It's beginning to feel like home...

Today was definitely bettter. It might have been LOTS better if the illustrious cable company had actually changed our service over! Julie called in MARCH and set up the change for the Friday before our move. Now, however, the company insists that it can't be done until May 1st. The logistics of this whole scenario are daunting. The phones and computers are still in the old store on Teall, so that's where everything is coming in. Consequently, several times over the day one of us runs back to the old store to check e-mails, and the business calls are being forwarded temporarily to Julie's cell. (And we need this while we try to finish unpacking and set up our business???) Trying to keep the flow going with things going every which way is a little insane, but we are hanging tough... just like we always do. ( I believe I mentioned before that we are gritty.) But, two more days of this? It boggles the mind!

On the positive side, our showroom is put together and looking fab! "Mr. Scott" laid the great-looking new floor in the entranceway this morning, we hung the new window treatments, and Julie is arranging the finishing decor on the walls. Somehow we have even managed to have the shelves full of GIFTS! The production room is put together and adequately functioning, the inventory room and basket/box rooms are organized and stocked (much thanks to Laura) and the breakroom is set up. Shipping is a bit haphazard yet, and we still have a small amount of painting and rehab to complete in the back. It has been a little mind-bending going from the high-ceilinged pie shape of our old space to our new squared and compartmentalized layout. But we're managing to rethink everything, and overall we've accomplished miracles!

But best of all, our new space is really starting to feel great. It's cozier and feels like a place we really want to be. It's beginning to feel like home!

What have we gotten ourselves into????

We made the big move over the weekend - we are officially open at 1015 Erie Blvd East. This is what the space looked like when we we got everything over there - yikes! We've got our work cut out for us.

We've got the important parts of the building functional - but just barely. There are a few remodeling projects still left to do, and we haven't touched the landscaping or settled on permanant signage. We have a paver coming today to look at sealing and striping the parking lot; also, someone was kind enough to dump a load of garbage and construction debris in our parking lot last night (because we don't enough of our own stuff to handle right now....seriously???).

But, we sent our first few gifts out from the new location this morning, and we're looking foward to making ourselves at home in our new space.

Coming up for air

Whew.....it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We've been working our butts off to get the inside of our new building ready for the big move this weekend. Like any big project, things popped up that we hadn't expected - plumbing issues, replacing the hot water heater, and a leaky roof. Luckily, our new landlords have been fantastic partners in resolving the problems.

We've gotten most of the interior painting done (17 gallons of paint later), with the exception of some trim touch up and a couple of the bathrooms. The carpets have been steam cleaned, the kitchenette installed, and we're almost ready to go!

In the midst of all this, we had a large corporate order (118 pieces) to get out on Monday, and Administrative Professional's Day to get through (usually our biggest holiday next to Christmas). As the day winds down and the last minute gifts go out, we're turning our focus to packing up the store and making our move.

So Excited!!!

Short bulletin from The Paint Pit: We've finished the inside painting and cleaning, and Mr. Scott has finished most of his repair work. On Sunday Scott painted the exterior of the new store our own lovely shade of sage green. He calls it "pea soup green", but no matter..... we LOVE it! The finishing plum trim will happen on the next dry day, and will finish the look.

We are SO EXCITED! The results of our month of hard work is so very gratifying, and we're ready to move...in only a few more days. Our large order has gone out the door, and we're really scrambling to do Secretary's Day. But after tomorrow, we can begin moving in the direction of our new "home" at 1051 Erie Boulevard East. We are SO ready! After another long weekend of work, we will open our newly painted doors on Monday, April 27. We look forward to seeing friends and customers there!

The Paint Pit

It sounded like a good idea when we started...after all it was wide open space. How hard could it really be to paint the interior of the new store ourselves??? Armed with gallons and gallons of paint in our signature colors, new brushes, rollers, drop clothes, and miles of bright blue tape, we attacked our newly acquired 2300 square foot facility with determination and boundless enthusiasm. Working around both of our full-time jobs and the rest of our lives, and painting in our "spare time" wouldn't be easy, but we had no doubt that we would be able to do it. Bring it on!



Okay....three weeks and counting later, I have to tell you that the paint thing is getting old, REALLY OLD! Yes, we've made great progress, and the end is in sight. And yes, the space IS transformed. BUT, there are 9 rooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchenette, several closets, and various other nooks and crannies we keep discovering. Every room has needed 2 coats of paint, and some 3. And we won't even mention the BIG MISTAKE room (the largest room, of course) which on the first try came out an unfortunate shade of chartreuse or butter cup yellow, depending on the light. It really was NOT okay.




So as we approach the finish line in the "paint pit", with Secretary's Day, a large corporate project, AND moving day all happening within the next 2 weeks...we just look at each other and say, "please God, just let us be finished!"




And then there is the EXTERIOR....