My cousin Kim called me one day and told me she met Jennifer Houghton at this cute little store downtown. Jen apparently needed some people to sew because her hat business was slowly growing to the point that she needed more stitchers and cutters. I happily agreed to begin cutting fabric…that was enough for me as my son was playing lots of baseball and I didn’t want to get stressed out!

I remember our first “business” meeting above Little Hat and Jen asked all of us to share where we thought we would be in five years. I almost started to laugh. I was just trying to make a little extra money for my family, I didn’t really have a plan…I remember saying out loud that I had no idea what I wanted to do, but also remember thinking about how fun that first meeting was..we were all laughing and it was so exciting to get my mind working again in a creative way. I soon got to know Deb and she taught me how to sew the hats, which I really loved. I’ve always loved the instant gratification from giving something handmade.

Jen and I soon became very close, shared many stories about our families, growing up, what our dreams were, and I soon realized that my path in life needed to include this magical little company! Little did I know what lay ahead. I was very happy sitting in my kitchen at my sewing machine, in my fuzzy pants, listening to Ellen Degeneres on the television making little hats with beautiful fabric! I kept thinking that I had the best job ever.

I began working in the store on Mondays and didn’t really want to, but knew that Jen really needed someone and couldn’t say no to a little more money. The people I met in the store just touched my heart. I remember a woman named Lenore walking in the store the very first day I worked. I had only been on the phone with Jen a dozen times, because I was deathly afraid of the cash register! I know…I was a 38 year old woman…we all have our “stuff”! Anyway, Lenore came in and began telling me about her partner in life who had passed away recently from Cancer. She was looking for a donation..she had decided to begin something positive and help out families who are affected by this dreadful disease…her organization is called Amy’s Treat. I was in tears on the phone with Jen, who ofcourse told me to give Lenore $100 in Gift Certificates. I couldn’t believe how good that felt in my heart to give and expect absolutely nothing in return! That is exactly how Jennifer Houghton works and I 100% wanted to be a part of it.

I was soon named “The Ambassador of Goodwill”, which I thought was hysterical because I had no idea how much money we could give at any given time. Each of us began to find our little niches in the company and just ran with them. I had no idea that I would be making a “little” deal on the bleachers at my son’s baseball game that would result in 1,000 hats. No idea that I was supposed to say “YES” all the time in business (that’s for you Jen , that Susan Page was so extremely funny and fun to be around, or that five of us would soon be traveling to New York City very late one night. Didn’t know we would be meeting people at The Today Show, falling asleep at The Martha Stewart Show, frequenting a bar, sharing our hats with complete strangers, watching Jen give her hat to some woman named Dara Brown on the street (who it turned out was a producer and anchor at MSNBC), telling our little story to anyone and everyone who would listen, laughing the whole time!

I have learned so much about myself in the past two years. I have learned that if you don’t open yourself up to new things and new people, then you will never get to experience what someone else has to offer! I have learned that there are so many aspects to business that I never knew before. I have learned that I can walk 39 miles as long as I’m with people I absolutely love being with. I have learned that when you believe in something with your whole heart, that anything is possible. I have learned to absolutely love what I am doing..whether or not a Toy Store exists, and I have learned that I want nothing more in life than to continue to make hats and laugh with all of the Little Hatters in South Berwick, Maine.

I want everyone in this wonderful little town to know, that Jennifer Houghton is not finished with her journey just because the toy store is closing down. Yes, it is sad, especially for the downtown. It will be sad not seeing the dogs lining the sidewalk and it will be sad that she won’t be sharing and listening to stories in the store each and everyday, but you haven’t seen the last of Jennifer Houghton. I know in my heart that she has bigger things ahead in her life. I feel so lucky to be a part of this journey with her and with Sue, Deb, Linda and Barb…hopefully Cousin Kim in the future! I have had so much fun laughing with these women and hope that whoever has taken the time to read my comments, can understand…just a little bit…how special The Little Hat Company really is!

It’s not the individual stores that make up a town its the collection of businesses that can hang on through anything and it’s those store keepers that I truly admire. Abby has decorated our Main Street long before we opened and she will be here for my kids’ prom. The chinese & pizza places are my families main stay for late night dinners and will always be! Anna & Aaron ask for a Jones soda from Nature’s Way as a special treat when I’m on my way home from closing the store. The Catered Event has the coolest ice cubes in town – have you ever ordered one of Marsha’s ice coffees?

How cool is it that South Berwick has one of the remaining few privately owned pharmacies in the country. I had no clue how remarkable it is until my aunt and uncle filled us in. Kudos to Richard and his staff.

Where was the first place that we thought of going as we closed Little Hat for one of the last times tonight? Pepperlands of course, Lindsay was right there with his peculiar smile that we’ve all grown to appreciate. It was the toast of the glasses to a few of us Little Hatters and of course an order of Crab Cakes, Nachos, and Soup. We’ve laughed, cried, and freaked out many a times there over Little Hat and I’m sure we’re not done.

The best thing about our town? Really and truly the best thing? Our kids! I had so much fun watching them play today as their parents loaded up on holiday gifts and questioning our decision not out of judgement but out of kindness and care. One little girl started crying and said she didn’t want us to close. It made me really sad, not regretting our decision but knowing how she was feeling. It also made me hopeful knowing that against all opinions in the beginning of being on “the other” side of Main Street – we were able to create a place that people were willing to cross the street for…if the economy had held out I wouldn’t be typing this, but then we wouldn’t be shifting the focus back to the hats.

Please know that I tried everything that I could to keep our little store open…I’ve met so many wonderful people and shared way too many personal thoughts and stories. I will miss the holidays the most. Please keep an eye and ear out for us as we dig in deep to keep the hats growing and one day in the near future we will be able to open a store again and perhaps just maybe The Little Hat Company will sell hats.