Riding Out the Storm: Ts1st Shop’s Real Journey

If you’ve been following Ts1st Shop for a while, you know this business has been all over the place. Every time I had a plan, something would happen — and just like that, the plan would go to shit.

I officially reopened on March 1st of this year, and within four days, everything I had worked so hard on... fell apart. Yep. Four days. But that’s life, right?

Now that things are starting to level out a little, I’m digging deep and doing everything I can to make it work.
We had to close down our print-on-demand side of the business — the cost of everything went up so high it just wasn’t realistic anymore. I sell to real people, mostly low-income families, and charging $23 for a t-shirt didn’t sit right with me. So I had to make a hard choice.

The new plan?
Go all in on our handmade items.
I tore the website apart, got rid of all the collections, and decided to just focus on what we make by hand: earrings, keychains, sun catchers — all the things we love to create.

I’ll be honest: I would love to move to Etsy. But because I owe Shopify Capital, I can’t just leave yet. So for now, we’re staying put — and we're going to hustle harder than ever.

The goal? It feels impossible, but I’m aiming for $5,000 this year.
Pray for us.

This year so far has been brutal:

• We got a shutoff notice on our utilities

• The water pump at the house broke

• Then the pressure tank went out

• We were without water for a while

• The dog needed surgery (emergency vet bills, fun...)

• We were stuck with a litter of puppies no one wanted

• My phone (aka my business camera) broke

• Then the car decided to take a crap too

And all this in just three months.
It’s been enough to break a person. Honestly, I almost gave up.
But quitting is not an option.

The truth is, the way things are right now — with tariffs, inflation, and all the pressure — being a small business owner feels almost impossible some days.
But if I give up now, I’ll never know what could’ve happened if I just kept pushing.

So here we go: Try #100.
I'm proud to say I've officially been in business for over a year.
Some days, the imposter syndrome creeps in and laughs at me.
Other days, I feel like a boss — like I can do anything if I just don't quit.

I'm sticking with that feeling.
No matter what happens, I’ll be able to say:
I rode the entire storm all the way through.
And that’s something no one can ever take away from me.

Thank you for being here and supporting Ts1st Shop.
The fight isn’t over yet. 💪