is today, alive and kicking.
2- Donations. Anyone who knows me well knows that I crawl out of my own skin asking for help, but we’ve reached the point where discomfort is necessary. I’ll post a link for anyone that feels moved to help in this way. I know I’ve heard a lot of people asking if there was any way outside of Venmo or cash. This link provides a way for you to contribute with any card you choose to use.
3- I fully understand that my products are a luxury and that a lot of people are on a necessity budget with everything including fuel rising in cost. Sometimes just interacting with a page by commenting on the posts can help a new person see them. This can help tremendously as algorithms become harder and harder to analyze.
4- If you buy something from us, post a photo and tag us! One of my favorite things to find in my notifications is a photo someone shared of something they love from our shops. Whether you bought my stuff or something from my awesome artist friends…. We love to see our stuff out in the wild and even better if you’re telling people where to find their own.
I’m not making any final decisions until the end of June, but that means there’s still time for you all to make an impact and help us maintain the spaces we’ve set up to support our art community.
Every grain of rice has the potential to be the one that tips the scale. Let’s keep West Main moving so we can continue to offer space to our growing artist collective. Together we can do big things. ❤️
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