As March arrives and the promise of a brighter future finally comes into focus, many of us find ourselves wondering what comes next. Some of us are dusting off our 2020 plans for travel, self-improvement, and living life in the hope that we might soon be able to put them to work in 2021. An important part of bringing dreams to life is sharing them with others, so we felt today would be a great opportunity to share with you our top five favorite things we want to see in 2021 as normality is slowly but surely restored to our personal and work lives. What are we at Edgington Studio most looking forward to?

1) The promise of new public events

When we started the Studio last year, we had a lengthy list of ideas to get the ball rolling on growing our fledgling business, including setting up pop-up shop partnerships with some of our favorite local spots, special events for Small Business Saturday, teaching basic sewing skills via free classes to members of the community, and many more as well. Sadly, these all had to be put on hold indefinitely, a frustrating delay for what could be enjoyable and productive events for all involved. We can’t wait to put some of these into practice as restrictions are relaxed and thoughts of public gatherings inspire joy rather than concern.

2) Having visitors at our Studio

We take pride in the transformation of our workspace over the last year and wanted to allow friends and visitors to come by and see for themselves what Edgington Studio is all about. While this was technically possible before, we felt it would be better to wait until guests could focus more on the Studio than on mandatory hygiene practices, so we are glad that the days for such visits are fast approaching. We are excited to show you around!

3) The creation of new local businesses in our area

The loss of many established local businesses has been well-covered by the media in recent times, though an equally important casualty has been the decreased number of new businesses being started. So many new restaurants, retail shops, and more that might have been in the design and planning phases were shelved during the pandemic. Even so, a delayed venture is far better than a departed one, and we hope that all of those entrepreneurs are ready to pick up where they left off and bring their ideas to life this year!

4) Visiting some amazing fabric shows

Just as an excellent meal requires stellar ingredients, so do amazing designs need top-notch fabrics to be turned into truly outstanding fabric goods. We are very thankful for the existence of online portals for many of our favorite providers, though seeing a small segment of fabric on a screen is far different from holding it in your hands and comparing it to thousands of other spectacular options at the same time. We can’t wait to move beyond the computer screen and into the convention centers full of colorful fabrics again!

5) The renewed sense of community

We have been impressed and humbled by the outpouring of support for one another throughout this crisis. Even with all of this effort, people experience the world in a mostly visual and tactile way, and with many of us staying home in an effort to keep ourselves and others safe, the good feelings of being around our friends and neighbors and engaging in our community have diminished with each passing day of isolation. It will truly be cause for celebration as we rebuild not only our relationships with others, but our relationship with our community as well.

While some of what we have lost during the pandemic may never return, let us take time to celebrate all of the good that will soon make a comeback as the “new normal” gives way to the true normal and we are able to live our lives as they were meant to be lived: freely and happily.