Reba Place Fellowship approved the proposal for Plain and Simple on July 31, 2004. The month of August went to a gut rehab of the entire space, hiring staff, acquiring equipment and inventory, and preparing toward an early fall opening. Doors opened on September 4. At first it seemed that almost no one knew we were here. We handed out flyers at the local Metra station and door-to-door in the immediate neighborhood. By December there were respectable early-stage sales, but during the winter of 2005 it was hard to see how we could keep going. Large sales during the June Custer St. Fair month of 2005 kept us afloat until the holiday season. 2006 proved to be a turnaround year: sales rose month by month and eventually exceeded our projections. By early 2007 it was clear that Plain and Simple had survived the proverbial trial by fire during the first two years of a new business and would be an ongoing presence on Main Street. We are grateful to all those who have visited and supported the store and the many Amish families who provide such excellent craftsmanship.