Dad's corner neighborhood grocery store is gone now. It was a little Ma and Pa store with fresh meat cut to order, fresh loose vegetables, and a real person answering the phone! Dad never closed the store for any reason. He worked all day, ate his dinner, took a nap, then went back into the store to tidy up and do paperwork. To me, the store owned him and not the other way around. I swore I'd never have my own business!

Oddly enough, after starting a family, I opened a day care business. I didn't want to do that forever and began daydreaming of having my own craft business. I knew that the days of having the old corner store were gone. To be successful, I'd have to open my shop on the Internet. I went from daydreaming about my business to opening Daydreamer Crafts at www.slatelady.com. Customers can browse my selection of slate paintings, garden and welcome signs, and slate plaques for the kitchen, bathroom and more. Or I can create a slate from your ideas or photos.

Maintaining my own website keeps it as personal as Dad's old store. If there is something you want but don't see it, email me! Check out my snowmen, Santa heads and birdhouses created from dried homegrown gourds. I'm also a member of the world's largest flea market at QFLEA.com with a vast array of shops in their neighborhood.

Maybe I have more in common with Dad than I thought!