A Letter From Our Founder

The Waiting Room — 11.11

To our Eleventh Hour family,

I've started and rewritten this letter more times than I can count.

When we came up with the idea for The Waiting Room, I don't think I realized just how much meaning it would end up holding for me.

On the surface, it's a campaign about waiting. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many different ways that word shows up in our lives.

For me, it's been years of building a business that was anything but an overnight success. The long days, the setbacks, the moments of wondering if everything I was working toward would ever come together.

And somewhere along the way, I became a mom. Twice. In two years. While continuing to build this business and navigate an entirely new version of myself.

But this letter isn't just about me.

Because the truth is, we've kept you waiting, too.

For orders. For restocks. For new collections. For things we said were coming that took longer than they should have.

We've made mistakes. We've had growing pains. We've had moments where we could have done better, and I want to acknowledge that. Behind every order is someone who chose to support our business, and that is something I'll never take for granted.

So first, thank you. For your patience, your grace, and for continuing to believe in what we're building.

And then there's the kind of waiting that has nothing to do with sunglasses.

Waiting to become a mom. To get married. To graduate. To get the job. To finally reach that milestone you've worked so hard for.

I think we're all sitting in some version of a waiting room.

And lately I've been realizing how much of our lives we spend looking forward to what's next, without recognizing that where we are right now might actually be somewhere we once dreamed of being.

I'm guilty of it, too.

So much of what I once wished for is happening right in front of me, and sometimes I'm so focused on the next thing that I forget to appreciate it.

Maybe that's what The Waiting Room has come to mean to me most.

Life doesn't stop while we're waiting for it to begin.

This next chapter of Eleventh Hour has been a long time coming. And while I couldn't be more excited for what's ahead, I'm also incredibly grateful for everything that brought us here. Even the messy parts.

Whatever you're waiting for, I hope you remember to enjoy where you are. Because someday, this might be the part you wish you could come back to.

Thank you for being here. Truly.

With love,
Carli
Founder, Eleventh Hour

Sorry for the wait.

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Watch The Waiting Room film here →