13/11/2024
Hello everyone! It’s been so long since I last posted. Here’s a photo of a craft shop I stumbled upon while climbing Yoshinoyama in Japan this year. This quaint little shop sells vegetable-dyed sashiko threads! It was closed, but it reminded me of my little dream for Applelulu Crafts—a small, humble shop, unique and crafted from things I love.
That’s also why I decided to put Applelulu on hiatus. I hadn’t officially announced it until now, though some of you knew if you checked in about workshops. Running Applelulu was such a joy, but as things changed after the pandemic, it became harder to avoid financially driven decisions.
While Applelulu was profitable, it wasn’t set up just for profit. I wanted to run it with passion and authenticity, which isn’t always business-savvy. I could have chosen cheaper materials, bigger classes, or offered more trendy projects to attract more customers—but that wasn’t what I wanted Applelulu to be. I worked long hours to make up for my stubbornness, but there are only so many hours in a day.
Eventually, I had to choose: make it commercially sustainable or take a break. After much thought, I chose the latter, and my work-life balance is much better now.
Do I miss Applelulu Crafts? Absolutely. Do I regret the decision? Not really. I believe the right time will come to bring it back exactly as I envisioned it. And I hope some of you will remember and return. For now, I’ll craft in my free time and keep dreaming of a small, quaint shop to call my own one day—a shop where creativity and heart come first.
