We were lucky to catch up with Amy Moore recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
If I could go back in time to start my business sooner or later, I wouldn’t do either to be completely honest. In October 2023, I was listening to a sermon series called Bold Moves from Twin Rivers in St. Louis. The messages were powerful, but the third one is what really spoke to me. This sermon along with Bob Goff’s book, Dream Big, were the two reasons I stepped out in faith to start my business.
I never really thought about being a small business owner other than seeing some adorable brick and mortars over the years and thinking of all the things I’d have inside if I ever opened my own. My dream has always been to write a book, devotional or self help but faith-based for sure. I started writing very young and continued into adulthood, working for a local newspaper and eventually as a freelance writer, which I still do today for a marketing firm out of St. Louis, Intergetik. I started a blog at least ten years ago, then took my creativity to a more hands on approach, making jewelry and decorative bottles that I displayed at a local coffee shop in the town I used to live in.
Circumstances changed aka life happened and I moved an hour south of where I had lived for most of my life, into a small town where I knew no one. To say that it’s been hard building a business from the ground up having no family and very few friends in town, is definitely an understatement. I came from a place where, because of my job at a newspaper, I had come to know many of the people and much of what was going on in the community. Here I am continuing to learn new things and people every day.
However, the years leading up to opening my business taught me all the things I needed to know in order to be confident in who I am and that, if God is my co-pilot, there isn’t anything I can’t do. So, back to the book and sermon, I felt like my next step was opening a small business, something we didn’t have in town. We have some awesome small businesses here but I had my heart set on a gift shop that would encompass all the things that have helped me over the years mentally, physically, and spiritually. When I found a location, the timing couldn’t have been better because it wouldn’t be ready right away and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t be either! Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into painting, creating, and making the space my own. I started at the end of 2023 and opened my business in March 2024 while continuing to create for my two shelves at the coffee shop until I my brick and mortar needed my full attention.
Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Adding on to what I mentioned in the last question, I love all things creative. But even more so, I love God and I love people. I wanted to create a space where everyone felt welcome, regardless of their beliefs, lifestyle, or current situation. So many people are hard on others but more are even harder on themselves. If I had it my way, everyone would have a place they felt welcome and safe as well as happy to come home to but that is unfortunately not the case for everyone.
I determined that I would open the shop as a reflection of all the things I loved…all the things that brought me joy. I have a pretty eclectic style and wanted to shop to reflect that as well. The tagline I use often is: Welcome to Twenty-Nine 13, where modern, vintage & bohemian meet a little hippie Christian in one adorable, small town space. Inside you’ll find handmade, upcycled, new, customized & DIY treasures of thoughtfully inspired gifts to nurture the spirit, body and soul. Then, when you enter the shop, the first thing you see is a handwritten sign that says: A little bit hippie, just enough class; a whole lot of soul and just a touch of sass.
In essence, walking into the shop is like walking into my heart. God has brought me through a lot in my life and in each season, I am left with not less, but more knowledge of who I am. I want people to feel seen, loved, and welcome. So the shop is a way for people to find healing in tangible ways — reading the Bible, devotionals or a card that someone gets for them, a piece of jewelry that makes them feel good, a sentimental trinket that holds a special meaning, a candle, handmade soap or an eye pillow that promotes self-care; something may of us put on the back burner.
What am I most proud of in the past 8 months of being a business owner? Well, that question has two answers…#1 really getting to know my customers who have now become friends. Several of them don’t leave without saying “I love you” and even message me when they can’t come by. That says a lot and means so much to me. #2 being a place people come to find a gift, to experience peace or to get prayer. Only one of those things is tangible but all of them combined are what will make this small business a success, if you ask me!;)
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The answer to this question is simple… I worked. I didn’t get a loan to start my business, I worked my freelance job to support purchasing all I needed to for opening, selling and operating the first 5 months or so. I exhausted my savings and even self-funded expanding into another 1/2 of the building. I grew from 1/4 of the building to 2/3 of the building in the first 4 months without borrowing any money, just continuing to use my own. I don’t know if that was the smartest decision, but it’s what I went with . It was only 3 months or so ago that I decided to get a 0% interest credit card to make several big purchases in order to expand my inventory; a decision I am still very happy with. I know that there are smarter ways to start a business but the way things have happened in my life have always been in this way: God gives me the nudge, I take the leap, and He follows up in a way only He can, teaching me all I need to know along the way. Naive? Nah. Crazy? Maybe. Gutsy? Yes. But like the tattoo on my arm says in big, bold letters: <b>But God. </b> Sometimes that IS the only answer to who, what, when, why and, well, HOW!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I think it’s more a lesson I needed to LEARN rather than something I needed to unlearn. As much as I hate to admit it, I care way too much about what people think. I have Proverbs 4:23 tattooed on my arm. The verse says to protect your heart above all things, for out of it flow the issues of life . Not so ironically, I wear my heart on my sleeve, so this is definitely a good reminder for me. I know God didn’t intend for any of us to fit in — we’re supposed to stand out, but as humans, we have this inate desire to be loved, liked, seen. No amount of years or growth can take the humanness out of me. My flesh is weak, just like anyone else’s. So, I have had to learn that not everyone is going to know my heart or understand when they first meet me that I have good intentions. I have to keep in mind that not everyone thinks the same way as I do either. Giving grace, having empathy, showing kindness and genuine care/concern for others isn’t something everyone can do. We aren’t built the same way, so, I keep my guard up as much as possible while also remaining vulnerable. I’m not afraid to share who I am, where I came from, or what I’ve been through. But I will be careful with who and what I give my time and attention to. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes on the Prize (God) and do what’s best for my business, while also considering others, because I do want us all to succeed. I didn’t open my business to make friends but to make a difference — an impact. However, I have made some good friends along the way, which is a HUGE bonus! I know deep down that competition is real, fortunately for me, I’m not competitive so I’ll let go of the control of the things that don’t matter and speak up about the things that do. We have a great group of business owners here in town who have worked hard to build their businesses. I love that each is unique as are their stories. I also feel like I have a lot to give and things I’d like to share, which I hope to in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: loveyoulovegod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twentynine13
- Twenty-Nine 13 is located at 710 N. Missouri Street in Potosi, MO