We have been open in our new location since June 1 2019 now so we've had some time to reflect on the change and welcome most of you into our new space!
We had hoped to document the experience a bit more but things ended up happening so fast and we were working so hard that we barely pulled out our phones to document the transformation.
We always knew that our end goal was to purchase our own building. It makes the most financial sense to secure the future of our business. Unfortunately, rent prices only go in one direction. We didn't really have a timeline for this....more of a when it's right it will happen attitude. I was aware that that the building we are in now was for sale but I never would have imagined pursuing it when it was occupied by Lotus Books. But then a couple of months later, Erin announced that they were moving to 9th Avenue which meant that the building was still for sale and would soon be vacant. What followed were many, many scary meetings with banks and realtors and building inspectors, and contractors.
Finally, the details were finalized and it was official!
We had a blank canvas to turn into our dream space which would be our forever home. Hiring the right professionals was the only way this could happen. Thank goodness for knowing a great Interior Designer, Adrienne Gerein and for her recommendations of other professionals to turn to. Adrienne connected us to contractor Rob Amsing. I immediately knew he was our guy. He had the same vision as me and ideas I hadn't even considered, the confidence and skills to make it happen, and amazing attention to detail and knowledge to give an accurate quote and meet our tight deadlines.
Our blank canvas.
With the renovations in Rob's capable hands....the transformation began. We still had a store to run so I had to completely trust in the process and tried to check in every day or two. Many decisions had to be made about paint, flooring, fixtures, counter, etc. Eventually the renovations were far enough along that we began to see our vision becoming reality.
Look at that gorgeous original tin ceiling that was covered up in drop ceiling tiles! Rob and his guys spent hours upon hours patching holes, painting and making it beautiful again!
The first look at our new accent colour! Chosen to go with our entire new colour scheme.
With everything running so smoothly, it was soon time to tackle the daunting task of packing up our entire store. Thank goodness for good friends sacrificing their Mother's Day weekend to have a packing party! And thank goodness for Mission View moving who did the heavy work and brought everything over to the new location.
Of course no move is complete without some hiccups. Like shelving units that somehow got IN the store but now won't fit OUT. A husband and a saw to the rescue!
We now had 2 weeks to meet our opening date and 2 humans (myself and Rebecca) to unpack 100's of boxes, set up a store layout, and merchandise an entire store. I wish I had photos of the giant mess we had to sort out but this was the stage where the days were long and we were working as fast as we could! No time for phones or photos! Many trips back and forth between the two locations to empty every nook and cranny, and a final clean and we could finally say goodbye to the Baker Street location. We are excited to see who will occupy this space next!
Rebecca and I worked at an intense speed to unpack and find a home for everything. My family made many sacrifices during those two weeks and everyone pitched in to build shelves, clean floors, and keep things running at home while I was occupied at the store. Piece by piece, the boxes were recycled, the shelves were filled, and it was beginning to look presentable! We were finally ready to open the doors. June 1 was a our grand re-opening and many curious new and familiar faces came out to celebrate with us.
At last! A functional, beautiful space we can call home!
The number one question we get is do we like our new location? YES! We love it! 10th Ave is a beautiful street with many thriving retail businesses and we are enjoying the busy Saturdays with the Farmer's Markets going on. We are excited to be in the heart of downtown for events and we love how functional this space is for us and our customers! Top on our list was a welcoming, accessible washroom as we know how important that is for expectant mamas and little ones!
The most amazing part of this whole process was that overall everything aligned and went smoothly! Every single person who was involved in our journey was a joy to work with and made this such a positive experience. A special thanks to Erin and her staff who welcomed me in to take measurements, etc before they were fully vacated.
Thank you to YOU, our customers for supporting our evolution over the years and being on this journey with us!
If you haven't made it into our new space yet we look forward to seeing you soon! Find us at 33 10th Ave S. Right across from City Hall!
Rhonda - September 30, 2019
Thank you for sharing your experience! What an incredible transformation. I love your vision and the new space is so beautiful! Congratulations!