· By Tarleton Walmsley
It's hard to believe, but Garden Party is now 6! This year's celebrations are looking vastly different from past years, mostly because we don't have a physical place in which to celebrate. Honestly, celebration looks more like reflection this year but I’m okay with taking it a bit easier.
Reopening at 792 Haywood Rd (hopefully end of September???🤞) is very much a second chance for us, and I've been thinking about what I want to take with me from the last 6 years, what I want to improve upon, and what I want to leave behind. And after reflecting on all of that, I've come up with a few wishes for Garden Party. The ADHD meets detail-oriented person in me would like to share that this isn't an exhaustive list, of course. All of the minute details of all of my hopes, dreams, and wishes for Garden Party would be pages long and it stresses me out to think I might've missed something. But I think this is a good starting point in which to frame the next iteration of our business.
These are my wishes for Garden Party (and myself) in the coming years:
-I want Garden Party to continue working on and toward our Equity Initiatives. I want us to succeed in achieving these goals each year. According to the ACLU, "Black people are 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates." And despite legalization efforts, this disparity hasn't improved. Our Equity Initiative standards hold us accountable to operating our cannabis-adjacent business responsibly and to do our part in helping mend the harm done by systems meant to keep people down.
-I wish for Garden Party to be financially stable and profitable. I want to pay myself a living wage. I've never done that and it sounds cool. I also want to be financially stable enough that we can pay our employees a living wage, so that we can continue donating a portion of proceeds back to organizations in our community and beyond that we care about, so that we can create our own product line, so that I can afford to take time off with my family, so that I can spend money with other small businesses. I mean the list goes on and on with this regard, but ultimately I want to unlock our full financial potential so we can be around for a long time.
-I want to work with other creatives to make and do fun, weird, cool, interesting things with and for Garden Party. I want to make a commercial, I want to make a stop motion film, I want to write a book, make zines. I want to have the capability to create without restraint of resources (money, time, capacity).
-I want to take time off when it's needed. I'm prone to burnout, and I've learned that getting to travel and remove myself from everyday routine is not only healthy, but also a must for getting out of creative and mental ruts. Maybe this means closing the shop for a few days, maybe it means learning to be more flexible and less rigid when it comes to my commitment to the shop.
-I want to become comfortable with being a boss and a leader. Perhaps it seems obvious, but I only recently came to terms with those roles being two very different things and so I want to navigate them each with confidence.
-I want to open a second Garden Party! Maybe it's a simple magazine and edible stand on Folly Beach, or perhaps it's a giant shopfront in Atlanta. Whatever form it takes, I'm interested in figuring out ways in which to expand.
I'm sure I'll think of dozens more wishes later, but these really seem to be the pillars for me. Thanks for being here for the celebration and the reflection. Can't wait to reopen and see you all really soon!
