My Winding Roads

My path in life feels a bit like a winding road. I started what I would consider my main career when I was in my mid-twenties as a Realtor. From there I went on to become a Broker and I had my own Real Estate Company. I stayed in that field for about 10 years. I focused primarily on property management, which was a good thing because the recession hit during that time, and had I not had a rental portfolio as large as I did, I would have been in trouble. Meanwhile, Glenn was truly craving a return to the restaurant business. He had been in construction for a long time and the ups and downs of that business were taking an emotional toll on him. Together, we decided to embark on our path as restaurant owners. It was a terrifying and huge risk. We truly used every penny we had to build our restaurant in Lakeland. Many, many nights were spent wondering if we were making a mistake. But we stuck together and poured our heart and souls into that little place, and we got lucky. Another 10 years later, we are still here and GOSH, are we grateful!! It’s been a WILD ride with two locations, COVID and then a hurricane. But the bright spots far outshine the dark spots. We have made countless friends in the form of those who work for us and those who dine with us. It has been a wonderful journey and one I hope will continue for many, many, years to come.

While my main “jobs” have been the constant in my life over the last two decades, I’ve always had a part-time job or an “endeavor” that kept my soul afloat. I guess you could even call some of them passion projects. Either way, they were in a realm of the world that brought me inner joy. Things that made my soul beam.

When I was a realtor, I was also a yoga teacher. I owned a studio for a short time, I taught classes at various studios, and I taught Academic Yoga Courses at a college in my hometown. From there I spent a lot of time blogging. I started with a recipe blog called Bits of Ash (which is still up, returned to its original state, just so I can see still the messages in the back end from my late Dad). I really loved baking and cooking (I still do) and I used to have an amazing cookbook collection (I am currently working on rebuilding that). So, I would blog about favorite recipes that I would find along the way. I also baked all our desserts at the restaurant myself the first couple of years Scarpa’s was open in Lakeland. Eventually (and thankfully) we got too busy, and it was hard for me to keep up alone and my kitchen crew stepped in to help.

Bits of Ash later evolved to a photography and wildlife blog. I was really into learning about photos and the art of photography. I took loads of classes with amazing photographers which led me to my love of birding. Birding!! Gosh, how amazing are birds!! Until you study and SEE them, it is so hard to understand their complexity in both color and brilliance. I was fortunate enough to volunteer with a Sea Turtle & Shorebird Survey team on Anna Maria Island for several years, where I ended up helping with both the turtles and the birds. My time volunteering with AMITW put me in many rooms with many birding activists and an opportunity to monitor a little island called Passage Key for the US Fish & Wildlife came my way. THAT was amazing! I could tell you so many stories about my time there with the birds, and maybe one day I will write about that, but a true love for these creatures was birthed thanks to many hours observing them through my binoculars!! I still to this day love to grab my camera and binocs and head outside just to go birding!!

Around the same time, I was also getting really involved in needlework and embroidery. I had always crafted with textiles and thread. It is easy to say that I have done some form of needlework since I was a tiny girl. I remember shopping with Christmas or Birthday money and looking forward to going to the craft section to get something new to work on. But it wasn’t until my 30’s that I got serious about it all. I took as many classes as I could, and I learned as much as I could. I spent the next couple of years being involved in this world of quilting, sewing, needlepoint, embroidery, and all sorts of other branches of textile crafts and projects. THIS is when a deep love was born.

My journey with needle and thread brought to life Stella Maris Needlepoint & Textiles. It began with thoughtfully curated needlepoint kits and classes that I would teach in my hometown. It had both the element of needlepoint and the element of sewing with the finishing fabric and production as part of the project. It was SO MUCH FUN!! It was something that I had creative control over and something that I was able to schedule when it worked for me. But soon after, we made the decision to open our second restaurant and our family moved to Boca Grande.

During all of this, I also purchased the most beautiful needlepoint design line, Julie Pischke Designs, from my dear friend Julie. This had been in the works for quite some time, but it ended up happening shortly after we opened Scarpa’s Coastal in Boca Grande.  And with that, came the choice to open a shop on the island that I called Grande Stitches. Grande Stiches was my baby! It held all the things I loved so much, in one space. But what I totally underestimated was how busy that little shop would be. When I opened Grande Stitches, I had the thought that it would be my working studio and perhaps occasionally someone would pop up for a canvas or maybe some fabric. I never, EVER expected a line to form out the door most days that I was open. My second year at the shop, Covid hit, and we stayed closed most of the season. I took that time to expand the shop and give it a little more space. I brought in more fabrics, more thread lines, and even more canvases. It plugged and churned away and shined bright like a little diamond. But it was hard on me. At the same time, I was working 7 nights a week in season at our restaurant. Which meant three of my days were doubles. I felt as if I was hustling and loosing moments with both family and friends and that my plate was constantly feeling too full. Still, it was too hard to let it go. I had poured my creative soul into that little space and the thought of letting it go was something I couldn’t bring myself to do. Until a Hurricane hit.

In September of 2022 Hurricane Ian hit. We lived in a darling little condo on the North End of the Island, and it was ruined by the storm. Luckily, both the restaurant and the shop suffered minor damage, but emotionally I was exhausted. I knew that I had a very uncertain and long road ahead of me and I KNEW that if I didn’t take something off said “plate”, I was going to have a nervous breakdown. It was hard but I knew what I needed to do.

I first decided to sell the shop and then a few months later I decided to sell the design line. I knew that they both deserved to soar and there was no way I would have the ability to let that happen any time soon. I mentioned earlier the great gratitude I have for the fact that I have met so many nice people in my life through our endeavors. Well, Janice and Carrie are at the top of that list. Both ladies are friends I have met through the crafting world. Once I came to terms with the fact that I needed to shed some layers to let my branches lift again, Janice brought Grande Stitches and Carrie bought Julie Pischke Designs. Both of those businesses are doing better than ever!! When it comes to Grande Stitches, I love seeing something that I created and birthed still here in this world and loved by someone who I care for very much!! Afterall, that is what I did with Julie’s line. I took it and loved it so much just as Carrie has done for me. There is something so special about being a part of something with other like-minded friends. It’s a connection that is one of a kind and not something you see every day!! It’s something that should be celebrated, and I am grateful for both of these ladies!

Surprisingly, one of the hardest parts about letting go of the shop was the thought of losing my fabric. I love all my crafts, but I have always had a special love for fabric. Once I learned to sew and quilt, I remember realizing that I had tapped into a branch of creativity that really made my heart beam. When it come to the thought of selling my shop, I knew in my heart that I wasn’t ready to give up that part of my business. Which worked out perfectly because Janice was more focused on the needlepoint and knitting parts of the business. So, I kept all my bolts with hopes that once I got myself settled, I could embark on another little journey in the world that sets my heart on fire. I just didn’t know what that would look like but with all things, I knew time would shortly tell.

Which brings me to today and The Dusky Sparrow. I’ll share the story of the name another day, but for now, it’s best to say that this will be a space where I can meld together all the things I love, in one place. From a shop perspective, you can expect beautiful fabrics, curated bundles, and various sewing notions. I hope to one day dye fabrics and threads and offer those, too. I am open to it evolving as I do, with my own sewing journey and I am really excited for what that might look like over the course of time. The Dusky Sparrow is also a space where I can journal about my projects and the things that are flowing through my mind. It’s a spot where I can celebrate and share all the bits of myself that I have learned about and loved over the years. I see it having many branches and being my own discovery island!! A place where I share favorite recipes, parts of my yoga journey, poetry, photos I love and overall things that bring me joy!! And if any of that brings you joy, I love that!! So many of us have souls like shine in a similar way and I always get so excited when I meet someone whose journey looks a lot like my own! I personally think that should be celebrated and that’s exactly what I plan to do!!