Let me introduce myself: I'm Janet Davis, an artist and entrepreneur living and working on the North side of Bonavista Bay, on the island of Newfoundland in Eastern Canada. There are many challenges to running a business here in a small rural community, and there are many wonderful benefits too. This blog is where I share some of those challenges and triumphs, and share what it's like to live in this part of the world.
We had an appointment in Gander today for a recall concerning faulty headlights on our vehicle. So after dropping off the truck, we had a couple of hours to kill.
I had heard that some interesting improvements had been made at the Gander airport, where I haven’t been for quite some years, and Duke was willing, so we went for a visit.
I’m taking a little time off this week, and I started my holidays with a walk on the beach with my favourite cousin at Cape Island.
We found these interesting balls on the beach, and with a little investigation, we deducted that they are balls of seaweed type grasses that have rolled on the beach to form balls.
A grey and beautiful walk with a treasured friend. A great way to spend some time away from the studio & office!
What a wonderful day it has been! This has been our busiest day of the year so far, with 30 visitors at the studio, and 64 people served at the Café. I’ve been hearing wonderful feedback from customers, and all feels right with the world.
I spent a wonderful couple of hours at The REACH today where there were so many happy faces- people genuinely pleased with the progress of the museum, archives, artisan marketplace, and the new exhibit by Tracy Blackwood in the art gallery… such a beautiful space made even better by beautiful smiles. So much positivity!
And then, to top it all off, the Town of New-Wes-Valley put off an impressive fireworks display right in Norton’s Cove, from the floating docks that were installed late last year by the province right where the old Brookfield wharf was.
Oh Canada! I know we’re not rated as the best country in the world, but man, it’s a pretty wonderful place that we’re living in. My little part of this country seems pretty hard to beat. And I’m very thankful every day to have been born just up the road at Brookfield Hospital as a Canadian citizen and a Newfoundlander.
For those of you who follow my blog, you might be interested in the blog over at The REACH as well! There’s lots happening at the old museum, the art gallery, and coming soon, artisan showcases! I’m really looking forward to seeing The REACH reopened this summer, and hope to see some of you there at events! Take a trip over to http://www.thereachweb.wordpress.com.
We are pleased to start showing you around our newly designed space! Our three room schoolhouse, built in 1930 as Memorial School, now uses those three rooms a little differently. One of those large rooms now houses four display areas for museum artefacts, plus two ends which make shelving displays, and the walls are filled […]
Museum Spotlight — the REACH
We went for a hike out behind our house yesterday. The landscape is barren and striking, and I think the huge blobs of granite that make up most of the landscape are simply gorgeous with our recent dusting of snow. What do you think?
Today I’m doing a few chores at home and at work, including printing up a few cards to complete an online order…
Who knew that being a part of a Christmas Parade could be so much fun? Waving at people for a couple of hours and yelling “merry Christmas” out the window of the FJ Cruiser made us feel so ridiculously happy!
I had a great Christmas Craft Fair week in St. John’s! The fair was my most successful ever, I spent time with friends, ate good food, and am now very happy to be back at Norton’s Cove, unpacking my boxes and putting things away. I’m in the studio and ready for your visit or your online order!
11 degrees celcius on October 19th at Newtown. Calm with a gentle fog on the water, and the sun starting to set. Amazing, considering that a week or so ago we took the same little trail and had our breath taken away with a cold and fierce wind on this same little walking trail. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to live in a place where the weather doesn’t change drastically from day to day. Winds, tides, and whether or not we see the sun is a topic for discussion all the time here in Newfoundland.
Duke and I had a lovely little getaway night aboard our sailing vessel Virtue which is tied up at Terra Nova National Park’s wharf. Such a beautiful spot! We had a gorgeous moonlit night and spent our morning on a little hike on one of the trails…
While I enjoyed this little excursion very much, there was the stress of wondering what’s going to happen with our business this coming week always hanging a shadow over me. Last week we saw such a significant dip in business at the studio and café that I had to dip into personal debt in order to pay the weekly bills. I can’t afford to do that much more, and we have four weeks left in the season yet. What to do? Do I risk personal debt in order to keep 8 valued staff-members employed for the next four weeks? Do I disappoint the few customers who have made reservations for special occasions? We really do need to be going full tilt to pay the bills. This week I will keep going, run the risk, and reassess on Saturday. Fingers toes and eyes crossed that I can keep going until Thanksgiving as planned!
The View from Norton's Cove 