Hello cookie friends - Christine here (: Thought I'd share some things that have been on my heart as of late, with running a small business and juggling motherhood, and all the other things in between.
How is it being a mom?
To all the working moms out there, so much respect for you. Balancing raising a baby and trying to run a small business is no easy feat, with all the sleep deprivation and constantly having to meet baby's needs. Everything feels 10x harder to accomplish than before, and there have been so many moments that I've felt the true weight of being a mother, especially as I'm unable to rush to the bakery when things demand my attention.
But to all of you whom I've run into at the bakery during my few and far between retail shifts - thank you so much for wishing us well, and for encouraging us in letting us know that it can only get better from here haha! We are thankful that baby is healthy and growing without any complications. Whenever she's at the bakery, she loves watching everyone do their thing and finds it mesmerizing as they make lots of yummy treats. We're excited to see how much of a foodie she'll become.
How is the business doing?
We (my husband and I) have been having a lot of tough conversations this year about numbers. I've been running christine's for 6 years now, and while the first 3 years were spent figuring out if people even liked our cookies (and thankfully, they did), the past 3 years in San Francisco have been spent more closely honing in on the craft, and now, facing the realities of rising labor and food costs, which is a conversation that is constantly being had with all small businesses.
All in all, we're making it work, though sometimes I look at Peter and ask him whether I made the right decision to start a bakery, as working in the food industry is one of the hardest businesses to make work financially. It's humbling, since from the outside things may seem all well, but in reality, a lot of small business owners have to make sacrifices in this honest field of work. Making cookies, pastries, or any object in a meaningful way is expensive, as meaningful work requires a lot of love, hands-on labor, and care, which all take time.
A heartfelt story
Though motherhood and juggling small business life are much more chaotic than my life before, I wanted to share something that made my heart so warm the other week.
For context, the day of our last modern ikebana workshop, Peter, baby, and I all had to come to the bakery to sub for an employee who called in sick. It was the only way to make it work, as we constantly rotated handing off the baby, running retail, doing dishes, etc. During the workshop, Peter and baby had to come in at a certain point since she needed my attention, so I was carrying her throughout the space, letting her look at everyone's beautiful flower arrangements. I was constantly apologizing for the craziness of having a baby in the picture, but this customer messaged me later that evening saying...
"We had so much fun! It felt like we were visiting a cousin and making memories in your kitchen. I've been to workshops before that I've enjoyed, but this one felt different - welcoming and safe."
Though life is chaotic and messy, I'll keep holding that sentiment close to heart - sometimes the charm of running a small business is that things aren't so polished and perfect. So, for as long as I'm able to run this small business, I hope christine's will continue to be a place where people can feel meaningful connection - joy, warmth, and care, through all that we bake, all that we stand for, and all that we do. We hope to see you around sometime soon, as we continue to work hard to deliver all organic pastries and cookies from a little microbakery space here in San Francisco.
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