Relocate Elle's Island Spectacle

Elle Tatum is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Elle Tatum, LDO and Proprietress

Good day, my friends! First, I want to thank all of you that have helped me grow my little optical biz into the artisan eyewear boutique in Pleasant Beach Village that it is. We have nurtured it from its humble beginnings, having started in 2014 and hatched in the nest of Office Xpats on Bainbridge Island, on $800. I am a licensed optician and have practiced opticianry on the Island for 25 years.

THE PASSION:
l Iove it! I love the incredible interactions and energy I enjoy with my clients, I love getting to know the artists, even their families, so it becomes a very personal experience that is exhilirating and motivates me to be my best for the mutual benefit of Island Spectacle, the artists, and mostly for you, my clientele.

I love "Enhancing vision, while complimenting your innate style and creativity, with spirited eyewear!" The biz motto is "Elevate to the Art of Eyewear" and I'm all about bringing this art form to you - it changes the way you feel about yourself in the world - gets your mojo back, and provides fabulous self expression!

THE CAMPAIGN:
I have dreaded the idea of resorting to a GO FUND ME Campaign. Yet, I must! It has been 4.5 years of making bold decisions and this campaign is one of them. Your help is now what will keep this cool, local, niche optical biz going and available to you. I am so grateful to all who have and continue to support Elle's!

I have recently fulfilled my lease agreement at Pleasant Beach Village, which has been a beautiful experience, allowing me to get established, be part of a stunning environment, have beautiful holiday setting and summers that cant be beat, along with wonderful property management and co-merchants of the Village. Yet the numbers make it clear that in an independent specialty optical biz there are cycles and in the case of Island Spectacle, we would do wonderfully in a "show room" setting in my conveniently located Ferncliff Ave. home!

I have depleted ALL of my personal assets and financial resources, building and sustaining the business, and the on-going incredible stress of that has made it clear that I truly need to make some business changes. Flip side of the coin, however, is that bringing to you this amazing eyewear is my passion and joy. I am very good at it! It is also my profession and calling and i count on it to keep a roof over my head.

THE PLAN:
More than anything, I want to continuue to grow the biz, but it requires rearranging the manner in which i operate. I have decided it is time to "bring the business home" to my residence on Frencliff Ave., and to create (in accordance with City zoning ordinances) an Eyewear "Show Room". This is well suited to the personal nature of this business as well as to me personally. This rearrangement will also provide me with the time/flexibility to carry out many other facets of my profession, within our community - community health and education fairs, shows, and one of my pet loves - "nursing home rounds". It is a very enriching way to give back and provides the much needed adjustments, repairs, consultation and trouble shooting to those unable to easily get out and about for these services. I always leave these consultations an hour or so over-time, and with a big grin on my face!
I will also be developing my pediatrics and special needs consulting and optical services. I have several years' pediatric background as well as special education, working with the more severely disabled group of students, and i want to be available to them again, for their eyewear needs.

I have aggressively begun the DIY project of turning my son's former "garage band room" into a delightful space fashioned after the boutique in Lynwood Center. This most certainly is a case of turning a "sow's ear into a silk purse"! I am eagerly learning all about spackling, caulking, masonry, you name it! I have also learned a lot of new things in effort to to create some curb appeal to the exterior of my humble abode including laying a small brick terrace, landscaping, pressure washing, painting and the installation of a very cool little black and white striped Parisian style awning. I am embracing the hard work while breathing and spackling love and life into the new Show Room. As much as i want to do it all myself on a shoe-string budget, the coffers are now frighteningly and critically low. I am at a standstill - not even the shoe strings are left! (I wonder if i could caulk the holes in my shoes?)

THE NEEDS:
In order to get Elle's resituated, there are a number of pressing financial needs that I am up against. I am running into some expenses requiring professional help with getting the Show Room together: electrical and handy-man issues, lighting and floor covering. As well, I need to address ventilation for both heat and cooling, and there's always the unexpected curve ball (rock) the new rock-through-the double-paned-showroom window

THE TIMETABLE:
Move the Shop from Pleasant Beach at the end of July. I will take a couple of weeks to get resettled and sell many extra pieces of antique furniture and display items. I will certainly be available to meet your needs in the interim of the move. I envision having probably four days a week open for "drop-in" visits, with expanded times/days available for private appointments and consultations.

I am in high hopes that you will be "on-board" with support of this 'gem' of a small Island business and the unique and artistic offering that Island Spectacle brings to our community! I am already envisioning the celebration of our restructure and new, expanded biz model with a special outdoor "soiree" later in the summer, complete wth music, food, wine and a fantastic eyewear trunk show with amazing savings.

IN REFLECTION OF MY APPRECIATION of your financial gift at this time, I will so gratefully offer 20% of your donation toward your choice of eyewear frame and lenses to be available to you not only during the Trunk Show, but extending through the end of 2017, whichever best suits your timing!
At Elle's Island Spectacle, BUSINESS IS PERSONAL! Thank you so very much. It is with a very full and grateful heart that I accept any financial support that you are able to offer today, through this GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN. Please know that any words of encouragement and the blessing of sharing our Island home and friendship is truly a great contribution, in my heart. Thank you also for supporting SHOP LOCAL as well as the SMALL BUSINESS sentiments we Islanders are so great at . It keeps dreams alive and roofs over the heads of small biz entrepreneurs that just want to be with you and here for you, keeping it community and personal.

www.islandspectacle.com

"Do small things with great love." (mother teresa)