What a year! I cannot believe how much time has passed since we first opened our doors a year ago Saturday. Our first year has truly been an exciting one, full of change and growth. We have so many things to be thankful for this holiday season and on behalf of the Umbra team I would like to thank all of you who continuously support us here at Umbra.
I began working for Jamie when she was in the midst of expanding her business. As many of you may remember her candle shop was first located on the corner of Tennessee and 38th, in the TBA building. I asked Jamie recently, "Why St. Elmo?" She replied, “I love the St. Elmo community, I needed to expand my business and there were no other retail locations in the St. Elmo area.” Community involvement and development are very important to Jamie, which is why she chose to invest her business in the heart of St. Elmo. For the first time ever, the annual Ava Gallery Hop was brought to the St. Elmo area. This provided, great exposure for Umbra Essence, our clients are still talking about the event and spreading the word all over town. In February 2008 the Merchant’s Association, an organization that has been a driving force in positive change in St. Elmo, was reformed. As co-chairs of the Impact Committee, Mary Barnett and Jamie Mosey organized and produced a St. Elmo brochure. Our own talented Amy Murray drew the map and designed the layout. Currently, this map is delivered to many locations and rest areas throughout the Chattanooga area.
Upon completion of the brochure this summer, the Impact Committee looked for new projects to take on. They thought a holiday festival would be a great thing for the community. They decided to start planning Holiday in St. Elmo 2008. The employees of Umbra played an important role in this event as well. Posting flyers around town, putting artist packets together, decorating the shop, and organizing are just a few things they did. The events of the festival were kicked off with the returning Corgi Parade. There were live entertainment, children’s activities, open houses, and an exceptional art market. Despite the rain, it was a wonderful event and we hope to make this an annual festival. Besides organizing community events on the side, Umbra Essence remains busy with wholesale orders and bringing new artists to the gallery. Our artists have nearly doubled since we first opened last year. In the spring we launched our Customer Rewards program and since then we have registered nearly 300 clients.
This has been an eventful year for us here at Umbra Essence and the future remains bright! New plans are already in the works for 2009 and along with the rest of you, I am very excited to see more growth and opportunity not only for Umbra Essence, but for the St. Elmo community as well. On behalf of the whole Umbra Essence team I would like to wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year
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