I am often immersed in a world of much larger than me, small businesses. The US Gov’t defines a small business as less than 200 employees - that is a lot of employees! That means you are dealing with a lot of volume, cash flow, materials, data, clients, customers, etc. That kind of business is huge to me. Moop is a business that employs three other people, besides myself. The four of us together can accomplish a lot. We make a lot of bags, every day of the week. The work is repetitive and labor intensive but, it results in really well made bags - bags that you’ll want to carry every day. I know this because I carry our bags every day and so does everyone who works at Moop and thousands of people worldwide. When I asked for photos of you all carrying our bags, you sent me the most amazing images of you in the most fantastic places - some close to home and some very exotic. I loved seeing those. I would venture to guess that a big part of why each of you have chosen to carry a Moop bag is because we are small. I am so committed to our smallness that I think it frustrates those around me. But, running Moop is not just my business - it is my lifestyle. It is so integrated into everything I do. For many years I talked about it as an extension of my creative practice but, it is my creative practice. Moop has taught me more about what it means to live a deliberate lifestyle than anything else. It has required me to balance and juggle so many things and has forced me to grow and learn on a daily basis. 7 1/2 years ago I never ever could have imagined I would be in the place I am. I have worked hard to get here and so has everyone who has ever worked for me. I have an immense gratitude for everyone who has devoted their days to helping me do what I do. Currently, Jess, Gena and Jesse help to make that happen and they are, quite literally, THE BEST! I had a birthday a few weeks ago and for the first time in my life I had emotions around getting older, how I have changed, the things I have experienced, where life will take us next. I am looking forward to what Moop will look like in 20 years, who will be working on it with me and where it will have taken us. In just a few weeks we are making another studio move. When we moved into our current space, I thought we would be here much longer. But, things change and we move - best not to cry about it! Every time we move, I am reminded of the kind of people Jeremy and I are - we are the kind that will make your space fantastic by putting in our own sweat and muscle to make it what we need it to be. One day, I dream of doing that in a building we own. But, for now, it’s okay to be doing it for someone else because the direct benefit to us is worth the weeks spent building and sanding and painting and cleaning (while also doing our other jobs). The new space will be beautiful when we are finished with it. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you, having a party and getting to make our bags in a space we worked hard to made great. Thanks for reading my long ramble! I love what I do and love more than anything the support you all have shown us by allowing Moop to continue to make great bags. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
xoxo
Wendy
