October is here. There is a chill in the air. A change in the wind. The days are getting shorter. The sunsets are more vibrant.There's something strangely beautiful about this season. It reminds me how important it is allow changes to flow. I cannot stop a leaf from letting go of it's branch. I can only appreciate the act of life that it graciously expresses. From a bud to a flower in the spring, to the thriving green leafs that hang from the tree all summer, to an explosion of bright warm colors that cover the earth, as we slowly spin away from the sun and embrace the depths of a cold winter. Change is inevitable.
This time of year also reminds me to slow down a bit, to reflect on the months we've passed and to plan for the year to come. Time can become so obscured that you don't even notice ten months have flown by and before you know it, ten years have come and gone.
This month Hattast-ique will be celebrating it's fourth year in business. With each year that passes we learn from our mistakes, we grow from our hardships, and we never stop planning for the future.
Take a look back at where it all began!
Year One 2014 - 2015
October 2014, we had a family meeting on what kind of business we wanted to start. Selling top hats quickly became a unanimous vote. We watched YouTube tutorial videos on how to make steampunk top hats. In June of 2015 we did our first event in Parker, CO. And of course, Sturgis was our first bike rally. That year we launched our website and did a total of four different events.
This was our expansion year. The goal was to take everything to the next level, to travel the country. And we did! This year we did thirteen events! This was the year we knew we loved what we were doing and we wanted to continue to do this as a family.
Year Three 2017
The Growing Year. This was a trying year to say the least. We decided to take on a big move. From Parker, CO to Kingman, Arizona, we resettled and found a new place to call home. This process in itself is a very long and exhausting process. And it has proved to be worth it! This year we did twelve events.
Year Four 2018
The Revising and Regrowth Year. This year has been quite the adventure. We have doubled our events. We have traveled further than ever before. It seems like we have a good rhythm going for us. We have had to lean on each other more this year and we have had to learned how to work better with each other. This has been a team building year for all of us!
As the end of the year draws closer, we look forward to all that we will accomplish within the next. We will keep dreaming and keep planning for the life we are building together. So here's to four years and many more to come!
Have a perfectly topped off October,
Amanda Malabad
