Doesn't Make Sense

Runway Headquarters Designed and Built by Barefoot Homes & Designs

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It has been one week since the news came out that Runway Magazine/Runway Productions closed it's doors. I read the news on Runways Blog that morning and could not believe what I was reading, nor could anyone else. This has turned into a real debacle and shook the fashion sector of SL to it's core. Maggie Mahoney announced the morning of April 8, 2009 that she and her partner Ocean Bates were passing into 'real life' and that Runway was closing it's doors. That day turned into a nightmare for many, especially the Staff who worked at Runway. Confusion ensued, finger pointing, rumors, and even a (kinda sorta) hostile take over of Runway? Who knows? I'm not sure anyone really does or ever will. The only one that does is the (former) owner of Runway and that is Maggie, and she isn't talking.

I'm not going to go into speculation as to the reasons why Maggie and Ocean did what they did, nor will I express my personal opinion of this debacle. I think enough of that has occurred and it is still going on. After all the reading I have done on many different blogs, no one really said anything on one point that has been bothering me since this thing started. I started 'Barefoot' almost three years ago. 'Barefoot Designs' now has a name, a reputation for quality, customer care, and is now starting to grow. I have spent many hours learning, designing, creating, building, and honing my skills to produce unique textures, clothing, and builds. It is a never ending process, but I do enjoy it and in time will actually make a real world living from it. I am proud of my work, and will stand by it and protect it if I have too. Now let me back up a bit here...

I met Maggie and Ocean back in September of 2008. They had seen my build for the new SLCN / Meta Makeover studio and asked if I would be interested in doing a custom build for them. They wanted me to design and build the new headquarters for 'Runway Magazine'. Until that day, I had never heard of Runway. That was the start of a wonderful working relationship. I accepted the project and started my research. Maggie, Ocean and myself had meetings everyday. I would present concepts, ideas, and we would discuss them, make changes, and the process continued. Long story short, I designed and built the new Headquarters for Runway Magazine / Runway Productions. This project took five weeks to complete and finally the day came when I handed over ownership of the build to Maggie. The build was paid in full and I was done. During the course of this project, I made friends of both Maggie and Ocean. We had many chats about everything and anything. Things got busy for us, but even then, Maggie or Ocean and I would get together for a good visit. I learned a lot from both of them. Maggie gave me critique on my clothing designs and photography, Ocean was always helpful on marketing. I can say that from what I learned from them has certainly helped 'Barefoot' grow.

My point is this. I know what kind of work and dedication is required to make any business work, be it virtual or real life. Maggie and Ocean both worked hard, and had a dedicated staff to make Runway grow and in time, be the number one fashion magazine of SL. They built a solid reputation for quality, integrity, reliability and professionalism. Almost two years of hard work...

A few strokes of the keyboard...

and its all gone...

why?

I seriously don't get it.

I will never understand this. I am deeply disappointed by what transpired this last week. Many lessons have been learned. I for one will be much more cautious in making any new friends and how I do business. There is much more to this story, but my point has been made. There is no excuse (in my opinion) for what ever reason, for this to happen. If you are going to shut the doors on your business, that's fine, but wind down, finish your projects for your clients and don't burn those bridges. Take the time to leave your reputation intact and give everyone time to make the changes that need to be made. This applies to both the real world and in-world business.

Runway is gone, Barefoot is still here. If I have anything to say about it, Barefoot will be around for a long time to come.

This is the last time I saw the Runway Headquarters.
It will never been seen again.

I will be posting pictures of the Runway Build as soon as I can get them together. The Runway build is gone now, never to be seen as it was, but...it will rise again, just a bit different sometime in the future.

My Best Wishes to the (former) Runway Staff.