From Flood to Pivot
Hey y'all,
I need to tell you something, and I'm going to be honest with you instead of just posting the pretty version.
On Monday, August 3rd, I walked into my studio at 12:30 PM and found it flooded. I stood there for a minute before I could even move. I stayed until 7 PM that first day. My sisters and my mom came and worked alongside me, pulling things out, trying to figure out what was gone and what might still be okay.
A plumber later confirmed the cause. It wasn't anything I did. It was improper pipe installation, a defect in the building itself. That should feel like some kind of relief, and I guess it is, but it doesn't change what I lost. My insurance only covers general liability. Commercial property coverage wasn't available to me because the units were still considered under construction. So this comes out of my pocket and my time. I threw away things I loved. I logged every hour of cleanup for a mess I never made. Some days I cried in that space. Some days I just worked in silence because there wasn't anything left to say.
I'm telling you this because I don't want to pretend this has been easy. It hasn't.
Here's where I am right now. I'm packing up what's left and moving everything into storage. I'm not signing a new studio lease.
Handmade U is going mobile.
The craft bar experiences, the corporate activations, the school partnerships, all of it comes to you now. No studio to walk into, no space of my own to invite you to. Just me, my supplies, and everything you love about Handmade U showing up wherever you need it.
I believe this can work. I believe it might even be better in ways I can't see yet. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared too.
If you have it in you, I would love your prayers or your good thoughts right now. This has been a lot to carry.
And if you know of any space, a studio, a storefront, a community center, anywhere I could teach classes or rent for events, please send it my way. I'm looking in Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, Manayunk, and the surrounding areas, but I'm open to hearing about anywhere.
If you had something booked or planned with us, I have already reached out and I thank you for your patience and the grace you have shown me. If you're wondering what this means for you, just ask me. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere.
Thank you for being part of this community. I mean that more than you know.
Stay crafty,
Cheri