Back To School

Some people make resolutions to get organized at the beginning of the year. Others might participate in spring cleaning to bring that necessary order to their lives. For me, back to school is what gets me to kick it into gear. I don't have children but something about the fall approaching makes me want to get all my ducks in a row after a fun and busy summer season. Today I'm just doing a quick round up of some of my favorite organizational resources as well as showing you some awesome back-to-school products that are available for purchase in our store.

It's true, I still use paper planner! I love writing things down and color coding different activities or appointments. I have always used a monthly planner for an overview of my entire month at a glance. However, for the the week to week I use a loose leaf sheet for my "to-do's." One of my favorites is a simplistic free printable from Alice and Lois that allows me enough space to write out my daily tasks. 

Lists play a huge part in the way that I get things done too! Isn't there something gratifying about writing something down and crossing it off? There are tons of free printables out there for grocery lists, general to do lists, setting goals, chores, budgeting and much more.

If old fashion lists and planners aren't your thing there are many great apps and online resources available too. I use Google Docs quite a bit for collaborating with others. I've heard great things about the following resources too, although, I have not used them personally:

• If This Then That
• Wunderlist
• Pocket

I'd love to hear about some of your organization regimens - feel free to drop some suggestions/ideas in the comments! 

-Capri

Before & After

Today we thought we would share some of our transformation photos! You will have to pardon our mess throughout some of the pictures since we thought to grab our camera while the project was happening rather than taking true before and after photos. Legacy Strong makes a couple appearances - they occupied the space immediately before us and still have a studio next door for all of your fitness needs! Prior to that the space was Painterly Pottery who now has a big beautiful location directly across the street from us!

(MANY thanks are owed to my family + boyfriend who spent countless hours at the store with me getting it ready to open! The BIGGEST thanks of all goes to me dad for being my 'head contractor' and bringing all of my visions to life! This would not have been possible without them).

Front of the store before and after. Check out the tree in both photos - just goes to show how quickly seasons change! 

Me making the honorary first brushstroke! If I'm being honest, this was pretty much the only painting I did.

Painted all of the walls bright white!

Custom light fixtures before they went up in the store. Contact us if you're interested in ordering your own! 

We spent months collecting side tables and coffee tables at rummage sales and thrift stores to make this installment possible.

We think it turned out pretty good! 

This was a completely blank white wall before we put all these different fixtures up.

Gallery wall in progress + the messy cash wrap.

Completed gallery wall! 

The back corner of the store all complete! Some of the notable things: the cash wrap covered in pallet wood, the perfect card wall, and the table in the center of the photo. 

Another shout out is owed to Pinterest! We created a mood board for the store and many of these ideas came from compiling all of those images into one place. Another thing that was a big focus was repurposing as much material as we could. This, of course, allowed us to save some money but also gave the entire store a cohesive look and feel and we are very pleased with the outcome!

You will not believe the talent that has helped us fill these shelves and bring the handmade movement to Bay City! We hope you will come see the changes in person and do some handmade shopping with us (if you haven't already)! 

-Capri

Introduction | About the Owner

I am Bay City born & raised and have always had an affinity for this city. This deep affection more than likely comes for the most part from my grandmother who has lived in Bay City all of her life and has continuously been involved in, well, everything it seems! She has always spoke fondly of Bay City and all that is has to offer its residents, and honestly I couldn't agree with her more! One of the first times I can recall feeling a real connection to the city was my junior year in high school; Bay City Central alumni, go wolves! I was in the marketing and management program at BAISD. My grandma was part of the Bay City in Bloom initiative and our class was asked to work on a slogan for them. The chosen slogan was, "Don't be a Litter Critter, CAN Your Litter." Although my idea was not selected, I felt like I had played a giant part in making the city more beautiful somehow; and of course, this tiny image below is the only evidence of it I can find on the world wide web! 

In 23 years, I managed to live in all three of the tri-cities, worked at a number of local businesses, received degrees from Northwood University and Saginaw Valley State University, and made lifelong friends in the process. My degrees are in business, and I felt it was time to go out on my own in search of a 'career.' Since 2011 I have lived all over the Midwest including Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and now Columbus. (No, I am not a Buckeye fan, but I have been known to rock some scarlet and grey on Saturdays in the fall). Truth be told, I've always seen myself somehow, some way ending up back in Bay City. Promise you won't laugh, but I have literally fantasized about the day when Brand New and Taking Back Sunday would take the stage at River Roar and I would watch from the balcony at my condo... you know the ones along the railroad tracks near Veterans Park... Can you tell I've put some thought into this? I have enjoyed watching the transformation of downtown Bay City over the past two years. Never in a million years did I think I would make my return this soon, but the world has a funny way of working things out. 

In my search for a 'career', I ended up getting back in touch with my creative side. I can't remember a time in my life when I haven't been 'crafty' in some capacity - but this was on another level, a serious level. Since the fall of 2012, I have been running my own handmade business, Craftinista Girl, on the side and in the summer of 2015 made it into my full-time job. Throughout the duration of having my business I have learned so much and have met many individuals like me who are making a career (or sometimes a side hustle) out of owning a creative small business. 

I have observed Ohioans love and pride for their city/state and it is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced. I appreciate the adoration that they have for their home and share the same sentiments, except mine are about my state, my city, my home. When I would come to Bay City to visit, I'd search for something I could wear proudly or display in my home that would tell people where I'm from, but had little luck finding what I was looking for. (Until I was home at the beginning of May and got this at Ferne Boutique *insert applause emoji*) I think the overwhelming Ohio love gets me feeling homesick every once in a while. 

A big reason I came to Columbus is the plethora-of-handmade-goodness that is going on here. The maker movement is so electric, so alive, and I am over the moon about all of it. People are so talented and I want to tell the world about each and every one of them! In addition to providing the area with a handmade shopping experience, I am also excited to meet and work with other makers like me! There is an incredible amount of talent both discovered and undiscovered out there. If I can help just one person in their creative journey, even in the smallest way, I will feel so accomplished! I believe in collaboration and hope to foster a community where we can all help one another to grow and thrive. 

Half Mile Handmade will provide the tri-cities with a glimpse into the world of handmade as a whole. We will carry all types of products that have been crafted with care and love. I hope to help small businesses gain exposure in a new market, and will do anything I can to assist them in their creative endeavors! It may have taken five years but I just may have finally found what I was born to do. I'm absolutely thrilled to bring my passion for all the handmade things to my hometown of Bay City, Michigan!

See you in June! 

-Capri