The Birth of Morgan Mailboxes and More
QFLEA.com - The Virtual Flea Market
written by Diane Morgan
I took advantage of an early retirement package in 1998 from a high paying job of twenty two years. I was bored to death, knew there was more to life and wanted to follow my dreams. I have always been creative and sold items at craft shops and craft shows for years. One of the craft shops asked me to paint a mailbox, which I did. I hated painintg on metal. Imagine my surprise when it sold that day. I painted another one and sold it right away and the birth of Morgan Mailboxes & More began. My husband (computer graphic artist) built a web site and it began to take off. Eventually I stopped all the craft shops and craft fairs and am now 100% internet business with the largest selection of hand painted mailboxes on the web. The success rate has been extraordinary and last year we took the plunge and expanded.
In Sept. 2001 my husband was laid off due to his company down sizing. We spent a harrowing two years with the severe pay cut and many months with more bills than income. Little by little my husband started getting more involved in my business and is now an intregal part of the business. Realizing that what we have is working he decided to expand our business by working with and helping other small home based businesses. He is now representing US artists and selling their unique mailboxes on our sites. He expanded our line further to include other home and garden products.
In the spring of 2003 we had a devastating blow. I ended up having a double bypass and valve repair very unexpectedly. This is a small business's worst nightmare. I think I was probably more worried about the business than I was about the heart surgery. With at least a two month recuperation period, I was frantic. My husband took care of all the existing customer orders and my customers were willing to wait three months or more for their orders. Volunteers from the Society of Decorative Painters chapter that I am involved in, came forward and painted mailboxes in my absence. The business managed to survive.
We came to the decision last year that the business continues to grow and it is time to let it grow further. I have hired another decorative artist to keep up with the orders. This has now enabled me to pursue another love of mine. In the spring of 2005 I launched Classic Country Quilts. My first love has always been textile art (quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting) I will be concentrating on quilting with theme and embellishments. The business plan is to paint in the morning and sew in the afternoon. What a better way to spend my day!
So we have managed to take the lemons and turn them into lemonade. We have become the true Mom and Pop home based businesses and it can be done. We are both blessed to be able to do what we love and make a success out of it.
