As my followers may know I’ve been operating a retail space at The Emporium, Hunter Street Mall, since October last year thanks to Renew Newcastle. A month ago I decided to give my notice and last week moved out of my space for good. It was a difficult decision to make because I had dreamt of a retail space and have absolutely enjoyed the company and inspiration from my fellow Emporium folk.
èrlithe at The Emporium
So, why?
There are many reasons, a lot being simply practical, but at the heart of it is essentially a shift and re-focus within me. It has been something I have been grappling with since the launch of my natural perfumes. On the one hand I had grand visions of developing an international brand and have been poised to make a huge financial investment of purchasing glorious bottles with a total re-branding and pushing my product out there whilst on the other hand I have always questioned whether this was truly what I wanted.
With time my answer finally came. As I observed what others were doing, the more I realised that to make it “work” I had to shift my focus on things that would bring me no joy. As I attended business and marketing workshops my heart sank even further. Initially I embraced what I apparently needed to do to get my product out there but basically everything I was being told to do sat at complete odds with my outlook on life. As a result, everything I was doing with perfume started to feel heavy and burdensome.
I have simply become weary. To operate a retail space which had been my dream, I realised I was going to have to keep coming up with products for people to buy and then of course convince people through marketing that they needed these things. So after having a glimpse into the retail world and fully digesting what I would need to do if I was to make perfume my actual job, I have decided to let it go. I don’t mean to let it go entirely, but rather letting go of attempting to force perfume to be my actual job.
My focus now is upon making life simpler and in the process I hope to bring as much love to everyone I have contact with. I have returned to nursing on a casual basis. Nursing is a tough gig but for me is a profoundly rewarding experience. I see people at their weakest and most vulnerable. It grounds me to what is most important in life. I now see it as an incredible privilege, to have witnessed first hand the full gamut of human emotion and be there without judgement, to comfort and heal in whatever shape that is.
My perfume will remain low key. I want to offer perfume from a space of joy, not from a space of force or large production. I have finally found peace with the fact that I won’t be seeking to make èrlithe a full time job, hunting down stockists and trying to get my name out there through marketing bombardment. I am allowing it to be what it is and if it grows, it will do so organically. Even if I was to bring joy to only one person in the year through a perfume, then my goal has been accomplished.
Goodbye Emporium
To my lovely followers, thank you for your support, kind words and amazing product reviews. I am truly grateful that you have chosen to spend your money on something that I have created.
Kerry x
èrlithe 