What a Broken Coffee Pot Taught Me about Resilience

What a Broken Coffee Pot Taught Me about Resilience

What a Broken Coffee Pot Taught Me about Resilience


Picture of a copper colored coffee pot that changed my perspective.

To many people, this picture looks like a random coffee maker. To me, it reminds me of resilience.

Copper colored coffee pot that changed my perspective of how I decided to pursue my business.

It’s a part of our story.

 

In 2018, Joe and I bought our first pallet. We waited in anticipation as we embarked on what we felt was a life-changing adventure. This pallet was supposed to be brimming with the promise of huge profits in the form of small household appliances. Coffee makers, air fryers, toasters– it was a haven for homey comforts, waiting to be rediscovered and rehomed.

 

We were young and so very naive, not truly understanding the listingconditions for the pallet that we purchased. It was labeled “salvage” and in our excitement, we skimmed over that crucial information. I remember when the pallet came in the afternoon. It was so big we couldn’t even fit it in the door and had to unbox it outside. Joe excitedly picked up the first item– a pressure cooker. I remember his face turned from excitement to dismay. I remember it because I’m sure my own face mimicked his. Item after item, we were greeted with disastrously broken appliances, each one seemingly narrating a tale of a rough life, wear and tear, busted panels, and shattered hopes.

 

But here’s where the story really takes a turn, y’all.

With a spirit of resilience (and perhaps a touch of pure stubbornness), we rolled up our sleeves and were determined to at least break even on this pallet. Mostly, we really couldn’t afford to float a loss in investment, so we had to figure out a way to make our investment back. 

One of the first pallets Joe and Jessica ever purchased.

I remember crafting this fully functional coffee pot, a mosaic of many broken ones. I pulled a carafe from one pot, a filter from another– until I made one fully functioning coffee pot. The other coffee pots? I completely dismantled them and sold them as spare parts. I look at this picture and remember all the positive and negative emotions that coursed through me as I struggled to make something, anything, work.

 

It became a symbol of hope, a testament to our tenacity.


I needed this to work. I was determined to make it work.

Every time I look at this creation, I’m reminded of those feelings. It is more than just a coffee pot to me. It embodied our journey and represented everything that was to come. 

 

Now, it carries the layers of our story through its rehabilitated frame.

 

This pivotal moment of realization did not come right away. It happened years following, in quiet reflection and during a counting of my blessings. I chose to step into the role of a storyteller, forging connections through shared struggles rather than the glamourous, glossy veneer of picture-perfect success. I chose to answer the call to authenticity, to embrace the imperfect, the mended, the reclaimed. Not to just sell items, but stories–woven with the threads of resilience, mapping the path to our growth– one experience at a time.

 

Because with every failure, every solution, every item, and every customer– we share fragments of our journey and our story. It’s more than just a business. It is a living breathing work of art from our shared experiences. Moreso, it’s the story of us–it’s The Family Flips–ever evolving, ever adapting, and yet deeply rooted in our beliefs, our values, and our community.

So, here’s to the storytellers.

Those with a touch of resilience.

 

Here’s to the people who choose to see potential in the broken.
Who rise to appreciate the beauty of redemption.
Who create stories out of broken parts.

 

Thank you for being a part of this.

Thank you for investing a piece of you in our ever-growing, beautifully imperfect story.

 

 

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