Letting Go of Welcoming Haven
I’ve been sitting with some mixed feelings lately as I prepare to close Welcoming Haven. It’s never easy to walk away from something you poured time, money, and hope into. I’ve only had one other business venture that felt as big as this one—my Arthur Murray franchise. I ran that for seven (or was it nine?) years before deciding I was simply getting too old for a young person’s business. In that case, I sold a thriving studio. With Welcoming Haven, the story is different. We never really got off the ground.
A Big Undertaking, No Matter What the “Experts” Say
Despite what the online gurus promise, launching an e‑commerce store is no small task. Welcoming Haven was a lovely shop with plenty of variety, but variety alone doesn’t bring in customers. It needed advertising, traffic, and—most importantly—conversions. Those things cost money, and I simply didn’t have the resources to keep feeding the machine.
I’ll admit, I was feeling a little defeated. Then one morning, I logged onto my computer and was greeted by a headline shouting that Neiman Marcus Last Call was closing all stores in bankruptcy. Neiman Marcus? Saks? If giants like that were struggling, what hope did a tiny online shop have?
A Long List of Retail Casualties
My curiosity kicked in. If Neiman Marcus was in trouble, who else had gone down that road? The list was longer than I expected:
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Christmas Tree Shops
- Tuesday Morning (a personal favorite)
- Party City
- David’s Bridal
- Rite Aid
- Joann Fabrics (my go‑to for sewing supplies)
- Rue21
- Express
- The Body Shop
And then there are the retailers scrambling to reorganize and closing stores left and right:
- Macy’s
- Walgreens
- Foot Locker
- Dollar General
Perspective, and a Little Grace
Seeing all of that laid out, I had to pause. If major chains with deep pockets and decades of brand recognition are struggling, how could a small, independent online store expect to thrive in today’s marketplace?
I don’t take pleasure in anyone else’s misfortune, but I’ll admit—it softened the sting. Welcoming Haven wasn’t a failure. It was a sincere effort launched in a brutal retail climate. Welcoming Haven was a good store. It just didn’t stand a chance against forces far bigger than me.
So I’m closing this grand experiment with my head a little higher and my heart a little lighter. And now, I’m returning to what I’ve been doing for years—writing stories, reflections, and everyday adventures for Around Dusty Roads. That’s where my voice lives, and that’s where I’m happiest.