An Update. Part II.
In January and February of this year, my sales were way up from the same time period in 2019.
The first two weeks of March were also way up.
Then, in the middle of March, the country shut down because of Covid-45. And my sales tanked.
As April unfolded I was terrified. TERRIFIED. Sales were still terrible and, as there was no end in sight with Covid, I knew I could not survive with my “new” numbers.
In 1996 I had become homeless. And, in April 2020, I thought this would happen again. It seemed a certainty. The only thing keeping me from losing my mind was the idea that I would have plenty of company.
At the end of April though my view changed from DOOM to cautious optimism. Because, I made just enough in April to pay the bills. Ditto for March.
OK. So, maybe I would not be on the street come August! I just would not have an extra dime. Well, I could live with that.
Then…then…May finished. And my sales proved better than the previous May. Golly, I did not see that coming. The same thing then happened with June and July. Geez. Ross happy!
August? Sales exploded, and I had my best month in over four years.
September? Also incredible. Way higher than the year previous.
It seems reasonable to attribute all this good news to terrible news: Covid. With people staying at home, it seems that people are improving their homes, as evidenced by places like Home Depot doing stellar business since April.
I feel a powerful sense of gratitude. I also feel a powerful sense of…ummm…discomfort. So many millions have been negatively impacted by Covid. Like one man I know. For seventeen years he owned a sandwich shop in a tourist town. Then tourists vanished. And he lost his business and income. Disney just announced that they were laying off 28,000 people. American Airlines and United Airlines are set to furlough over 32,000 workers. Last week, 837,000 individuals filed new jobless claims, as compared to 200,000 a week in pre-Covid February.
With no end in sight to Covid in America, I expect that things will only get ever worse rather than ever better.
Yet, Home Depot is doing stellar business. Sonic, too (their very business model is ideal for what is going on). And for some guy in rural Kansas who sells, of all things, restored vintage lighting.
This happened to me before. When the economy collapsed in 2008 my numbers went way up because people re-focused on their home rather than buying a new home. Thus, I should have anticipated same in April. But I did not.
I am posting all this intimate information for two reasons:
- I previously posted my worries about tanking sales. So, it seemed cruel to not offer an update. Particularly a good news update!
- I have been so busy with restoring and shipping vintage lighting that it has been difficult to post on this blog thingy.
With things doing so much better than expected, I restarted work on the house I live in. In 2013 it was undergoing a large-scale renovation but after buying the Cross House in March, 2014, all work ceased on my house and I have not spent a dime on it since. So, for six years I have lived with a partially finished kitchen, and two partially finished spa-style bathrooms. But, of late, Justin has returned to my house to complete these projects. This is important because it seems likely that I can, at last, at last, move into the Cross House next year. Then, I will either sell my current house, or rent it. But, it needs to be finished first!
I have also been helping people negatively impacted by Covid. This has provided food, kept utilities on, or paid vet bills. And I have worked, via social media, to bring attention to people who opened GoFundMe appeals to help survive this crisis.
As a former waiter, my heart goes out to anybody working in the restaurant business. Since March, I have dined out about a half-dozen times. Each time, I have left a 50% tip. I have, too, endeavored to order take-out from my favorite restaurants, helping them to stay open, and always leaving a very large tip. This is, yes, small help, but a lot of people doing same can make a big difference.
Previously, I wrote about handing $20 to each of the cashiers in my local grocery store, and thanking them for coming to work. Again, small help, but a lot of people doing same…
In short, I feel very lucky. Yet so many people, through no fault of their own, are being crushed. Never before have I so profoundly felt this classic phrase: It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.
A big hug to everybody. And…let me know how you are doing, if you like.
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Well, i don’t know about the U.S., but it was literally impossible to buy pressure treated lumber in most of Canada during July and August. There was none.
Yes!!.. needed pressure treated lumber for renovating my carriage barn. I could hardly find any, I bought whatever I could find.
I am so glad to hear all this great news!!! I can’t wait for you to move into the Cross House…
Doing ok. My husband and I have not been out of work. Stressful being there but so far so good. We do take out once a week. Only he goes to the grocery store. Only one visitor since March. I have visited my sister 3 times always with a mask. Visited mother-in-law a few times since March. Again with mask. So if my biggest sacrifice is to avoid people then I’m doing fine.
Glad things are good for you Ross. Let’s hope November is even better.
Ross, I understand exactly your feelings now. My job has always been work from home and my work has continued unabated. I have a good salary and excellent benefits that haven’t been cut. I’ve taken the time to do a lot of work on my house (hah!) and my boyfriend and I have weathered the initial stress and depression of the Covid crisis and we seem to have built a stronger, healthier relationship for it.
In short, the time of Covid has actually been good to me personally.
But I see so many people hurting, losing jobs, losing health insurance, losing family members. I know that the restaurant and entertainment industries are being throttled. And I see the violence and anger and racism and hate and (ugh the debate!) politics and I feel almost guilty for doing well. So, I too have been ordering out and ordering grocery delivery with exorbitant tips for the delivery people, contributing to various GoFundMe requests (I think I got a couple from your posts), and generally trying to help as much as I can.
I hope that when we get through this, we’ll see some major changes towards making people’s lives better and making sure this never happens again.
In the meanwhile, I’m super excited for you to move into the Cross house finally! How is the cat fence going? I can’t remember if you posted that it was completed or not. Good luck with finishing the work on your current house!
Thanks, Kara!
Cold weather stopped the cat fence way back, then Heritage Grant work precluded resuming work on the fence. The current plan is to finish it come spring.
Thank you so much for a really honest post. I live in the uk and know many people who are affected financially by Covid. Of course we must always think first about the people who’s lives have been lost by Covid or whose health has been affected but we can only try and carry on and support each other. I so look forward to your posts and hope that things work out for you and you can carry out this wonderful restoration. Looking forward to your next post x
I understand your unease about doing well financially in a time when so many are struggling. My husband was off work for a few weeks but apparently getting your car fixed is an essential service so he has been working since April. I’m a hospital nurse so I never stopped working, in fact there have been overtime hours like crazy because Ontario ruled that you can’t work at any other facility if you work in long term care. So many nurses and personal support workers have 2 part time jobs, so with most cut back to 1 our LTC homes and hospitals have suffered from lack of staff. The Ontario premier gave out pandemic pay so for 4 months I actually got a $4/hr raise and a $250 bonus for working full time hours. Our biggest struggle was childcare. Self isolating stopped being total there because we sent our kids to a babysitter so that we could keep working.
The worst thing for me was that my dad died in June and I hadn’t been able to see him for months before, and then not when he was in hospital and not when he died. He never got covid, he just had a bad heart and passed anyway.
The months ahead of us still having restrictions and uncertainty are wearing on me. At first it felt doable and now it feels like my stress over it all will eventually crush me.
Karyn: I really feel for you, especially the loss of your father. My 86-year-old father has weathered the COVID crisis fairly well, thanks largely to the thoughtfulness and dedication of the caregivers at his assisted living facility. He has had a few bad moment, though, and has struggled with depression and frustration because he literally cannot leave. He’s doing a little better now, thanks to his doctor and his caregivers, but I cannot wait until I can be with him in person and give him the hug I know he needs and craves. Thanks for all you do to care for other people’s family members, especially while you were unable to be there and care for your own father. I honor your work, and I honor your father’s life. Sending you love and light as you grieve.
Our older population living in retirement and nursing homes have really suffered during this pandemic, even the ones who haven’t been sick. Our mental health matters too! I hope you can give your dad a hug again soon, you both need it!
I am so glad to hear that business is good for you, Ross! And I am not surprised. I am in several DIY groups (and decluttering groups) on Facebook, and it seems that people are definitely doing more to their homes. I am disabled, so for now I have my regular income from Social Security Disability Insurance (that I paid 15% of my income towards the thirty years I was able to work in spite of my disabilities). But of course, the GOP wants to get rid of SS, and the programs for people with disabilities will be the first to go. So I am very stressed, worrying about the future for myself, and the two girls I adopted.
I normally homeschool just the oldest, now 15, because she is quite gifted and the schools did not meet her needs. She is also an introvert, so it is easy for her to be home all the time now. She is an information sponge, actively seeking out things to learn about. But the 13 year old is normally in school, is NOT motivated to learn, is a social butterfly so really resents being stuck at home, and is having a really hard time right now. So it is tough trying to keep her on task, without completely ruining our relationship. I am not a playful person (I am on the autism spectrum and HATE games, etc.) so I am not the sort of teacher she needs. It is hard on her and hard on me. One thing to note, the 13 year old is thinking of going in to carpentry or some other trade.
My cat rescue and foster kittens keep me somewhat sane. I have five orange kittens that are about 6 weeks old, and two older ones, one of who had to have an eye removed. I currently have 18 that are here permanently. The newest one of those is a Siamese who came from a bad situation, and has hidden under the furniture since she came two months ago. I have been able to pet her exactly once, when she was out, in a window, and couldn’t escape. She tolerated it without aggression, but has not put herself in that situation again. She is in my timid cat room, with one other (very affectionate) cat that just doesn’t get along with the others in the house. I am hoping she learns from the affectionate one. Usually they come around eventually when they realize they are safe.
I do worry about how others are impacted, and wish that as a country we had been more aggressive about shutting things down, wearing masks, and staying home. I am in Iowa, and the numbers continue to rise here, with NO mask mandates, and the governor FORCING school systems to have in-class school. There is NO excuse for 205,000+ deaths. I am at high risk of having severe complications from COVID- I get bronchitis or pneumonia every time I catch a cold. So I am only getting out for essentials- groceries, medicine, the vet or the shelter, the doctor. So please, everyone, wear your mask, stay home if you can, and VOTE BLUE!!!
Ross, I’m glad to hear you haven’t been very negatively affected by COVID-19–financially or health-wise! My partner works in the restaurant business and, back at the end of June, contracted it from someone (an employee? a guest?) at work…annnnnnd he promptly coughed—er, brought it home to me. We’d already known a few people who had passed from COVID at that point and, both being in our early 50s, we knew we had to take COVID seriously when we started to show symptoms. Early July wound up being a total blur between feeling absolutely miserable and my partner having had a bad coughing spell that had me dropping him off at the ER one night and not knowing whether I would see him again due to possible quarantine restrictions and…who knew what could happen? Luckily, the non-stop coughing was easily treatable and he was home within hours, but I had never been so scared of the unknown as I was that night!
After both recovering and being allowed to return to work…our roommate then tested positive for COVID and we were forced by our jobs to go BACK into quarantine for another 14 days. I was allowed to work 20 hours a week from home and didn’t finally return to work until early August! My employer thankfully paid for my time out when I was sick, but wouldn’t pay beyond the 20 hours a week during my second quarantine after exposure to my (by the way, symptomless) roommate. Getting 20 hours a week of work certainly helped, but unemployment wouldn’t cover the other 20 hours a week. THAT is how COVID really hurt me: financially.
I’ve been back at work since (dealing with the public) and I’ve become vigilant about people wearing masks out in public—over their mouths AND noses. A little discomfort, but a small price to pay, I say! You wouldn’t believe the number of people who still won’t wear a mask!
I keep hoping for something really good to come our way this fall after these four years of craziness. 2020 hasn’t been what I’d hoped for so far. Maybe it can get better? Little things like watching the progress at the Cross House from afar have sure helped, but we all need something really BIG to cheer about!
A maudlin, self-pitying comment to life during the pandemic:
I believe that without this blog and the fabulous Kelly’s Old House Dreams, I would not have survived the isolation that was forced on me by the pandemic.
I can’t visit my nieces and nephews, my grandnieces and nephews, nor have I been visiting my siblings for fear that I may be carrier. My friends are out too, because they might be carriers. I do visit my ninety year old mother, who would do fine without me, but thinks she needs me. Even if she does get IT, I will never no exactly who brought it to her.
Weeks ago, I had to pull over on the highway verge due to engine trouble. I called AAA to tow my van and found out that one can no longer ride with their tow truck driver to the vehicle’s destination, nor could I sit in my vehicle on the back of the tow truck.
The guilt and confusion of going through the list of family and friends to find someone who I know to be reliable and yet knowing that I might be a carrier, was frightful. Should I just give up and protect my loved ones from the possibility that I was carrying the virus? What would I drive if the Van was dead?
Finally I called my brother, who was out, and my sister in law, Gail, who came right away. Sitting on the barrier beside the Parkway, waiting for the truck or Gail to show up, Before I got ahold of Gail, I felt hopeless and like crying. I had thought that I could never have been in such a situation. The thought of jumping into the small river that runs along the other side of the barrier, putting rocks in my pocket, and letting myself go under for the last time was really tempting, being a very Virginia Wolff way to go.
Fortunately she answered the phone and saved me from that train of thought. She brought me home after the van was on the tow truck, ( thank you Gail) and it arrived safely shortly thereafter.
I went inside, booted up, and visited the Cross House and looked at the amazing old houses on OHD, which took me away from my own problems. Ross even dropped me a line checking on me from half way across the country. My family who live nearby haven’t done that.
Pity party over!
I am getting through each day and learning what I can do during this time rather than thinking about those things that I can’t. Ross and I were born in the same year. In my case, the lack of emotional support resulting from not being able to visit people is wearing, but thanks to this blog. I am surviving and will flourish again once I figure out how.
I know that I am long winded, but I was trying to put things in context to let Ross and Kelly know that things like tipping well are the least of what you do with your amazing joie de vivre and the generosity of what you share with us.
Hi Ross! I’m an apprentice in the aviation industry in Australia and for some great miracle I still have my job! Ironically this pandemic has been really good for me health wise. I used to suffer from severe anxiety and other mental health issues. I’m also on the autistic spectrum and I hate exercise. But interestingly I’ve started to do YouTube fitness challenges and I’ve actually been enjoying them! I’m also proud to say that my anxiety has very much disappeared! I’m in a very positive mindset even though I have a job in a very unstable industry right now but I have never been as confident, carefree and happy as I am now. Plus it’s my favourite holiday coming up soon: halloween! I’m glad to hear you are doing great and I must say that you are a big beacon of positive hope in the big dark storm cloud that is America right now. I’m so fortunate that I live in a country where the political parties are not extreme or seemingly corrupt like the republicans are. America used to be so golden. But you are like one of the last remaining unicorns: positive and FABULOUS!!!
Ross, I’m glad your vintage lighting business has picked up and you are doing well.
My husband & I are doing well, we are only going out for groceries, the vet and take out food. And also leaving a big tip, any little gesture helps. I too fell guilty, we are on Social Security and so have had no loss of income and are paying all of our bills as normal. Wearing masks wherever we go.
Our daughter works at a clinic, so we worry about her, but she is more protected than doctors and nurses in a hospital. Her boyfriend is working from home and of course we worry about our little 2 year old granddaughter. Our son is an essential worker, both kids wear masks and are sensible about this virus, that makes me feel better.
My heart goes out to the people who have lost their jobs, I hope to God that another stimulus package is passed to help all those who are in need. Also to the people who are essential workers. They deal with customers that don’t wear masks and are rude or worse, when asked to wear one. The people who have loved ones in the hospital whether with Covid or another illness, they can’t see their loved ones, that must be so difficult.
Hope your lighting business continues to be successful and your other house projects are completed so you may move into the Cross House. How wonderful that will be!
Hope everyone stays safe and sane until we get a vaccine for this virus and it is gone. I pray too that Trump will be gone in January. What a triumphant day that will be.
Hi Ross!
I’m currently a college student during this pandemic. A lot of my ilk don’t find it reasonable to follow the rules, and it makes me stressed as I may be sent home with no refund for room and board. My college is holding on and for the most part is doing well, but this week the cases have been looking a lot worse.
However, I consider myself lucky to be able to continue to further my education, even though it’s mostly online, and hold on to my summer job.
I’m glad that your lighting company is doing well during this pandemic, and I can’t wait to get an old house so I can have an excuse to buy something off of there!
Best wishes, and good luck on both of your houses.
We’re retired, so being isolated is more the norm than not. Still, not having our regular social interactions did focus us on home improvement and general decluttering, and I do believe this old house breathes easier for it.
We’ve tried to support our local restaurants by ordering takeout and leaving a big tip, and so far they are all still in business.
Being able to check in on The Cross House has helped keep me sane, knowing our little old lake house up on the hill will never be the challenge that you have, Ross. I’m very glad your lighting business is doing so well — just looking at your before and after photos makes me happy. All those lovely lights will again bless an old house with grace and dignity.
Keep it up, Ross.
Building materials, if you can get them, are up astronomically. 80% in some cases. A friend who owns an excavating business received a letter from his supplier this week stating materials will go up 40% in October. 40%! Across the board. At least he can quote realistic prices – but they won’t be good. Real Estate sales in our already depressed area are through the roof. People are staying home, they are fixing their homes and they are realizing that they might need a different home. And what do you do when you can’t run to Home Depot and buy a light fixture? You go vintage! And you go with small businesses. It makes sense to me that your sales are up. I hope they hold for you.
Ross: I am doing well overall, isolating and working at home (when work is available) and working on my #stupidprojects list of household and yard projects when I can’t escape to the computer. I still visit Emporia once a month to help my Dad, and I always drive by the Cross house because it’s so inspiring to see what you’ve accomplished on the wrecked south side. Your blog and your thoughts have been a refuge for me during this crisis, as they have for others, and I can’t wait to hear about the results of the gutter project, see photos of the repaired chimney, and learn what plans you have for the inside of the house, as soon as you finish your long, long list of Heritage Grant projects. Best of all, I hope to catch you at the house one of these trips to we can visit again — from a safe distance, of course. All the best to you, today and always.
You are such an inspiration in so many ways, Ross. Am glad that your business is doing well. You also keep bringing delight to our lives (humans felines, other creatures great and small, buildings). Wishing you more happy bounties.
I’ve lived in the south for 50 years, ever since my parents performed what I like to call “the forced March to the south” from NY state when I was 13.
Three years ago I moved from the Atlanta area to middle Georgia to persue (finally) life as a full-time glass artist. Everything was going swimmingly until March, when covid hit. Suddenly all shows were cancelled, all galleries closed, all in person classes finito. Therefore, all income evaporated. And I realized that I was alone. All my family was in NY. I hatched a plan to move back.
So here I am in a small one bedroom apartment with my cat, Frankie, who has until recently been a free-range farm cat. We are adjusting.
I still have no income beyond a small social security check, but I have family here. Three sisters, my 93 yr. old mom, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. I left my glass and supplies in Georgia and hope I’ll be able to find a studio here and go fetch it in the spring.
In times such as these you have to have faith that things will work out. It’s the only thing that can keep you going.
I feel much safer in NY than I did in GA. Here the governor and everyone takes the pandemic seriously. Everyone wears a mask. Everyone is careful. I hope we’ll all be safe soon.
Your blog is truly a bright spot. I worry about you if you don’t post for a long time. I look forward to each new report of how the cRoss house is coming along. Thanks for taking us along on your journey.
I am so pleased to hear you are doing well in these difficult times. I was worried. My family are fine although we lost an aunt to covid19. I am enjoying my beautiful red light and yes it makes me smile that I bought it in April! Thank you for making beautiful things; it makes so many corners of the country a little brighter.