About Us
Katie Doucette & Patti Beery
When I was a teenager, my mom, Patti, and I always talked about opening up a little shop... "someday." Not an antique shop, not a consignment shop, not your traditional gift shop, not a craft shop.... but a shop with a little bit of each of those things combined. A little bit "trash to treasure," and some locally hand made things, and all kinds of things we love. We loved to shop wherever we went, and always found inspiration for what we wanted to do "someday." - Katie Beery Doucette
Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?
In 2010, my mom picked up a very inspiring book called "Where will you be five years from today?" and she made each of her four kids read it. My youngest brother, Kyle, was in his senior year of high school, and my parents had recently retired from the restaurant business and were about to have a house all to themselves for the first time in 27 years. My own two children were about to enter kindergarten and first grade, so I would have all kinds of new-found freedom during the day while they were gone.
After reading the book, we knew it was time for a change.
We decided it was time to go after our dream and open up that shop we always wanted to have.
We spent the winter researching all the little details of owning a business and searching for the perfect location. By the end of February 2011, everything had fallen into place. We spent the entire month of March moving into the old Douglas Gas and Oil building in downtown Douglas. It really was a perfect location, near Beery Field (which is named after my grandfather, Harold Beery) and overlooking beautiful Wade's Bayou. The character of the building really added to the charm of the store.
In the following months, It Is What It Is became what it is! All kinds of wonderful local artists and craftsmen found us
and helped us create the perfect combination of new, old, handmade and unique merchandise. As the seasons changed, so did our little shop. We grew and grew and learned and learned. I was finding less and less of that free time I had anticipated when the kids entered school. My custom sign business was really growing, almost as quickly as the kids. I made the decision to grow it into a real big girl job and I hired Susan Ross as my rep. She took my little signs everywhere she went and sold them like crazy.
Crazy. ...I got busier and busier, my husband Mike was helping with the kids, homework, housework and cooking,
and then cutting all my wood at night after the kids were in bed.
2014 was an emotional roller coaster kind of a year for all us.
My brother Kyle, a junior at Butler University in Indianapolis at the time, suffered a ventricular tachycardia in January.
An emergency open heart surgery to replace his leaking valve took place.
On the very day of his open heart surgery, my mothers dear friend and my awesome rep
Susan Ross, suffered a fatal heart attack.
The devastation threw us all for a loop, and we wondered.. what next?
It was difficult for us to get our mojo back and after 4 great years of learning, creating and building our dream,
we decided once again, it was time for change.
Late in the Fall of 2014 my parents found a spot for sale on Butler street in downtown Saugatuck.
We talked about moving the store to that location. Realizing, my business and kids were growing at the speed of light,
I made a decision to step back from It Is What It Is and focus all of my attention on my family and my growing business.
By the end of February we had moved everything from our little starter shop in Douglas to downtown Saugatuck.
We closed the door on that chapter of our journey
my parents, Patti & Don Beery and my brother Clayton Beery (formerly of ALL THAT & A BAG OF CHIPS)
opened the door to a brand new adventure in a brand new location.
After reading the book, we knew it was time for a change.
We decided it was time to go after our dream and open up that shop we always wanted to have.
We spent the winter researching all the little details of owning a business and searching for the perfect location. By the end of February 2011, everything had fallen into place. We spent the entire month of March moving into the old Douglas Gas and Oil building in downtown Douglas. It really was a perfect location, near Beery Field (which is named after my grandfather, Harold Beery) and overlooking beautiful Wade's Bayou. The character of the building really added to the charm of the store.
In the following months, It Is What It Is became what it is! All kinds of wonderful local artists and craftsmen found us
and helped us create the perfect combination of new, old, handmade and unique merchandise. As the seasons changed, so did our little shop. We grew and grew and learned and learned. I was finding less and less of that free time I had anticipated when the kids entered school. My custom sign business was really growing, almost as quickly as the kids. I made the decision to grow it into a real big girl job and I hired Susan Ross as my rep. She took my little signs everywhere she went and sold them like crazy.
Crazy. ...I got busier and busier, my husband Mike was helping with the kids, homework, housework and cooking,
and then cutting all my wood at night after the kids were in bed.
2014 was an emotional roller coaster kind of a year for all us.
My brother Kyle, a junior at Butler University in Indianapolis at the time, suffered a ventricular tachycardia in January.
An emergency open heart surgery to replace his leaking valve took place.
On the very day of his open heart surgery, my mothers dear friend and my awesome rep
Susan Ross, suffered a fatal heart attack.
The devastation threw us all for a loop, and we wondered.. what next?
It was difficult for us to get our mojo back and after 4 great years of learning, creating and building our dream,
we decided once again, it was time for change.
Late in the Fall of 2014 my parents found a spot for sale on Butler street in downtown Saugatuck.
We talked about moving the store to that location. Realizing, my business and kids were growing at the speed of light,
I made a decision to step back from It Is What It Is and focus all of my attention on my family and my growing business.
By the end of February we had moved everything from our little starter shop in Douglas to downtown Saugatuck.
We closed the door on that chapter of our journey
my parents, Patti & Don Beery and my brother Clayton Beery (formerly of ALL THAT & A BAG OF CHIPS)
opened the door to a brand new adventure in a brand new location.
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318 Butler Street | Saugatuck MI 49453 | (269) 857-8100 |