Keeping the Funk.

I've become such a know-it-all about small business that it's become obvious to me that I'm a know-it-all about small business, therefore I realize that I know nothing.

Yeah, I don't see my own faults unless I step outside of my comfort zone. So much of what I don't do is because I DON'T WANT TO.

So I have to give other small business owners the same benefit of the doubt. It's exhausting always being right.

So yeah, I'm know what I know but don't know what I don't know, and I'm aware of that.

Visited a unique bookstore in Hood River on our visit to the boys,"Artifacts: Good Books and Bad Art," and it lived up to its billing. Art along the top of the walls (much the way I stack my toys and games) and piles of books below. Every square inched filled with inventory, just the way I like it.

I like to think my store is funky, but this store outfunks my store by a lot. I'm almost traditional in design compared to this store. (He's also been there apparently, even longer than I've had my own store.)

It's what I always say--make your store unique and different. So I thought that was pretty cool. I think a lot of the Funk is stuff the owner is hand-selling. Not sure I could do the same thing in my store. I've tried to make my store as weird and at the same time as mainstream as I can. "Artifacts" goes straight to the weird, which I really admire.

But having stuff outside the usual is very attractive. What I decided in my store was--if I was going to have limited space--that I'd fill it with stuff that could be stacked in a small space. It's all about the ergonomics.

I also believe that if I'm going to carry so much inventory, that it needs to as straight and orderly as possible. But I've always liked the crowded, narrow type stores, where you might find something unusual around every corner.

For once, I didn't have any criticisms to what he's doing--and I sort of wish I could go in the same direction--but I've found a formula of my own that seems to work and is sufficiently funky, so other than continuing to find more ways to put in cool stuff, I think my store is pretty good too.