https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pottery-workshop-tickets-1983573404449?aff=erelexpmlt ✨ Make something beautiful ✨ Sip + socialize ✨ Shop while you’re here 👉 Sign up by scanning the QR code, purchase through The Vinew, @sparrowmobilebar on Eventbrite, or simply walk in if space allows! Seats are limited — grab yours now! 💕

The Old Way: Alone on the Ladder In the corporate world, you’re alone at the top of your own store. You might see your district manager once a month. Your nearest store is an hour away, and even then — you’re competing against each other. There are bonuses, trips, and incentives for being “the best.” But there’s no budget for joining the chamber or attending networking lunches. Honestly, there’s barely time for lunch at all. You work seven days a week — from 8:30 AM until 10 PM — and sometimes pull all-nighters just to get floor sets done. That’s the ladder. And no matter how high you climb, it’s lonely up there. 🛍️ The “In-Between” Way: Surviving, Not Connecting When I stepped out of that and started managing a thrift store, networking looked different — but it still wasn’t connection in the way I longed for. It was more like a group of exhausted business owners grabbing a drink every few months, finally exhaling for the first time all week. The only “business friends” I really had were the shop owners in the building where my small version of The Vinew Shoppe was located. And I have to say — those relationships stuck. I’m still friends with them today, and actually going to their Halloween After-Hours Shopping Party in a couple of weeks! 🎃 But outside of that little circle, the town’s networking culture just didn’t exist. If someone else was in your same industry, it was like an invisible wall went up. No collaborations, no partnerships, no shared events. I was there for nine years — and I never met another boutique owner. Nine years! That’s wild to me now. 🌿 The New Way: Circles Over Ladders Fast forward to this past year — just one year since opening The Vinew Shoppe — and everything feels different. Now, I’m part of the Chamber. We’ve hosted multiple events that include other boutiques. We’ve joined both boutique crawls. We’ve hosted “Coffee + Connection” mornings with other local businesses. I’m also part of the Salt & Light Women’s Networking Group.

This week I almost missed out on something really special. I had a dozen excuses not to go to a women’s networking event — too much on my plate, timing, even a little hesitation about mixing friendship and business. In the past, that hasn’t always felt like a safe combination for me. But something nudged me to show up. Not just because I “needed to network,” but because the women hosting were different. They were Christians, deeply rooted in both their faith and their friendships. And one of them — someone I admired and wanted to support as she launched her own business — made me realize I didn’t want to miss the chance. So, I walked in late (an hour late, actually!) to an event that was supposed to be 4 to 6. By 5:15 I had found the two familiar faces from my little networking group — women who, like me, balance different businesses but consistently show up for each other online. Together we’ve built a small “social circle” where we share posts, comment, and encourage one another’s work. That consistency has mattered more than I realized. The night unfolded in ways I didn’t expect. We laughed, had a couple of drinks, took pictures, and even got permanent jewelry to symbolize our circle. And when the event wrapped, we weren’t ready for it to end — so we went out for pizza and ordered practically every appetizer on the menu. It was around that table that something shifted for me. We shared our stories, our differences, and our similarities. I found myself admiring their family commitments, their love for the Lord, and the way they leaned on each other. We talked about serious things too — like the flooding in the Hill Country — and there were tears, questions about God, and deep conversations. And through it all, there was no judgment, no criticism. Just space to listen, care, and support one another. I realized that night how much I’ve longed for this. Not just one or two people to talk through life with, but a whole group of women who don’t gossip, who don’t tear each other down, but who build one another up. Gentle. Understanding. Rooted.