Reflections on Year One


 Reflections on our first year owning a hardware store and lumber yard (during a pandemic)


What a title. (Bear with me... I'm sure I'll get better at this whole blogging thing.) 

What a title and what a year.

I’m (as always) questioning how yet another year slipped by as we celebrate 1 year at Dunlaps on July 1st.

It’s been scary, rewarding, overwhelming, fun, tiring, and amazing.

All at the very same time.

But as I ponder at the things in this life that are all of those feelings mixed together, I think some of the best things in life are just exactly that: every emotion rolled into one.

We have a lot to be thankful for... our loyal customers, our totally outstanding crew who works long hours with a smile, the local community of Batesville, our parents and family who never tried to talk us out of it, but rather told us they believed in us - even as we watched the world live in fear and eventually shut down... it has been such a wild year.

But still the biggest thanks (for me anyways) is to who we all call “the old Dunlaps crew.” The Fullenkamp family has been nothing short of amazing this past year.

When we had questions, they were right there. Always patient, always attentive, always warm, always positive.

But for me - speaking very whole heartedly - July 2021 has always been on my mind and heart... in a sad sort of way if I'm being brutally honest.

Because that's the month - decided almost a year and half ago - that my Cindy would leave me.

Most people probably don’t know Cindy Cornett. And most people probably never will.

Why would you know a little book keeper from a sleepy hardware store in Indiana?

But I feel so sorry for the world.

Cindy is one of the most humble and amazing people I have ever met.

She has been by my side since my day one and she is the brains and brawn of Dunlaps.

One thing that still is kind of hard for me to internalize is I went from working to a “woman-controlled world” of teaching to a “man controlled world” of the lumberyard.

Though I am stereotyping here, I believe that most people can agree that generally speaking when someone says to another, “you’ll need to talk to his teacher” I would say most people imagine going in to talk to a female. And someone says to another, “Go to a hardware store and price out some lumber with them” I would say most people imagine walking in a store and taking to a male. 

But if I'm being totally honest, no matter what the question, if I went to Dunlaps to shop, I think the first person I would want to see is Cindy.

She knows everything.

I'm sure one of these posts will be all about book keeping and the crazy things book keepers do to keep track of everyone's everything all the time, but I will spare you all the dozens upon dozens upon dozens of examples Cindy has worked through and taught me as a master book keeper. She can solve any issue or mystery. And when she does, she always uses her famous line calmly, "Crisis averted."

I've spent the last year telling myself I'll be okay without her and I'll learn to be her with time. I'd say, "You have 11 months to learn this; be patient with yourself." Or "You have more than 6 months to get this right." And now I say, "You've got a couple weeks to become this legend of a woman." And, friends, I hate to say it... but I'm not going to make it.

I'm not sure I will ever be half of what Cindy is.

But I'm going to spend my years certainly trying.

There's a lot to talk about with this past year... too much really. Like lumber prices increasing 170% in under 11 months. Overnight price hikes ranging from 3% to well over 300% on some items. The first treated truck we bought on our own was PTS (which stands Price Time of Shipment) and there was no ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) when we would see it. That's a lot like saying to someone:

You: I would like to buy this bag of groceries.

Them: Ok, but I can't give you a total on the bag.

You: Ok, could you give me like a ballpark... probably should cost like $20-$30...?

Them: No, I can't say that.

You: Ok, well when will I see it... probably in less than a week... or two, right...?

Them: Nope. Do you still want to order?

You: *needing groceries* Yeah, go ahead and order.

-- And then your bag of groceries arrives 7 weeks after you expected and cost almost $80. No returns by the way. --

People asked us a lot during the really scary time, "How do you sleep at night?" 

Our short answer: Faith. 

We genuinely don't believe that God would bring us this far for us to simply fail. 

And if He does, we must really really have a BIG lesson to learn.

I like to speak in song sometimes and Eric Church's is in my head:

"This ain't for everybody

Toes hanging off the ledge
Like we got nothin' to lose
Ain't always heaven, baby
This livin' on the edge
You holdin' me holdin' you
It's a hell of a view"

I'll never forget this year.

What a ride.

And it’s just beginning.


Always with love,

Samantha


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