Strawberry Thieves

As we began to open the store on January 7th we noticed a big water spot on the ceiling and water dripping out of an adjacent hole. We quickly called the property management company and began moving products and displays to the opposite side of the store. 3 days later with the wall seams bulging with water and the floor flooded, plumbers finally found the pipe that was causing all the water damage. By that time we had begun packing up and making arrangements to move out of the store as plans began to formulate on the extent of the repair work that needed to be done. After weeks of store closure we finally moved back in; enjoying a new floor and sections of wall and ceiling, along with freshened up paint and a new display furniture layout.

We missed the in-store Valentine’s Day sales and as a result found our carefully designed plans for the year had dramatically changed. So our team's creative brainstorming turned to the transition from late winter to early spring that we found ourselves experiencing at the moment. In this part of Virginia spring is not only a parade of blooming bulbs and flowering trees and shrubs but we know it’s really happening when the birds come back and nest building begins in earnest. Just this week I got to say hi to my favorite cardinal couple (who love to peck at the cat food) and the porch Wrens who build their nest in the corner of my front porch every year. With fresh energy and warming temperatures we also eagerly await one of the first fruits of late spring early summer – strawberry season! So it was natural that our minds were drawn to the cheerful scene of busy birds amidst a strawberry patch that is so beautifully portrayed in the crowd favorite of William Morrison’s Strawberry Thief.

We began our design for our store windows by selecting a color palette of bright greens, berry red, touches of white & yellow set against a subtle light blue backdrop. We made vines and leaves out of 2 shades of green paper and filled out the look of a strawberry patch with honeycomb strawberry decorations and daisy flower paper plates. We tried something new to add dimension to the display by painting on the windows green vines, leaves, red strawberries and white flowers with tempera paint. Our Whirly Bird Gang of course took center stage in the window story with a luminous light blue fringe backdrop finishing off the scene. Inside we hung strawberry paper lanterns and 3D daisies in the tree.

 The reaction of our in store customers to the window and tree decor has been delightful. Along with the bright new floor and freshened displays I can truly say the feeling in the store is happy and hopeful! I know we would never have chosen to be displaced for weeks and all the work that went into moving out and in, not to mention losing sales and replanning the year,  but as our motto on the wall of our store says: “Come what may and love it”. We discovered many silver linings amidst the challenge leaving us feeling joyful. Kind of like that feeling you get scavenging through a strawberry patch and finding that perfectly ripe strawberry. As you taste that sweetness only nature can provide, after the cold and wind of winter and early spring, experience tells you brighter and warmer days are ahead. 

May you find joy and sweetness this season,

Cindy