Choosing Joy: 2020 in Review
Choosing Joy: 2020 in Review
by Samantha Weissbach, DWC Director of Operations
“Dad is probably rolling over in his grave right now.”
These were the words I nervously chuckled to my mother Carla in late November 2018, while we sat together outside Dancewear Center awaiting one final call from the landlord to ensure we would be able to assume the current lease on the space at 8425 122nd Ave NE.
Earlier that November, when I learned that Marv & Patrice (the former owners of Dancewear Center) had decided to close their doors and enter into retirement, I was deeply saddened. It was heartbreaking to think that the first place I was ever expertly fit for a pair of pointe shoes would simply cease to exist in our dancing community.
Over the next few days, I shared the sad news with my ballet students. “Dancewear Center is closing at the end of the month!” That was when Madison, one of my students at the time, floated this wild idea: “Miss Samantha, you should buy the store!”
I laughed. “No way. Absolutely not. I have a full-time sales job that requires me to travel frequently, a husband and two step-kids, am dancing and serving as Executive Director for Intrepidus Dance, and am teaching three days a week… to name a few things! There’s no way.”
But it was too late. The seed had been planted… and over the next few days that wild idea took flight. Fast forward to late November, as my mom and I sat in the parking lot, ready to walk in and sign the final sale documents to assume ownership of Dancewear Center.
So why would my father be rolling in his grave at the thought of my mother and me partnering to take over an established, specialty dance retail store that hosts one of the largest inventories of pointe shoes in the PNW (not to mention one run by owners with decades of fitting knowledge that they were joyfully passing on to us?)
“Sam, I’d be dead before I’d start a retail business. Think about all those dollars tied up in inventory. What a huge liability!” This was the sentiment of my father, a very successful businessman with decades of experience. Read: lots of failure + key successes = experience. This man knew what he was talking about.
Technically, when listing inventory in your books it isn’t listed as a liability… since a liability in accounting terms is considered something you owe (i.e. a business loan, outstanding invoices owed to you, etc.) However, tied up capital is simply this: money that isn’t available for other expenditures. The more inventory you have that you can’t sell, the higher the chance that you will find yourself short on cash for more immediate needs such as rent, payroll, utilities, etc.
Enter 2020: “The New Normal”
Between studio closures, classes moving virtual, summer programs and live performances cancelled, and studio enrollment for ages 11 and below in the toilet, etc… the dance industry as a whole is absolutely not okay. Revenue loss for NYC dance organizations, groups, and projects alone was estimated at nearly $24 million in August 2020--and has since grown. 63% of professional dancers have reported cash flow issues, only 8% of responding dance organizations have insurance coverage to help offset the effects of the pandemic, and the median hourly wage for dancers is $19.96--so things really weren’t looking all too great to begin with (read more here).
Again, In the accounting sense, inventory is technically not listed as a liability. But many times as we’ve counted said inventory that was intended to carry us and our dancing families through competition, summer program, and Nutcracker seasons, I have found myself lamenting, “I beg to differ!” However, one could argue that this is simply a matter of perspective.
Here at Dancewear Center, our core values are Integrity, Laughter, and Grit.
Integrity - Because I believe in doing what is right, not easy--especially when times are hard.
Laughter - Because there is truly no greater inspiration or balm for the soul.
Grit - Because I believe that any meaningful change we wish to affect requires us to persevere and be passionate--even especially in the face of great difficulty or failure. (Thank you Angela Duckworth!)
At the end of this tunnel, when the arts are able to return in full force, and we are able to gather together in packed theatres, travel for intensives, dance packed together with other sweaty, passionate beings in a hotel ballroom for the latest convention in town, and laugh, cry, dance, and sing, together once again… we will be here for you.
Despite my father’s warnings, I still have no regrets. When I look back at the incredible relationships we’ve built in 2020 within our dance community here in the PNW, I can’t put a dollar amount on this feeling in my gut… the feeling that we are a part of something so much bigger.
“As we collectively enter into 2021 amid great uncertainty, I invite you all to join me as I choose these certain things: I choose joy. I choose love. I choose to smile in the face of great adversity. “
To our customers, our local dance teachers and studio owners, and to my cherished DWC team (I could not have endured this year without these incredible women by my side!): thank you for inspiring me to keep on going, do better, and hold steady through some very dark and difficult times. As we collectively enter into 2021 amid great uncertainty, I invite you all to join me as I choose these certain things: I choose joy. I choose love. I choose to smile in the face of great adversity. I choose to honor our core values at every turn: integrity, laughter, and grit.
