Chapter 27 - Grand Opening Two

Today is the Grand Opening, I have everything prepared, I gathered my sisters and dressed us for the big moment.

We had our aprons on, our hair was styled into ponytails, the four of us looked very cute.

Mother prepared a small bow for Zack in blue, his hair was styled to the side.

Wait a minute..... This feels like déjà vu.

The atmosphere in the shop was bustling with excitement as we set up our supplies, arranged the cupcakes on the display counter, and added finishing touches to the store. The aroma of freshly baked goods filled the air, and we couldn't help but smile at the progress we had made.

Opening day arrived, and the village buzzed with a lot of movement, I could feel so nervous with anticipation.

We had spread the word about our reopening, Kira was excellent as expected, through word of mouth, everyone seemed excited we were expecting an overwhelming response.

We waited for people to arrive and nothing happened. Everything was prepared, everything was set in place, we were just missing the people.

The initial excitement and nerves quickly turned into disappointment and confusion as time ticked by without any customers walking through our doors. We exchanged worried glances, unsure of what had gone wrong.

"What could be the problem?" Saya whispered, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know," I replied, my heart sinking. "We've worked so hard and everyone seemed excited. Did we miss something?"

As our thoughts raced, the silence in the shop grew heavier by the minute. We had expected a grand reopening, with lines of eager customers waiting to taste our cupcakes. Instead, we were met with an eerie emptiness.

"Everything was going so perfectly." Then it dawned on me, here was the part I was so scared about, it actually happened.

I was disappointed and frustrated all the hard work, all the effort we had poured into this venture, felt like they were slipping away. But just as quickly as those negative thoughts entered my mind, I quickly shot them down, I couldn't afford to be negative, today.

"No, we can't give up," I declared, my voice filled with resilience. "We've overcome so much already. This setback is just a small bump in the road. We need to find another way."

My sisters nodded in agreement, their eyes reflecting the same determination. We couldn't let this moment define the success of our business. We had to think of an alternative.

"We will go outside, call on the people." I say trying to sound excited.

"Maybe the people are afraid to approach this street since noone knows, and this not a very well lit alley." Said Saya.

"Exactly." I said

The lack of customers was disheartening. We had put so much effort into creating a space that was inviting and enticing, but it seemed that our message hadn't reached the village as we had hoped. That's why we have to do better.

We scanned the quiet streets, our hearts sinking, when noone was paying attention to us. It was difficult not to let discouragement creep in.

"Maybe we shoud have a little rest." I suggested, I said with a touch of disappointment.

I couldn't help but feel a deep pang of regret. We had put so much of our time, energy, and resources into building our cupcake business, and it was disheartening to see the lack of response.

We had envisioned a bustling grand opening, filled with laughter, joy, and an overflowing crowd of customers. But reality didn't always match our expectations.

We went back to the shop on the back of the street, contemplating our next steps, a woman with a friendly smile approached our shop. She looked around at the empty street and then turned her attention to our store.

"I heard about your cupcakes through a friend," she said, her voice warm and reassuring. "She raved about the quality and taste, so I had to come and try them for myself."

Our hearts leapt with a flicker of excitement. We hurriedly served her a cupcake, eager to see her reaction. She took a bite and her eyes widened with delight.

"These cupcakes are absolutely incredible!" she exclaimed, a genuine smile lighting up her face. "The flavors are so rich and balanced. You have a true talent."

We couldn't help but feel a rush of relief and gratitude. One customer was all it took to remind us that the say was not over, we just needed, open our minds and ...

"I know what we should do." I grab Saya, give her a wooden plate with cupcakes, the best looking ones, and send her outside to the main street.

"Kira, go with Saya , don't let her be bullied."

Kira nodded in agreement, her eyes drenched in seriousness. I wanted to laugh but I loved her commitment to her tasks.

"Tell them that our shop is on back of street. We are the backstreet shop. Tell them we are backstreet girls." I laugh and they all look at me, in look mixed with worry and confusion.

"Nevermind." I say genuinely embarrassed, I really wish someone would at least laugh of my sad jokes.

I clear my throat, "Mother and father and me will stay to greet the costumers and the twins at entrance to call for the customers that Saya and Kira redirect to us."

*

Word of mouth continued to spread as more customers trickled in, drawn by the genuine recommendation of those who had experienced our cupcakes.

Our grand opening may not have been as bustling as we had anticipated, but we were happy that we were getting customers.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, our cupcake business began to thrive. The village embraced our offerings, often stopping by not just for cupcakes, but also for a friendly chat and a sense of community that had grown around our small backstreet shop.

Looking back on that seemingly disappointing grand opening, it did not reflect on our day to day business, people usually lined up outside the shop, eager to taste our cupcakes.

There are days that our cupcakes fly off the shelves, very quickly, and some other days, where we don't get to see many people.

But now, I feel like the family can finally be safe, I can finally breathe.