One year ago tomorrow, we published a return piece: Where Did the Past Year Go?, and since then, we have been hard at work. When Maddy decided to reboot The Workbench last year and I hopped on board, neither of us knew exactly where this ship was headed. Armed with a few big dreams and some high hopes, we set off anyway, hoping to create something great.
Almost immediately after relaunching The Workbench, we reinstated The Workbench’s tradition of Spotlight Series articles, where we highlight local businesses that we love. By taking over the Spotlight Series, I have had the pleasure of meeting countless small business owners and some of Milwaukee’s coolest cats who I otherwise may never have had the opportunity to meet. Each interview has shifted my perspective just a bit and made me love this city even more, something I hope you feel from each article.
Not long after relaunching, we hosted our first event, Clip’s Plant Market, in May of 2022. For the first time, we were able to work directly with small businesses and local vendors to bring people together over a shared love of plants. This was the first time we were able to connect with many of you face to face, to talk to you, and hear what you were looking for in the world of wellness. Our first event was a humbling and thrilling experience that I’m sure neither Maddy nor I will soon forget, and each subsequent event has only grown more positive and exciting. Through our blog, events, and even the holiday gift set, we were able to forge meaningful relationships with talented makers, passionate entrepreneurs, and wonderful people just like you, who have all helped to make The Workbench what it is.
In the next year, we hope to grow even more than we did in the first. We are excited to announce that we officially have our LLC! Additionally, we have some brand-new events and workshops in the making, as well as some Workbench classics, like Clip’s Plants and the Milwaukee Wellness Market. We are constantly searching for new small businesses to highlight (have a great business, or know someone who does? Let us know!), and we’ve already begun planning to make this year’s holiday gift set even more special than last year’s. We have big plans and even bigger dreams, but more than anything, we hope to continue changing the way Milwaukee thinks about wellness.
We can’t wait to show you what we have in store, but every once in a while, it is important to stop for a moment, turn around, and appreciate how far you’ve come. From an idea to an organization to an official LLC, The Workbench has already come a long way. We are so thankful not only to all of the small business owners we’ve worked with throughout the last year, but to everyone who reads our blog, anyone who has found the houseplant they’d been searching for at Clip’s Plant Market, stopped by the Milwaukee Wellness Market, signed up for a workshop with us, or bought a holiday gift set. We believe that true wellness happens in community, and we’re so glad you’re part of ours.
