Merry meet adventurers!
I am nearing the 4 year anniversary of opening of my little geeky storefront this coming August & 3 years since opening the physical location. From its humble beginnings as Takodana Trader into Midnight Aether, it's been a wild ride and learning experience.
What started off as a way to understand TikTok in the middle of the pandemic has blossomed into a community space for teens & the young at heart. I never thought that this business would go anywhere, let alone opening a physical store location. I have had many amazing experiences connecting to everyone in the various fandom spaces and providing a safe location for hanging-out after school - but that's not to say that I haven't experienced the lows of running a business and the ever-growing state of the economy post-pandemic.
And like all good stories, they do have to end at some point...
What this all means is that the physical storefront for Midnight Aether is closed.
We will be moving out items over the next few days and plan to have the storefront fully closed by August 1st.
Now you all may be thinking this is a bad thing, but in reality this is a good thing and I am ready to start the next chapter of my story. I have had an amazing time running this storefront, meeting new people, and working with my local community. This experience has taught me so much and I'm proud to say that I was able to achieve something that I didn't know was possible. If anything, this is a bittersweet ending.
I find myself at an age and period in my life that I need to refocus and recenter. I've been hustling non-stop since graduating from college in 2013. From graduation to marriage to moving up & down the East Coast to buying a home in Connecticut and all the many jobs in between, I'm finding myself drawn to taking a break & feeling a bit of burn-out between juggling so many projects.
In my conversations with business coaches & advisors, it has come to my realization that while I sell products, the real thing I'm selling is the "experience of me". When you come into my store, you're not just buying products - I want everyone who comes in to feel like they're meeting up with a close friend and break down the feeling of "traditional" store owner vibes. I can say that it definitely has worked, especially when I hear things like:
"Oh gosh! I can't believe I've been here for 2 hours!"
"I almost took off my shoes because it feels cozy like home."
*Teen calling their parent* "Yeah, I'm over at Heather's if you want to pick me up." (I do laugh and tell them to say they're at my shop though)
Those are the sort of things that define "success" to me - it's not making a million dollars (though that would be nice), but the impact I'm making on the people & community around me.
Even with my choice to start closing the physical storefront, that doesn't mean that Midnight Aether is completely going away. If anything, it will be taking on new life within the Tabletop Roleplaying Games community as I get back to my content creation roots.
I plan on getting back to streaming on Twitch & diving head-first into more TTRPG content. I've found so much joy running collaborative storytelling with so many people and want to keep fostering that by offering private paid games (in-person & online), running games at conventions & on Twitch, and writing/editing TTRPG supplements & games.
It's finally time for me to slow down, focus on my home, and do some really fun creative projects that bring me joy.
I am eternally thankful and grateful to everyone who have been along this journey with me, at any stage, over the past 4 years.
This isn't goodbye, it's see you real soon ;)
- Heather