In November, maybe early December, I finally decided that it was time to jump in and commit to opening a little shop of my own. I had been thinking of doing it for years, and the planets seemed to align at teh proper time. I had just lost my job due to my location shutting down. During a visit to Maddie Mae’s my good friend Mary said lets just go peek in the window at the shop 2 doors down, its for rent and it might work for you. Well, we looked in the window and then Mary saw the owner just next door doing some work. She says hey Julie is interested in you space! Dammit Mary, way to put me in the spot. So we saw the place, saw the potential, and I said i would think about it.
A week later I had a meeting with some good friends and talked over the project. one friend was wanting to rent a studio to do some design work out of and this space had a small room in the back hat she could rent. There was also a large area that used to be the commercial kitchen that I could turn onto a classroom/studio. So we all went to look at the space. My husband thought it was terrible though he didn’t tell me that. In reality it did need a lot of work, and you had to have some vision to see what it could be.
So I finally said YES!!! and I signed a lease. The landlord was kind enough to give me a key so we could do some rehab work before my actual lease started. We painted everything, ripped up the carpet, put in new flooring, and after TONS of hard work it is ready to go!
Then I had the occupancy inspection. Two guys from the city wandering around, looking at things and asking questions. They asked me what I wanted to do with the kitchen space. I was honest and told them about my plan for classes. Well they guys left and the next day I got my email stating what needed to be done in order to open for business. My heart just sank when I read it. The beautiful counter that Trever built for me was too tall to meet ADA compliance. The bathroom needed changes to meet it as well. And then there was the Exit sign and nonexistant emergency lights.
So now we are at a standstill. Waiting to get contractor estimates, permits, and a final inspection. I am hoping to be open in a few weeks, but that all depends on the powers that be. So I have vendors set up, I have some planning done on classes, and now we wait. As soon as I get the go ahead I will open up I promise!