The Sweetest Music I Hear!

My husband always referred to my convenience store as my hobby, after all, it is not our bread and butter. It's  just coffee money, he says.  It was opened early on when we were both busy with our careers; with the thought that we needed a fallback should we get tired of the rat race in the corporate world. 

Now that we are retired, the store is a good pass time, somewhere to go to after tinkering around the house and whenever we want a brief change of atmosphere. 

I knew I really enjoy selling things since I was 8 years old, though I recall that as early as 4, I would get the vegetable trimmings, arrange them in bunches and pretend being a vendor.  But the real thing started when I sold candies to my classmates for a profit.  I even sold rice cakes I made with my aunt during summer vacations. 

Fortunately our house in the province is located in a place prime for business since it is right in the middle of the "action", it being just across the market place and the bus terminal is within the block.  Moreover,  I also had a captive market since my papa belongs to a big clan so I always sold out, what with so many aunts and uncles; grandaunts and granduncles all over town!

In high school, I crocheted shawls, table runners and doilies to sell. I usually get orders from the townsfolk, they indicate the color they want and I get the yarn or thread from the city.  

In college, I would spend the summer months crocheting bed covers, in fact even on one Christmas vacation; that's about 2 weeks, I crocheted an order of a double-bed cover.  My take was not much, but I had the time anyway.  I usually did this after the home chores were done when I would turn on the radio and crocheted the day away. 

At some point after I got married, when a braided yarn ribbon became a craze, would you believe that I made hundreds of those in different colors for sale?  Though the return was not really much, I enjoyed selling them anyway. 

Soon I realized that I've been selling all my life, so I opened a convenience store. Until now, I enjoy the activities in the store; some customers ask for recipes or ingredients to use and I share what I know. As I fill out my purchase order, I feel like I am shopping for myself, I often order things I use myself knowing they are of good quality.  When someone comes looking for something we don't have,  the item is listed as reference for the next purchase. 

Sometimes, I couldn't wait for the goods to arrive, like a child full of anticipation;  I would call or text to follow up.  When I receive deliveries, I feel so excited, it feels like Christmas morning every time I open a box. When customers put their chosen items in their baskets, that gives me another high as well; and when  I hear the ringing of the cash register, oh my! That's the sweetest music I always want to hear!