There were so many things that needed to happen before I could open the doors to my shop. The space itself was finished by the owner but we built a few things, added our own shelving, hung pretty lighting, and on and on. At the time, summer of 2022, the list felt never ending. A few weeks ago when I wrote about the changes that have happened in the shop since we opened I remembered a moment during those days when I realized that I needed to add something exciting to the window. As I am fond of giving myself permission to not "do it all" I kindly reminded myself that was something that could wait until after we opened the doors.
Once the doors were open and the shop was up and running I got to start daydreaming about how I wanted the window display to work. Although I would never begrudge anyone the work of changing decor seasonal, whether at home or work, I personally knew that was not going to work for me. So I decided to commit to changing the window display twice a year: a spring/summer and fall/winter window was going to suffice.
Once I landed on this schedule I could start envisioning what the window would look like. As this building had been sitting empty for over 10 years I really wanted to be sure to put something eye catching that would scream to anyone driving by "THERE IS SOMETHING CUTE IN HERE NOW"!
As you can see, Winter of 2022 was a bit harsh. Although on a normal day the stars made from magical paper with hanging shiny beads were eye catching the days leading up to Christmas brought extreme temps and our front windows froze over. As you can see we decided to have a little fun by carving in the ice that was stuck to the inside of the windows. Surprisingly enough we did have a handful of customers on those chilly days right before Christmas so maybe that "OPEN" helped provide a moment of hope for an adventurous neighbor.
As spring approached I started to think about the general approach I wanted to take when decorating the windows. I knew I wanted to use repurposed materials. I of course had plenty of cardboard and packing materials so it made perfect sense to utilize those as much as possible. I knew I wanted the imagery in the window to reflect the natural world and I really needed it to pop and be as eye catching as possible. For those that don't live in Dayton the shop is located in a historic neighborhood that is a little off the beaten path and on a corner that is isolated from other retail shops or restaurants. I was introduced to the idea of "placemaking" early on and I decided that my window display had to be one element of my shop that established the idea to passerbys that there was something worthy of them stopping. Giant flowers seemed like the best way to do this.
As with most of my window displays I really had no real plan and I had never made giant paper flowers before so the entire thing was an experiment. But as with most creative projects the further I got into the project and the more techniques I tried with different materials the more tedious the project became. As I started to really investigate the flowers I was replicating the need for detail grew and with it the workload. I was determined to make each one as real as possible.
I kept feeling that adding the word "HOME" to the window would somehow serve as an invitation. Not sure if it worked out that way but I enjoyed having it there.
As the seasons changed that year I had a plethora of dried flowers. I am of course not immune to the algorithm on social media and it happened that season that I was being inundated with images of hanging dried flowers on delicate springy wire. It took quite a bit of sleuthing to find the right wire. I actually had to go to the library and rent a book! Can you believe it? I settled on using bullion wire which is a crimped thin wire. It is easy to fold around delicate stems and when used to hang lightweight things it makes them quite bouncy which adds to the overall effect. This time I also added some curtains to cut down on some of the light coming into the window during that time of year when the sun is quite low. Turns out having great big windows in the front of your shop can add a bit of complication as sun can be damaging. I admit I even considered adding awnings to the windows but I decided that I would rather have as much natural light as possible.
Not surprisingly the oncoming spring had me craving bright colors and giant flowers again. I found this great tutorial for these giant paper flower lamps and settled on making those without the lamp element. This was quite the organizational feat. Making layers of colored petals and matching them up took up quite a bit of space.
We even made some pretty large paper origami hummingbirds!
This window reminds me of one aspect of the window decor I have not mentioned yet. So when I was thinking about how common it is for retail shops to change their displays and windows to match the holidays I was very much not into the idea of being pressured to change the decor so often as previously mentioned. I was also very much not interested in trying to keep up with every "Hallmark" holiday out there. And finally I did not want to be forced to store gobs and gobs of seasonal decor. I am in the business of running a retail shop, not decorating! The first two issues were easily resolved as I stated earlier by giving myself permission to approach decor in my own way. But the last one was a bit trickier until I realized that I could gift the pieces to my customers! I love having a free box and I love gifting to unsuspecting customers so this was an easy leap for me to make.
The reason this window display reminded me of that issue was because very serendipitously these big flowers came out of the window the day before a customer came in to gather a few gifts for a friend whose birthday party she was coordinating. She was beyond pleased when I offered the flowers to her. She came in a week later to tell me that after the party she brought the flowers home for her young daughter and hung them in her bedroom. My heart just filled with so much joy when I thought of that little girl in her beautiful giant flower adorned bedroom.
As winter approached and my social media algorithm (are you seeing the trend here at how much I am influenced by social media) started to show me more cute dried flower crafts the window decor took a drastic shift to tiny things. Again I started with one thing, these Queen Anne's Lace fairies, and built up from there.
What resulted was very difficult to photograph but absolutely magical and adorable. The window consisted of several twigs that each had a little vignette of a fairy with orange peel mushrooms and tiny poppy seed head birdhouses.
As per usual these were gifted when they came out of the window and can I just say that especially this time around I witnessed the absolute joy that lives through the act of giving. In a way there is something a little sad to me about the fact that people are surprised when I say "would you like to take this cute thing home with you". It's like we have all forgotten what it feels like to have a nice gesture or kindness happen to us. Running a business obviously has to result in making money but in the few years that my business has existed I can say that gifting things is one act that strengthens the reach and impact of my shop and the result is priceless.
When Spring of 2025 rolled around we were inspired to keep the tiny things going. We gathered as many egg cartons as we could and set out to make framed bunny faces, stars, daffodils, snow drops and mushrooms. I felt inspired to add this quote by Sojourner Truth that to me really spoke to the general climate in the air this past Spring. So many people around me (and myself) were struggling to make sense of what was happening in the world and hanging on to hope and joy seemed an impossible task. I find that adding beautiful reminders that we are resilient and that we can make it through challenging moments helps me and it helps to add this vibe to the shop that effects people in a positive way.
And then sometimes you just make a bunny portrait out of an egg carton because why not!
Fall/Winter 2025 is upon us and once again we were inspired to make some tiny things. But this time instead of random placement in the window we are creating a nighttime Fall/Winter scene.
I have always been clear that when creating window displays for the shop I wanted to use what I had rather than spending money to acquire new things. These little doors I made are a perfect example of that commitment in motion. The inspiration for these doors used popsicle sticks. I did not want to buy popsicle sticks to make these so I just cut strips of cardboard to make the "wood slats" of the door. I even repurposed some of the moss from our previous window that I originally got from a friend that had some extra sitting around. Tip of the week: always reach out to your crafty friends as they probably have what you need!
I have an affliction which is that I cannot throw away any piece of paper that has color, imagery, or texture on it. I know there are lots of you out there with the same addiction. I see you and can attest to the fact that there is another life possible for that pretty piece of paper you are saving. This window display in particular has provided lots of opportunity to give those little bits of paper a new life. These luna moths were made from old cards, chocolate bar packaging, and some art cut out of a past years We'Moon planner.
One thing that has been clear to me from the beginning of my journey as the owner of this little shop is that I did not want Pink Moon Goods to be just about shopping and spending money. I wanted there to be meaning behind the experiences that this little shop provides. I wanted it to be an outlet for my creative urges and a place where people would come to feel the magic that exists in the things we chose to surround ourselves with everyday. Our front window is just a little part of that magic. It is a place where we can make an owl out of a toilet paper roll or a place where we can remind you that you can survive the darkest hours by seeking and embracing the beauty that does exist in this world no matter how dark it gets.