Heartbreak to Hardships

It was now nearing August and I needed to find another store to work in. I was so taken back by how everything planned out at the first store; it was hard for me to keep my head up the confidence while searching for another opportunity.

Not too far into my search, I was contacted by another well known retailer. One interview later and BAM! I found myself back in the game. Sometimes I look back and think I should have waited instead of just jumping in on the first opportunity that came my way.

Other times I am thankful for having the opportunity to see the market from a different angle.

While I still handled nice jewelry brought in for repair, I quickly noticed the difference between the quality of the first store's jewelry and the second store's jewelry. I learned more about watches, how to use the buffing and polishing machine, and more about diamonds and gemstones.

I found myself working late evening hours and weekends all while realizing I was no longer making enough money to cover all of my bills. I still worked promo events, but my schedule often interfered.

I decided to move to Indiana, where there is a much more affordable cost of living. In between stores I had a few weeks off. I took my son on a roatrip to New York and on our way back from Nagara Falls we found ourselves stranded in a blizzard.

We were trapped in a hotel for 4 days. We made it back safely, but the state was still shut down for about another week. I was anxious to get into the other store and soon after I was also able to land a flexible management position for a marketing campaign. Even though I could make ends meet working both jobs, I just could not stand the cold weather.

I was trying to stick it out as long as I could, but soon as my son made a comment about us not going anywhere anymore, at that moment, I knew I had to go back to Florida and all its sunshine!

I knew I wanted to have my own jewelry line and I knew of a niche market that I could fulfill. A Karat Company is born!