Why are you closing?

A personal blog from founder and creative; Michelle Joy

10 years of building a business from scratch, through all of things.... Why close now?

Because folks, it broke me.

It broke me more than I realised, and I'm still working it all out.

Surgery was a beast, it was traumatic and painful in ways I am still not ready to comprehend - and the aftermath has been overwhelming - but I'll come back to that.

Perspective

What I had failed to grasp is the state I was in going into this chapter. Carrying the injury for the year prior while stubbornly trying to keep all the balls in the air was too much. I had also been carrying a relationship that was not serving me, so that I would have support post surgery - what a cruel joke that has turned out to be.

Being a self funded / small nz production business right now is simply unsurvivable - we've all had our businesses leaking profitability, market and capital since 2000.

Every week now you hear of significant business closures, including those who were stronger with greater financial backing and market reach. Hospitality and retail are very broken.

Taking a moment to appreciate how negative this sounds, I have to say there is no real optimism left in this sector anymore. This is a brutal game of 'survival' until the market shifts, and well folks, there is no shift in sight. The cost of living in NZ is simply outrageous.

Difficult Decisions

Heartbreakingly I have had to face these truths. 10 years of trading as The Woven in March 2025, and I simply cannot do it anymore.

I'm so tired from the ever increasing effort to generate custom, that trades down year after year, and the fight to keep my son and I afloat. My life's journey doesn't include parental support, partner support or any support outside the kindness of my friends and the loyalty of The Woven community. It's been just me doing all the things, staying positive, scrambling, pivoting, taking those hits we started calling resilience... and I'm shattered.

So cards on table, I have enough stock in my garage to simply trade out of my debts and return monies to those who funded productions - with nothing much left over. And I really, really need to do that for all that have supported me and my own peace of mind. I refuse to close up and not honor my commitments.

So what now?

So this clearance stock is my plan, and my request to you is for support in any capacity you can manage

And for those interested in the surgery story, read on here.....

I had a shoulder reconstruction on my right side, my dominant arm. The repair was greater than anticipated by the surgeon (I had a feeling) and the inflammation / injury trauma pre op was also greater than expected - yeah I kept on doing all the things right up to the end.

But the op went smoothly, and as best we know, successfully - although I am still in the depths of rehab and still cannot lift my arm above my head and it's been 5 months.

What didn't go well started about 8 hours later when the local wore off. Turns out painkillers (aka opiates) and I don't get on. Some increase the pain, some create insomnia, together with raw surgery pain they are tortue - and you add an Anesthetist that is a prideful self assured man, not listening, you have a very bad combination. It was easier it seems to suggest I am an ex junkie that realise I simply do not have the expected response to common pharmaceuticals.

That was the depths of pain and torment.

When you are at your most vulnerable and unable to advocate for yourself, you sure do need someone in your corner - but my ride was not that unfortunately.

Getting home was hard (surgery was in Wellington) but I reckon if I'd had my pain managed, it would have been straightforward - along with a driver taking the corners of the Crown Range slower..

But I survived, albeit traumatised.

The following 3 months were spent almost entirely in bed, and with little to no support - with my relationship then abruptly ending. The financial and emotional implications of that are so dire, especially with me not working and raising my soon to be 13 yo son.

In the 4th month we had to work out ways to convince my body to start moving, battling the fear of pain - and my brain signals locked constantly to "ouch". Four months of continuous pain, and now I need to make pain by moving - yeah that's a battle of the psych for sure.

But I am, if nothing else, determined.

The last month has got physically easier, and I have been able to start driving, going for walks and I can use my arm to do things like drink a coffee and stir the dinner cooking - and now finally type with two hands!

I've applied for funding for therapy, this has been a wildly traumatic stretch and I don't want to carry the nightmares and breakdowns anymore.

I am no longer in continuous pain, and I've started at the gym with some basic movements and even a 1kg weight, look at me go!

We hope by 6 months that I can self lift my arm above my head - or at least it can be manually stretched to this.

So now it is time to wrap up my Woven affairs, I have some friends to help me do the mahi - and of course because life is a wild ride, I also have to move house now too.... so I really really need this garage empty and my debts settled.

I'm also hoping there will be a little left over so I can do something with my son to celebrate this end of a chapter and our survival of it.

With all my heart I thank those that have supported me in this quest, and if you are reading this then thank you for supporting me now.

Much love

M xx