One Month, Three Days and Counting

So a little over a month ago we signed the lease on what is now Second Street Art Market. So much has been accomplished in this time, and whenever I get discouraged about the progress I'm making, I just go back and figure out how long ago it was that we even decided to do this, and what I've gotten done since then.

The website is now officially up and running, www.secondstreetart.com, and for the most part I'm pretty happy with it. There is one artist that I don't have any images for, but I've left her in anyway, just cause I like her, and I'll add photos of her work when I get them. I'll have many more artists to add either when I get their bio, get their agreement or get their photos.

We went visiting today and I met the owner of another gallery in the area. It is more of a "gallery" in the traditional sense, and she knew the former owner of our place. She and I are going to have lunch sometime soon, perhaps even Tuesday of this week, and I think we'll be comrades. She had some words of wisdom about an artist I'm already working with and I appreciate the heads up. She also has a referral for me, someone she doesn't mind "sharing" and thinks will do well up in Monument.

This week we got more display and POS stuff in, and Micki and I set up the POS "cash register" system and agreed on our numbering system as well as the layout and information necessary for item input. She'll be getting items entered this week, I'll design the little tags that will go on all the products, we'll print the labels for each product and away we go.

Some more artists brought work in, the signs for the building are designed, approved and materials ordered and I would imagine that within ten days or so our signs will be up (and I will post photos). We also received our resale number in the mail, and so were able to get our Town of Monument business license in the works.

This coming week I have to update insurance, place orders for wholesale accounts and finish getting the POS stuff setup. I also have to update the ads for Art Hop with our logo and information, as well as put together a media plan for Art Hop for Lucy and I to take and present to the other merchants and finalize participation. I should probably send "official" business cards to print rather than continuously printing new ones myself and trimming them with an x-acto blade!!

I also have to get on music in a serious way, so I'll tackle that this week as well. And find another employee, plan the opening dinner for the artists, design and order opening soon banners, and probably another ten or thirty things I haven't thought of yet.

Danielle is babysitting tonight so we can go out for dinner with Doug's parents. I'm so looking forward to some adult time and an enjoyable, relaxing dinner and then a good nights' sleep!

Photos, photos, photos

Since I can't figure out how to load photos to this blog now that the software has changed a little bit, I've posted photos elsewhere of the gallery.

Go here.

More updates to follow tonight or tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Beckett!

Today is Beckett's third birthday. It was a great day. This morning was fairly normal, the boys both went to school and then Doug and I went up to Castle Rock to pick up the new car. Since I had done most of the work ahead of time, negotiated the deal online and over the phone, we were only there about an hour to sign papers, turn in our old car and pick up the new one. I got another Pacifica, and it's a car I like. It's nice to drive, has plenty of room, lots of nice features, moreso with the newer version. This one has a moonroof, a power liftgate (which both opens and closes), GPS and a back-up camera. All pretty cool.

Micki was back from Las Vegas today, although between going to Castle Rock this morning and then leaving early for Beck's birthday, we didn't have much time to review things. A couple of the artists came in to sign agreements, or pick them up to review them. She also started scheduling having work brought in.

Next week I'll make some more headway with artists outside of the area. At this point I've been in contact with more than twenty, and will do a spreadsheet to see where I'm at with product mix.

Beckett and I got home early today, but Frank was still with his tutor. We kept busy and then the minute Cathy left, Beck started opening presents. The first thing he saw was the QUAD Doug got him. He thought it was Frank's but will get to play with it tomorrow and that will make it his. Then he opened more gifts and played with them all. We were going to go out for dinner, but he was having so much fun playing, we decided to just eat in.

Tomorrow is his party and he'll LOVE it. He's got a few friends from school coming over, we'll have pizza and cake and he'll be the center of attention. It will definitely be different than how it usually is, since Frank is typically the center of attention.

Some new reference books arrived today, retail space layout, display ideas, why we buy handbooks. I've been pouring through them all, soaking in as much as I can, although my vision for the store remains the same. I'm very anxious for inventory to start arriving so I can start setting things up and also so I can get the POS software up and running. It will be exciting to run our first sale through and then start tracking sales history.

Thad, a potter, stopped in today to drop off a present for Beckett, how sweet, and told me about a friend of his who is making some really cool birdhouses. They sound wonderful and I'm very anxious to see them.

Too tired to continue but tomorrow I will try to post photos.

More Progress

I had to take a look back to see what has happened since my last post. The carpets were cleaned and most of the new lighting was installed. I put tracks with pendants where the shoplights were behind the counter and what a difference! It adds so much to the counter area. We put new lights in the kitchen, which are much nicer, and a pendant in my office. There are tracks that match the pendant waiting to be installed in my office and a new light fixture in the bathroom, and that should be done Wednesday.

We met with Don, who does woodwork, on Friday and are anticipating an estimate from him today. I did order a few more display pieces online, and we're having Don build some pedestals as well as a card display along the front of the counter. One of the windows has a shelf along the base, and we had him estimate putting shelves on the other three windows as well since he was the one who did the first one.

Micki and I decided which POS software to order and thankfully she was willing to try a different one than the former gallery owners used (since the one we decided on is a fraction of the cost of the other), the one we're going with is also written for the Mac, so it isn't necessary for him to use the PC software I got and can return it. I'll get that software on order today and start working with it in "mock company" mode so by the time we open it will be running smoothly.

We've decided on several artists and have started receiving product. This week I'm planning to contact artists outside of the local area, as well as get the missing names and phone numbers of former artists from the former owner.

We have a planning meeting on Wednesday for the Art Hop, and that will throw things into high gear.

I was trying to plan a trip to the annual markets but the first is ON Beckett's birthday and the second coincides with something else that will prevent me from going. I did my best to try to work around it, but can't make it work so I can only think it was because I wasn't meant to go. There is another smaller one in August and I'll plan far in advance to attend that one.

Today I'm having lunch for Valentine's Day with the women in the neighborhood and I'm happy to be included.

People have been stopping by the gallery daily. Some don't know the former gallery closed, some are curious about the new one, some are friends who are stopping in to see how we're doing and some are artists interested in scheduling review appointments. It's the third that means the most. It is hard to believe the number of friends Doug and I have made since we moved here in July. I had dinner with two last Thursday. I picked Dani, our neighbor, up and we drove to the gallery where we met up with Sheila from Children's Choice. We stayed at the gallery for quite awhile and chatted and then made our way to dinner. The food was great but the company better. It was such a nice evening and periodically I thought to myself how naturally friendships develop, and how I remembered in September or October thinking about how long it would be before Doug and I developed a circle of friends here. It happened so quickly, and now with the business, it will continue. Saturday night we had a date and ended at the Mexican restaurant in town for dessert and an after-dinner drink. We chatted with the owners a bit who I had met at the Historic Monument Merchants Association meeting earlier in the week.

There is a buzz in town over the new gallery. The former owners were and are such a force in the community, the location is highly visible and our store is the anchor in the center it is in. Our neighbors told us that were out for dinner at a small restaurant in Palmer Lake last weekend and overheard another couple talking about the new gallery. They joined in and soon there was a conversation taking place about what we were planning to do. That kind of thing certainly can't hurt us. It is a small town and as I’ve said, it doesn’t take much to be a big fish if you’re in a small pond. Exactly the type of place we were meant to be and meant to open our store in, enough business and the right location to make it work, but not so overwhelming and competitive (and expensive) that we can’t get it off the ground.

Beckett’s birthday plans are in full swing and his gifts are arriving every day. I’ve become such an online shopper, but with everything going on, it really is a lifesaver. Today I’ll order the cake and plan the lunch menu. Beckett really loves PB&J sandwiches, crab and pizza. I’ll probably settle on the old kids’ party standby and order pizza.

Micki is in Las Vegas for the week, she’ll be back on Friday and back in. I have much on my plate to accomplish while she’s gone and it’s good to have the impetus to set some firm deadlines and power through some of the work. It will be quiet and I’ll be less likely to do as much running around, so I anticipate great strides made in the next four days.

Toddler to Little Boy

Beckett will turn three in eleven days, and the changes in him are remarkable. It seems that overnight he is more reasonable, and more fun. Our neighbors were over yesterday to watch the Superbowl and made the same comment, particularly with his vocabulary.

We are planning a small party for him and inviting his friends from preschool. It is a small class so there will only be five other kids here, if they can make it. When I told Beckett about it, he was incredulous. He repeatedly confirmed with me that his friends were indeed going to be coming to his house, this house, to play, really? It was very sweet.

First Scrapbook Item

We were mentioned in an article about the former gallery owner's retirement that appeared in the monthly community newspaper here in Monument. The article ended with a paragraph about there being good news, that we were continuing the tradition and vision for the space by opening a new gallery in it and the former owner stating that she hoped the community supported us. Very nice.

Clearer Every Day

Since my last post, Randy has finished painting and I have begun filling. So far, only furniture that will serve as display and merchandising. But the look and feel of Second Street Art Market becomes more and more clear. I am starting to envision where things will be and how they will be displayed. Each little piece of the puzzle, whether it is a print rack or painting or basket weaving or piece of pottery is starting to show up in the gallery when I close my eyes and imagine what it will look like.

Last night I spent hours revisiting websites and researching artists, thank goodness for the internet. I have folders upon folders containing my hit lists. Micki is busy scheduling appointments with the artists who were in the gallery in its former iteration. I hope to get through most of those next week and make a decision as to whether or not we will extend an invitation for them to return.

I am anxious to finish the logo, start preparing the artist application and agreement and other collateral materials. Deja vu to the South Coast Fine Arts Festival, when the vision became so clear that I couldn’t produce the ancillary materials I had stored in my brain fast enough. It was more as though they were simply waiting to escape and go from visions to words and images on paper.

Doug has an idea for one piece of furniture I came back with. It is a claw-foot pedestal table that has been painted white. I’m not certain how to describe what he is going to do, but if it works, I could see similarly-painted pieces here and there throughout the store as anchors to define the look.

The walls went from a peacy-color to taupe, which looks almost off-white with the amount of lighting there is. Yesterday we also went and picked out more lighting to replace the shop lights that were in my office, behind the counter and in the kitchen. We got more flourescents for the kitchen, but cooler versions. Behind the counter we will have tracks with pendants and in my office, one strip of track with very bright, very white light and one pendant. The back wall of my office is painted to look like raku pottery with swirls of golds and reds and blues—it honestly isn’t “me” in any way. However, I picked up one of the blues from that wall and painted one of the other walls with that color. It actually completes it and with the taupe from the main gallery walls, it does look like it was planned rather than an accident.

In the bathroom and hallway, we picked up a green that is in the sink in the bathroom. The main wall in the hallway, is painted that color and one wall in the bathroom, along with the cabinet in the bathroom. To complete it, the bathroom will need newer fixtures for the sink and a new light fixture. Both can be reasonably priced and simple, but with a style that is reflective of everything else we’ve done. There is a slate table on Craig’s List that I think will be perfect in the kitchen, if it isn’t already sold.

Another shop has opened, called Margo’s on the Alley. It is in an alley off Second Street, behind another one of the furniture/home decor stores. It is nicely put together, but her pricepoints again are off for Monument. It is difficult to see, unless you know it’s there, and with the snow, absolutely impossible to park or walk to. I gingerly made my way down the alley carefully avoiding patches of ice in the packed snow. It was in the 40s yesterday, so adding to the ice was slush. It was a mess. I felt for her and was greatly relieved she had already rented the space when Doug drove by to look at it.

I have taken photographs, but have not had time to figure out how this new version of blogger works. When I click on the icon to add photos, nothing happens, so for now, you’ll just have to imagine what I’m describing.

This week along with working on artists, I need to get some of my woodworking projects in motion, schedule the lighting installation and get the carpet cleaned. That along with organizing what is already there in the workroom, behind the counter (cash-wrap I think it’s called) and in my office, I should remain as overwhelmed as ever.

Our neighbors are coming over to watch the game later, so I have my infamous chili brewing and enough snacks prepared to feed the whole neighborhood—my usual m.o.

It is good to feel like me again, and to feel as though I’m home.