Over the years many people have asked how Cozytown Linens began. Here is our story…
We’ve always been a one income family; I’m a stay-at-home mom, and my husband and I have three children. My desire has always been to be a mom at home caring for my family, yet like most moms, I wanted to contribute financially. In 1999, we were at a point where some changes needed to be made in our lives. At that point I had been home-schooling our daughter for two years (Kindergarten through 1st grade), and it was now time to send her off to school, as awkward and depressing as that was. My little blue-eyed blonde was growing up too fast and I was a mess. She was starting a new and exciting adventure, and after two weepy weeks, I realized it was time for me to start one as well.
I had always desired to own my own business, but was clueless as to what and how to begin. After a couple of months of prayer and seeking the Lord’s guidance, a good friend suggested that I sell items on eBay. She had an established business on eBay and was making a nice income. That sounded like a great idea and it was certainly working well for her, but what would I sell and would it work for me? She suggested that I start with something I liked, and that’s when the thought came to me…..QUILTS! I love quilts. I enjoy sewing and had made a few quilts at that point in my life, but nervousness kicked in again and I thought, “Who would buy my quilts, and how many could I possibly make in a month?” I knew I would need to make and sell more than one a month and even that would keep me mighty busy. I soon found a supplier who sold finished hand-made quilts….the perfect way to try out this ‘eBay thing’. Before long, my little enterprise, entered into with such trepidation, but nurtured with such hard work, began to grow with each grateful customer. Soon–to my great surprise–we were building a website for this fledgling business, what is now known as Cozytown Linens. Wanting to add to our product line, I found a supplier for American-made sheets, bedskirts, mattress pads, and comforters. I fell in love with the quality, beauty, and durability of the products and I began selling those too.
Somewhere between working on a laptop at our kitchen table, and working in the neat little office my husband decided he needed to build for the business, I realized that I was a business owner! Me: a mom at home–flying down a hill like a little girl on her bicycle with her feet up off the pedals! Sure there were times I felt I couldn’t do all the things I needed to do on the website to make the business a success—but I held onto the bike handles for dear life and persevered. Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” I didn’t want to fail my family, my customers, or myself.
Our eldest son is out on his own now and has since blessed us with a beautiful energetic grandson. We have our teenage daughter here with us who is a senior now (I’m flying down this hill too fast!), and our five-year-old son who is our little Guatemalan miracle, making life pretty exciting for us. The business, too, is especially busy now–busy enough to warrant hiring some office help. The reason for this upswing in work is due to word-of-mouth from happy customers, and also recommendations from Simmons Mattresses, Sleep-Comfort Beds, custom bed manufacturers, The Washington Post, and many other prominent newspapers across the country. I couldn’t believe that companies like those would even know about our little enterprise, nestled up here in Saratoga County, on a country road in the foothills of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains–but they do!
I love not having to punch a clock, love working right out of my home where the beauty of nature is just steps away, and I love being here for my husband and children. I thank God for this unique business, and our webmasters for their knowledge and diligence in helping us reach our goals. I am also thankful for the many wonderful customers we’ve had the privilege of serving throughout the years. We are blessed beyond measure, and life is good.
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