Why Mondays Are A Big Deal

The moment I hit “post” on Instagram, I felt my stomach drop.  There was no turning back.  It was officially happening.  We were going to be open on Mondays, and I wondered if I should find a paper bag to breathe into.

Up to this point, every new venture, every big idea, every area of growth at Hurley House has brought with it a surge of excitement and giddy anticipation on my part.  And while the decision to be open on Mondays has brought with it a calm reassurance of knowing that this is the next right thing to do, I also felt a nervousness on the surface at the reality of the change.  

Maybe you are thinking, “Come on.  It’s one day.  What’s the big deal?”

Imagine if you found out that your children would have to start going to school on Sundays.  There would be a shift in how you think and prepare for your week.  You would suddenly need to have clean uniforms and packed lunches ready a day earlier, make changes in wake-up times and bedtimes, plus consider and plan for things like carpool, homework, and after school activities. None of these things are new (you’re already doing them), but now you have to begin doing them on a different day.  That’s a little how being open on Mondays feels to me.

Mondays are a big deal because up to this point, our entire operation has centered around the fact that Monday was a work day but not a retail sales day.  From the inception of Hurley House, my intention was to never be open on Mondays.  It was sort of a pillar of my plan.  An ideal I held fiercely to, confident it would never change.  

I loved hunkering down and working at my computer all day on Monday, not a stitch of makeup on my face and not a caring even a little bit about what I was wearing.  I loved keeping the lights off in the store and knowing I could spread papers and projects out on the tables if I needed to.  I loved walking out of the store on Saturdays, not really worrying about the condition of the store because, you know, I would have time to take care of it on Monday.  

But then something happened that I didn’t love.  I started having to say no.  No, I’m sorry, we can’t have a birthday cake for your daughter on Monday.  No, I’m sorry, you can’t pick up your meal on Monday.  No, I’m sorry, you can’t have a party here on Monday.  No, I’m sorry, you cant come in, even though you see us in here working on Monday.  No.  No.  No.

It was time to reconsider my pillars, my ideals, my non-negotiables.   Maybe it was time to figure out a way to stop saying no, and start saying yes.  With that thought in mind, we began to figure out how to make it work.

In order to be open on Mondays, we had to change everything (and I mean everything) about how we work.  We had to consider big decisions like when we have our weekly staff meeting and when we get the store ready for the coming week, to small decisions like when we brew tea and when we restock the beverage station.  

Figuring all of this out was not a small task.  It took weeks of brainstorming and plenty of charts sketched out on pieces of parchment paper (my favorite place to plan), to figure out a solution that wouldn’t compromise the quality of our product.  But we did it.  We changed when we order groceries, how we store ingredients, when we prep food, when we assemble meals, and even how we staff our kitchen.  We faced the challenge, and I like to think we won.

So why do it?  Why even bother with all of the fuss?  Because you are a big deal to us.

The real reason Mondays are a big deal is because, most exciting of all, we now get to say, “Yes!” to you.  

We get to say yes to your request for birthday cakes and boxed lunches for Monday events.  

We get to say yes to providing dinner for your family on Monday nights.  

We get to say yes to all of you who have pulled up to the store with your children on a Monday afternoon after school, gotten out of the car with expectant looks on your faces, and then tragically been turned away by the locked door.   Now you can come in!

Being open on Mondays is a big deal for all of us, no matter how you slice it, and we can’t wait to see you on Mondays!!!