It Was Never About the Umbrella

I've spent most of my life figuring out what I like.

Music.

Art.

Clothing.

Turns out, opening Herschede wasn't about learning what I liked.

It was about learning how those things belong together.

One thing I realized pretty quickly was that I couldn't separate what I sold from what I believed in. I have a hard time bringing something into the store if I can't genuinely stand behind it.

Early on, that sometimes got me into trouble.

If I loved a jacket, I'd buy too many colors. If a vendor had several great shirts, I'd convince myself they all deserved a place in the collection.

Some of those decisions worked.

Some didn't.

One of the moments that really clarified things happened before we even opened the store.

Molly and I were at a show in Chicago when we met the Italian brand, Pasotti. They introduced us to handmade umbrellas unlike anything we'd ever seen. Every handle, every detail and every fabric felt less like an accessory and more like a piece of craftsmanship.

Now, living in Phoenix, carrying luxury umbrellas probably isn't the safest business decision.

But I couldn't stop thinking about them.

Not because we needed them, but because they felt like Herschede.

Looking back, those umbrellas represented something I hadn't quite put into words yet.

There's a difference between buying something I love and understanding why it belongs.

Those umbrellas represented craftsmanship, individuality and a point of view that I wanted Herschede to stand for.

Not because customers were asking for luxury umbrellas.

Because they belonged.

I'm only eight months into this journey, so I know there will be more moments like that. I'll still fall in love with beautiful things. I'll still occasionally overbuy. I'll probably still bring home pieces that take longer than I expect to find the right person.

And honestly, I'm okay with that.

I don't want to lose the excitement of discovering something extraordinary.

I'm just learning that every piece also has to help tell the story of the collection.

I think that's true beyond retail.

Most of us spend our lives collecting the things we love.

Over time, if we're lucky, we begin to understand which ones truly belong.

-E