Back in 2022, I had written to a friend and said that we just had the best year ever with Moody Voodies. We hit 6 figures for 2021!
Believe us — we were stunned, too! I mean... Do you realize how many dolls you'd have to make (and sell) to reach that milestone?
We thought we were on track to do the same in 2022. And we sorta came close.
But by mid 2023, the year of our 10th anniversary of Moody Voodies, the wheels fell off the bus. It was sudden, almost like we slammed into a wall. (It just so happened there was a big algorithm change on Instagram (our bread and butter) that required posting several times a day, with a focus on reels. But I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist.)
After months of abysmal sales, ever increasing anxiety, and sleepless nights, I posted that we couldn't afford to do this anymore, and that we'd be closing our doors at the end of the year. This was true. We were spending more on supplies (and bills) than we were taking in.
You came in and resuscitated us after this announcement, and you carried us through the holidays and into January of this year. By that time, we'd already been working every single day since October (but for Thanksgiving and Christmas).
In February, it slowed down again. And on February 23rd, my dad died. But for two days that month handling his affairs, we were still working every single day. Mostly on preorders from the previous month(s).
In March, we put rent on a credit card, so that we'd have enough money to float us through the month with our other bills, groceries, supplies, etc. But by the end of the month, we knew we'd be in trouble again. We tried a GoFundMe, but it didn't work.
So we made a decision to put what little money we did have down on an RV, for fear of eventually being evicted. My dad left some land, so we knew we'd have a place to put it.
As of now, we're waiting for it to be delivered. We had to clear a spot for it first (well, my brother did most of it), but it's now ready. So once the RV is in place, we're moving into it.
We're still working every day, but we're also packing up this 4 bedroom house.
It should be mentioned that we only moved into this house, because it was the same rent they'd be charging us to renew our lease in the tiny apartment we were in at the time. It went from $1800 to $2200 after Covid, and then another $200 the following year. Obviously this rent hike would severely hurt us in the long run — we just didn't know how badly at the time.
Back to the future...
This land my dad owned is 150 miles away, in the middle of nowhere. So once we're there, we have to change how we operate, and what we can actually create — because there are no craft stores around! Plenty of cows, goats and chickens, though. (God, this change is truly terrifying.)
So we're thinking about bringing our cloth dolls to an end — which is mostly what has carried us for over a decade. There's not much room in an RV for all that stuff.
We MAY focus more on figures like Nimbus, and others. And we might be able to bring back our doll coffins, as there'll be plenty of room for wood working on that land.
But honestly, we don't know what will happen, or how much longer we can actually last. Given our drop in sales and almost complete lack of engagement on posts (go look), the end is most certainly in sight. But I won't give an actual date this time, because I don't want to get in trouble again for still being here if we somehow manage to hold on.
If you're still waiting on a pre-order, we're still working on them, and will continue throughout this transition. (Thank you so, so much for your patience.) If you've purchased from us recently, you've bought us groceries and helped us pay a bill or two. Thank you. 🙏🙏
If you want to see where we're going, check back in a couple weeks and we'll show you around!
And if you're still reading this, you're one of the good ones.
Thank you all.
Moody Voodies