The band were awesome, the booze & cheese were fine & every single person who joined us last Thursday were obviously there to party. I know I threw the bash, but goddam, it was good. Ha!!
My speech consisted of five thank you's for five years.
This is what I am grateful for;
1. La Homme - his passion, his vision, for spotting that first vintage poster in 1996...which led to 3 more, then 10, then 30, then to our life savings, then to a business that (despite our lives being turned upside down; a whole new life of change & challenges for him after a near-fatal brain haemmorhage in June 2010) continues to grow, evolve & inspire;
2. Team Galmont - the people who supposedly work for me, but really, they work with me. Their joining Galerie Montmartre has evolved naturally & they have been the right people at the right time. Each member of our team are passionate about vintage posters, they take initiative, believe in Galmont & our vision & when I say "i think we should try this"...it just happens.
I gave an extra shout out to Michelle Belle, the little girl who turned up regularly to our shop back in 2007 with her vintage poster thesis & would leave saying "if you have anything for me, please let me know"....so eventually we let her know. She is now, my right-hand girl, my left-hand girl, my ambidextrous dynamo who has stood by me through challenges that no business, let alone group of people, should have to endure...never once wavering from her complete commitment to our company.
3. Our Collaborators - those who have businesses of their own that choose to be aligned with us, we share ideas, share work, take care of each other in a sea of small business owners who often are busy taking care of their own...they are;
* Tash Kuperman of Red Creative & SwapShuffleShare...go-to girl in the early days;
* our web man extraordinaire, Andy Pope;
* Creative Framing;
* Kate James, dear friend & biz whiz confidante from Total Balance & The Change Project;
* Phil Graham at Tarlo & Graham, emporium of the wild, one-off & plain wacky;
* Chris & Jools from Le Contraste, these classy, classy kids are beautiful people...wonderful friends;
* Luscious Lucy Feagins from The Design Files...doesn't need introducing;
* My little Pippy Doo Pip Lincolne from Meet Me at Mikes...needs no intro either;
* Lovely Lyn Gardner from Empire Vintage & The White House....builds her own personal little empire on top of those teensy vintage clad shoulders of her's;
* Muriel at Cassis, our personal French advisor!
* Monique from Up & Up Creative;
* Lizzy C; the whizbang photographer.
4. Fitzroy - no need to go on here...you all know how much I love our community...it was the sure thing in the many uncertainties of running a small business, our first retail gallery had to be in Fitzroy;
5. Every person who has bought a poster, looked at a poster, asked a question about a poster, marvelled over a poster, haggled over a poster, wondered about a poster, been delighted by a poster, been horrified by a poster, longed for a poster, celebrated the poster. Keeps me doing what I'm doing, keeps me asking how I can make the experience better for all those who engage in Galerie Montmarte.
What a trip! Here's to the next five years, where will they take us, is anyone's guess. It'll be fun though.
xxx
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