Closing a store is incredibly painful, but my guest today, Liz Scott, is here to share that that difficult decision may just be a badge of honor in disguise. Liz was the proud proprietress of the paper & gift shop Lovely Somethings in Bath, Ohio, for several years before closing its doors at the end of 2019. But, her industry story doesn't end there. Freed from a costly lease, she reimagined and reconfigured her business into the Troop Lovely Somethings brand.

If there was a course in how to create a lively store brand without an actual store, Liz could teach it. Through her online hub, she still sells many of the same exquisite wares she carried in her store, and she also assembles her divinely curated gift boxes. These are one-offs, not subscriptions — grab yours before they're gone. And, three drop today!

Liz calls them two of them Closet Boxes, as in, you are going to need these in your goodie closet — and she also has a bundle of cards culled from some of my favorite makers, paired with posh writing utensils plus stamps for one-stop letter-writing. For me, seeing all these exclusive brands is like taking a stroll through a juried section of one of my favorite gift shows, maybe Atlanta or New York? If you can't actually go to a store, one of these delivered to your doorstep, full of surprises, is the next best thing. Snag yours here.

Closing her store's physical doors has also empowered Liz to do something she never would have felt comfortable doing otherwise: opening up about her personal life. In a series of blog posts entitled My Husband Is Black and I Am Not Special, Liz provides a front-row seat, no holds barred, into her interracial marriage.

She covers everything from how their families initially responded to the relationship, to getting pulled over by a white police officer late at night in an affluent suburb, to what happened when they put up a Biden sign on their front lawn. It is raw, it is honest, it is powerful, and I hope you take the time to read it. Liz shares its impact on her business, on her community, on her Instagram feed. I think you’ll be surprised, so tune in!

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Music Credits: “Your Treasure is Your Self”; written and performed by Sharon Glassman; Courtesy of Sharon Glassman/Smile Songs. smilesongs.com

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