The struggle is real for me. 
You might already know me. Or, maybe it feels like you know me because you follow me on social networks. (I prefer to call them social networks instead of social media. When did we start calling them social media anyway?) If you don't know me or feel like you know me, then that's okay too. You can still continue to read this.
My name is Laura Michaud. I am a dreamer, but I am also a doer too. I wholeheartedly believe that dreams can come true, but I also know that one must work extremely hard to get what one wants out of this precious life that is handed to you. I am willing to work my ass off. My dream is to open my own store one day. I picture it to be more like a boutique than a department store. I actually imagine it to be more like categorized boutiques within a boutique, if that makes sense. All items are separated by categories, so they are easy to find, i.e., men's, women's, children's, and home. But all items would have the same theme. They would be made in the USA. At first, I thought that everything in my boutique should be made in Maine, hence the name, The Maine Square. But, I feel that Maine could stand for the fact that the boutique is located in Maine and also for the fact that this will be your Main(e) place to shop if you want to support makers and manufacturers located in the USA.
My goal is to support makers and manufacturers in the USA and grow those industries in the USA.
As you may or may not know, I started The Maine Square online boutique back in April 2016 as a place for men to purchase my unique Maine-made pocket squares. I was hoping to inspire men to step up their look a notch or two. Soon I began making coordinating bow ties and traditional neckties. Even though I believe that men can wear these accessories every day, I learned that is not reality. Men seem to only wear these accessories when attending a wedding or another special event. I LOVE making these accessories for special events and will always continue to do so. In fact, this is the second year in a row that The Maine Square has been chosen to design and make all the accessories for the groom and his groomsmen in Real Maine Weddings Wedding of the year. I cannot wait to find out their colors to begin designing some samples for the winning couple! It's such a special time. I also have a few more weddings lined up this summer that I am creating for, and I am over the moon!
Although I started my accessory designing business for men, I have taken a good hard look at the people who follow The Maine Square, and I have learned that 76% of them are women and only 24% are men. I wanted to start making something that the women would enjoy wearing. So I began making bandanas and ribbons that could be worn multiple ways. I have also started making some adorable aprons.
In January 2019, I started sending out surveys to those on my email list, asking you a few questions about how and where you like to shop and what you want to shop for. It was pretty much a unanimous YES vote when I asked if you prefer to buy items made in the USA. I was so happy to learn that because that is what I am passionate about too!
Here is the part where I explain to you what I struggle with.
I struggle with time and money. Is anyone else with me here? I work a full-time 40 hr a week job with a reputable company that I am thankful to work for. I need to work for that company because The Maine Square is just not cutting the mustard right now to pay the bills. Although sales at The Maine Square gets better and better every year, which keeps me hopeful. It's just not enough to pay the bills. I dream about what I could do at The Maine Square if I had those 40 hours back that I give to my reliable "money-making job." Right now, I have enough fabric to make a lot of cool things, but making those things requires time. But I also need money. Here is the struggle; How is one supposed to make money by selling a minimal amount of product that most people only want for special occasions? (pocket squares and bow ties) And, how does one have a marketing budget when there is not much money coming in to make an ad that actually works to sell the product to the people who need or want it? The answer is, you don't. I have been bootstrapping everything so far. And I will continue to do so until the time is right for me to go to a bank and ask for help. When will that time come, you ask? I believe perhaps in three years or so. I have been told that you don't need to be out of debt to start a business, but I feel strongly that I want to be. But it will probably take me three years to build a semi-profitable online business anyway, so as I am doing that, I will also be working at my "reliable 40 hr a week job" to pay the bills and pay off debts. I also want to prove to the bank that The Maine Square is a profitable business, which currently it is not. That is the bitter truth.
I will make this a profitable business. Just stay with me and watch.
Are you willing to stay with me? Are you ready to continue to follow The Maine Square? I hope you do. I have some exciting stuff brewing in my head that I want to tell you about.
This year I am going to mix it up a bit.
I am going to begin offering more than just my handmade items at The Maine Square online boutique. The surveys that I sent out at the beginning of the year told me that you want to purchase more than just men's accessories. So instead of spending all of my Maine Square budgets on fabrics, I will be spending most of it on buying items from makers across America so that I can offer them to you at TheMaineSquare.com online boutique. It is going to become a potpourri of makers from all around the USA. The offerings may start out small at first, but the variety of items we offer will grow with every order you make from TheMaineSquare.com. Eventually, The Maine Square will be your primary place to shop online for all things unique. The best part about it is that every time you shop with us, you will know that you are supporting a woman-run company in the United States of America that only sells items made in The United States of America. And in 3-4 years, you will be able to walk into a physical location and shop your heart out, literally and figuratively. (Fingers crossed.)
And there is just a little bit more that I need to tell you about.......................
I am shutting down The Maine Square online boutique on April 23 for approximately 6 months. You will still get updates from The Maine Square by following The Maine Square on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I would also encourage you to sign up for my monthly emails to keep you posted on my progress. You can sign up to be on my email list by clicking HERE.
I will be reopening The Maine Square online boutique on November 19, 2019. And it will be amazing!
During the next 6 months, I will be busy rebuilding the site and buying/making the USA-made products for you to purchase, just in time to kick off the holiday season. There will be items available for men, women, children, and for the home. Something for everyone! The website will be easy to navigate, fun to shop, and will simulate a boutique-style experience. We will also offer optional gift boxing for all items. Who is involved in this change, you ask? Well, that is me, for now. I'm trying to make it sound like I have help. But right now, I have no support. I have service available to me when I need it, though. My husband always takes time out of his busy schedule to assist me when things become more for one person to handle, and with my new online store, I feel that things are going to become wild! ( I was going to say, "At least I hope things become wild.", but I stopped myself because I am going to begin doing and making it happen instead of just hoping. But it's risky, right? I mean, if it wasn't scary, I would have done it already!)
As the business builds, I will need to hire my first employees to help with product shipping and fulfillment. But my first step is to make The Maine Square an LLC, which I plan on doing before I reopen the online boutique. Yes, I am doing it. I am going to form an LLC. I am going to purchase Quick Books and hire a bookkeeper and an accountant. Why am I telling you all this? Because sometimes, I still believe that owning my own profitable business is just a dream. It's just something I have always wanted to do since I was a little girl, but it will never come true. This blog post will keep reminding me that I can, and will make my dream of owning a profitable boutique become a reality. I am doing it for YOU, the consumer who only wants to put her money into a business she believes in. And I am doing it for myself, so I can prove that I really can make my dream come true.
Thank you for reading this to the end! Please continue to follow me on my social networks for updates! And please subscribe to my e mail list for additional updates. You will find all of those links in the above paragraphs. I don't want you to miss anything. I am so excited for you to take this journey with me! Will you join me?
~Laura Michaud
Creator of The Maine Square
Your Maine place to shop for everything made in the USA.
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