i love y'all x 100

good morning merry makers,

let’s start with this: thank you.

thank you for opening this email, for being here, for giving me your precious time, & for sticking with me through 100 newsletters.

100!

i honestly never thought i'd write these words. when i started this, i didn’t even understand what went in to writing & creating a weekly newsletter. but here we are

& it's all because of you.

your curiosity kept me going. your replies made my day. your "omg, i felt that!" messages reminded me why i started writing in the first place. every "can we talk more about that?" sparked a new idea, a deeper dive, another store or story to tell.

it’s cheesy to say, but this isn't just my newsletter..

it's ours.

you've shaped every word, every insight, every little aha moment.

& on a personal level, you’ve helped creating this newsletter become one of the most unexpected joys of my life.

so today, i want to talk about what we’ve done, where we’re going, & how i want to bring even more value to you in the next chapter.

brick by brick in beta

if there’s one thing retail (& life!) teaches us, it’s this:

evolution is everything.

the best stores reinvent constantly — but always stay true to their mission. costco surprises us with new bulk buys, spirit halloween finds “fresh” real estate every october, & target tweaks its playbook for all the best impulse buys.

retail doesn’t sit still.

this newsletter has been no different.

when i began, it was all about greeting cards & personality tests. then it shifted to productivity & confidence. now, we’re here, deep in the world of brick & mortar retail.

through every iteration, one thing has stayed the same:

my mission to make your mondays merrier.

i want our cozy corner of the internet to feel like walking into your favorite store —somewhere inviting, intentional, inspirational, & full of the best finds!

built with & for you

this newsletter is more than a place to share retail stor(i)es. it’s a place to help you:

• if you’re just retail-curious, i want you to walk away with shopping hacks, stories to tell your friends, & a deeper appreciation for the stores you love.

• if you’re a retail professional, i want you to feel like you’re getting the sharpest insights to use in your own store or business.

• if you're dreaming of building something of your own, i want you to feel inspired & learn from both my wins & my mistakes.

• if you're just here because you like how i think about things, i want you to find unexpected connections between retail & life that make your mondays brighter.

at its core, this newsletter is about finding patterns — across brands, across industries, & across life — & showing you how to apply them in ways that make your world a little more merry.

the party is just getting started.

i’m building something bigger—insights, tools, and stories designed to help you thrive.

the next 100? all about what you need.

your invitation

to kick off this next chapter, i’m opening this newsletter (& my heart) for reader support.

what does that mean?

it's simple: if these newsletters have brought value, joy, or even just a different way of seeing the world to your mondays, you can now support merry makery through pay-what-you-wish contributions.

whether that's $1 or $10 or $100, your support means everything.

to me it’s about so much more than the money,

it's about showing that you believe in me & the future of merry makery.

for the past two years, i've poured A LOT into making mondays a little merrier— exploring ideas, connecting unexpected dots, creating aesthetic designs, finding the best memes, & sharing it all with you in a way that (hopefully) makes you smile.

your enthusiasm has shown me that maybe my way of seeing the world—whether it's friendship, productivity, or now retail—resonates with others.

that maybe there's something special in how i see the world.

so if these newsletters have become part of your monday routine,
if you've found value in my work — i'd be honored to have your support.

& here's a little insider tip: since this counts as retail industry education & research, you might even be able to expense it through your company (wink wink to all my corporate friends — let's get that L&D budget working for us).

what's in it for supporters:

• the warm fuzzy feeling of helping this business grow

• a special merry members only section each week

• early access to new ideas, projects, & templates

• your name on my list of favorite humans

• direct input into where we go next

• possibly a write-off? (just saying...)

& yes, the weekly newsletter will always remain free — because good retail insights, like good customer service, should be accessible to everyone.

this is your invitation to help me make more merry & magic.

no pressure, just possibility.

cheers to the next 100!

p.s. looking for another way to show me & this newsletter love? just click on my merry partners each week— every click helps (& yes, i get paid per click!) 💛 

p.p.s. as many of you know, i’m obsessed with my newsletter platform, beehiiv. they’re running their biggest sale of the year with 20% off annual plan + 1 year perplexity pro for free! my newsie would not be where it is today without this amazing platform 💛