It Ain’t Over . . . Till It’s Over by Marlo Thomas

Author:Marlo Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

With no budget left for advertising, Mari Ann relied heavily on word of mouth, asking everyone who came into the store for their email addresses so she could invite them to parties she hosted for local artists or trunk shows. “It was risky,” she admits. “I would only occasionally put an ad in a free newspaper requesting furniture or announcing a sale.” But before long she had compiled more than 1,800 email addresses, and people were regularly sending new customers her way.

Starting the business was unquestionably scary. “I was nervous—and everything was at stake,” says Mari Ann. But she always reminded herself that she had weathered worse— much worse. When Nathaniel had been diagnosed with cancer as a sophomore in high school, “we were told he might not live that long.” But he did, and despite 48 weeks of chemo, he was able to graduate on time three years later.

“Looking back, I realize that the first time he got cancer, I survived by learning to focus on the positive. So when he relapsed and my company was liquidated, I did the same thing: I kept thinking that if I hadn’t lost my job, I wouldn’t have had as much time to spend with him as he recovered or to be with my friend Janice or my mother in the months before they died.”

The emotional support between Nathaniel and Mari Ann is a two-way street. “He has always been my biggest fan,” she says. “About two years ago, he wrote me a letter thanking me for making sure he never had to be alone in the hospital, for listening to him when he needed to talk, and for giving him advice without judging. The fact that he was so grateful took my breath away.”

Nathaniel has since graduated from college and is back home, having been accepted into a competitive entrepreneur training program at the University of Chicago. He helps Mari Ann out at the store one day a week and is always there for her to bounce ideas off. “He is truly like a business partner to me,” she says.

Today, two years after opening, her store is an eclectic mix of items, from something as expensive as a Chagall painting and handmade Asian armoire worth $20,000 to more affordable things like sofas and chairs from stores like Crate & Barrel.

“I love the store,” she says. “You know, I took every cent out of my 401k to open this place. I could have used that money just to pay the bills and keep looking for a job that might never have surfaced, but I didn’t. I’m glad I decided to use it to invest in myself.”

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