Have you ever had a dream that you felt like if you didn't pursue it you may just burst? Well, that is how Todd and I felt about this business when it was just a notion in our mind. We would stay up until the wee hours of the morning discussing, planning, and dreaming of what our business could become. We had both worked in the design field for other people and we were excited to dive in and make our dream a reality. Shortly after Todd and I decided to start this venture we brought our very good friend Hanah on to be our business partner. She was an absolute joy to work with as she always put her best foot forward, encouraged us, and reminded us when it was time to rest.
We began by selling product out of our homes and through curated yard sales. We loved the excitement of "hunting" for the furniture and being a part of it's transformation (refinishing, cleaning, etc). In the beginning we didn't have much in terms of monetary value but we did have faith it would all work out if we just kept doing the footwork.
This time last year we received the keys to our very first brick and mortar shop in the small town of Woodfin right outside of Asheville. We were beyond ecstatic that it was all really happening! We never imagined that we would have a shop so soon. As for any small business, gaining overhead is a risk but luckily for us the Asheville community graciously accepted/supported us with open arms. I remember the countless hours spent painting the shop and searching relentlessly for the best product. Ah, yes! The hard work was paying off. Our quaint little shop quickly gained attention and continued to grow as a locally known company. By September Hanah found out she was having baby and decided to leave Atomic. We were so excited for her but it was definitely hard to let her go. I remember thinking, "How are we going to do this, just the two of us?!"
The next few months we spent a majority of our time learning new skills that were going to help our business grow tremendously, i.e. upholstery and woodworking. We ate, drank, and slept atomic furnishings. Our families and close friends expressed concern that we didn't have enough of a social life or that we really needed more rest. Looking back, I totally understand their legit concerns but I'm not sure they all understood our intense drive that fueled us both to keep pushing forward.
After 8 great months in our Woodfin location we found it was time to expand and move to West Asheville. It took us 3 weeks to paint, pass all permits, and move our entire shop. Needless to say, we were exhausted. It wasn't until our Grand Opening party that we stopped and smelled the roses. So many people showed up to congratulate and encourage us to keep moving forward.
We are thrilled with our new website and I am so excited to start blogging! I may not always use correct grammar but I do speak from the heart and I'm so excited about sharing our journey with whomever is interested or could relate to our experiences. One of the main reasons we started this business was to show people that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. We have met so many amazing and talented people this past year through our business that have said they believed in us or that we inspired them. Those comments have had a big effect on us. With that being said, we want to say a big THANK YOU to all of our followers and friends, we wouldn't be here without you.
-Megan