Retail's Downturn is Plus for R & D

'Fire & Ice Boutique' has changed to Vital Wonders Boutique and is offering new departments weekly and classes soon!

Along with my infamous artist designed dichroic glass jewelry, fused art glass creations and designer magnetic jewelry; we offer deluxe sea sponges and a line of goat's milk soap with sponges inside for the bath; Simply Soap's Alchemy Soap Line and their other great natural soap bars & also cut by the inch per order; Rockn' Socks hip footwear; Psychopathic Record's Official memorabilia and the fabulous MyChelle Dermaceuticals creams, serums and facial sprays.

Our alternative mall, White Hall Village in Grand Junction, CO, is a fun interactive mini mall making it easy spending an hour or two without realizing it. Since the dollar needs to be stretched as far as possible, classes seem a great alternative for entertainment and power for the buck - you gain a new skill and can be productive with it and had a good time for a few hours. No hangover or surprise the next morning! White Hall Village offers specialty shops, tarot readings, and alternative book store with tons of free info and meetings, a holistic pet center, non-profit community projects and more.

And the economy?
We can all agree that retail's hurtin'. But the enlightened know that down time is best spent reflecting, examining with renewed perspective, developing new ideas and pondering improvements, developing new insight. Maybe I am a romantic caught in the phoenix syndrome. I believe in Hope, Rebirth and Correction. I always liked Hegel. His philosophy of thesis, antithesis thus synthesis is everything in a nut shell. Every synthesis is the new thesis, thus it continues unendingly. The wheel keeps turning.

Bad times call out for renovation and redesign. Maybe even thinking outside the box. Obviously thinking inside the box hasn't been working. Conflict is constant if there is growth and questioning is what keeps you current, at your best, progressive; developing and completing concepts while dually stimulating constant improvements and advancements.

I am still very busy opening and developing my new store 'Fire & Ice Boutique', now Vital Wonders Boutique, being totally exhausted with that endeavor. But it is obvious that this is a very limited spending time, universally. So what does one do during down times? Grow. Grow, learn and innovate. As things tighten you find yourself making new decisions; 'dog food treats or steak for me?', 'maybe the store brand isn't so bad?', 'forget nuts', 'forget avocados... artichokes', 'gee - why is organic so much more...' 'This isn't good for you anyway', 'I can live without this', 'I don''t need that!', 'Are they kidding???', 'I need to lose weight anyway.' I'm gonna garden!

So it is a great time to learn and keep oneself busy. I find it interesting to see renewed worth on things. If I am to spend money it better keep me entertained for awhile, please me, teach me something or I don't need it. Everything starts getting measured against one another and we will spend our money more wisely. Now looking for quality. Unfortunately the bs will be filtered out, what is relevant will live on for another day. This is the time for every individual to become relevant in-what you may have to offer. Enterprising innovators will reign true. The corporations fall and the gentrified conglomerations withdraw. Then mom and pop enterprises can develop and open again with a new lease on growth. This is not a systemic cancer that ails America but a tumor needing to be cut out leaving the whole to regain its strength and start flourishing again.

Who's not ready for this new challenge of faith and spirit. We have to use our brains again and appreciate what we have and can no longer be forced to drown in an unnatural existence against our collective nature. Haven't you always wanted to start all over again? This is a gift to us, not to be repressed by but to break through and start anew. Embrace it and this time - let's have fun and enjoy the journey!