Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandra Van Fleet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sandra, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
We are high school Science teachers, and we needed a place to get inexpensive teacher supplies along with classroom pets. We started to think that we could combine our two passions into a successful business. Since we are a teacher supply and pet store, we thought of Teacher Creature. The teacher side and the creature side are well defined in our shop. So the Teacher Creature Store was born, along with a slogan of become a creature of habit to encourage people to shop small with us.
Sandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As teachers, we appreciate a bargain. For years we struggled to get the supplies we needed for our classrooms. We noticed that there were a lot of items that were unattainable due to cost, so we worked to solve this problem. We don’t carry everything, because everything is not affordable. So we carry what we can, based on prices and what our small shop can fit. We have grown over the years and we continue to grow. We just don’t overextend ourselves, because we can only do so much as a small business.
Teachers thank us for being open and giving them a discount year round. We know the pains of getting a classroom ready, so we strive to find vendors that will sell us quality products at reasonable prices.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
One year I lost my father, he was my hero throughout my life. I then started to feel like I needed to focus more on my family, but teaching was still a high priority. Two years later I lost my only sibling. I fell apart and started to change how I thought about life. I moved schools to get away from some of my stressors and realized that I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. My health started to decline and I was diagnosed with basilar migraines. I realized that my health was worth more to me than the stressors of the job. My friend had made a comment to me that stuck with me. He stated that if I died tomorrow the school would rehire and move on, but my family would be devastated. So I needed to refocus my energy on something else, so I could remain healthy for my family. So I quit teaching and opened a small business.
We have had many struggles throughout the years, but we maintained our focus. We have made it through hurricanes, flooding, car accidents, and now covid; but we are still here. It is all due to our faith and love in the Lord. He has allowed us to survive through all the chaos, negativity, pain and sorrow. We do all things through Him that makes us strong, and we are blessed!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Having a small business you have to learn that there are always unhappy people in the world. You cannot please everyone, and you cannot carry everything a customer wants or needs. It has been a hard realization to move away from pleasing everyone. We have to learn to let go of the negativity and realize no one is perfect. We strive for perfection, but if we fall short it becomes a learning experience and some times you just have to accept that life is not perfect. It is just hard when you want to help everyone, but in practicality it just isn’t doable. So we have tried to learn to accept that we cannot control it all, but only how we react. We will continue to act with love and kindness, but also with acceptance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theteachercreaturestore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theteachercreaturestore/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theteachercreaturestore/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-van-fleet-7b3ab6b3
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/creaturestore/
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/DVUZeUDv4mb