The Cliff

A couple days after IML, I put up a pretty cryptic post about jumping over a cliff. Coupled with a really awesome Pride weekend, I should probably explain myself.

I love being a nurse, and I don't think I'll ever stop. But I've realized that I'm never going to feel more alive and love my work more than I do when I'm doing a speech, at an event, or working for the community in one capacity or another.

The shop formerly known as Cockpit Minneapolis has closed. It breifly transitioned to a store called "Gear for Men", but that didn't last. It's now completely closed. Minneapolis/St. Paul has no leather shop at this time at all. There's nowhere for anyone to go to buy any kinky goods in this city. Definitely not hands on.

Sitting in the car that night, Trigger and I realized that we can't just wait around for someone else to do all the work for us. If there's going to be a community in this city, anchored in businesses opened and run by people who are members of that community and who truly care what happens....well, you probably see where I'm going with this.

I don't care if I fail. I'm going to put my all in this, along with PupTrigger and Karri Plowman. It's scary, it's a world I've never been a part of, but it's something I have to do.

I don't ever want to look back on 27 and think, "I wish I had tried." Even if I fail, at least I gave it my all and I tried. 

That said, we can only succeed with YOU and YOUR HELP!

Please visit our new online site: www.TwinCitiesLeather.com. Join the mailing list, and keep up with us on our journey to open a new leather, rubber, fetish, and kink shop in Minneapolis/St. Paul! We're starting out with an online presence for now, but we're hoping to be in a bricks and moarter store by the end of 2012. 

And on that point, if you're interested in investing, e-mail me! 

Check out the website for more details, but the basics are that the shop will be a co-op of the designers, artists, and builders we already have here in the Twin Cities. There's just too much creativity to let it all go unnoticed. 

Check it out! And thank you in advance for all your support! Custom made harnesses are already available. E-mail Karri to make an appointment for a fitting today!

Comments

[David]

I kinda had a feeling an announcement like this was coming. ;)

I'm in total agreement with you in terms of a business like this being an anchor for the community, especially one such as ours which is large enough in its own right to support such an enterprise, plus serving as a beacon for hundreds of miles around. Some might argue with me on the ability of the community to support such a business long-term. I'd be happy to take them on in that argument - I've been an interested observer for over 15 years and I've helped manage a business (several, actually). It's a matter of business model and setting the right tone in the community (i.e. your customers). That's not the easiest thing to do in the Midwest, which has always reminded me of something of a really big junior high school cafeteria. But if anyone can navigate the crazy currents, it'd be you three. ;)

You definitely don't want to look back on anything and think "I wish I had tried." Hindsight's always 20/20, but based on that experience, I've come to the conclusion that it is better to live in the now. The past is the past and the future is what you make of it. You're going with your passion. The best kind of work is the kind that doesn't seem like it at all.

And don't knock failure. There are times I think it's more valuable experience than success. If we always succeed, what is there to look forward to? Life would be awfully boring. It's not the destination - it's the path. To put it another way - it's not about the mind-blowing orgasm - it's about how you got there. ;)

I'm excited for the three of you and cannot wait to see what comes of this jump off the cliff. Being the garden-variety Buddha, y'all are always welcome to rub my tummy and ask for advice. Or you can just rub my tummy for the hell of it. ;)