It would help me see the progress
& it would keep everyone who was interested & supportive in the loop.
So I did do updates,
not weekly
but every once in a while.
Things were good,
we had an awesome crowd funding campaign
& I was ready to find a place to be!
& to keep everyone up on the search.
& then we started looking
& here's how that went:
- see a place (on craig's list or by driving by & seeing a sign or from our realtor)
- make a plan to look at it in person
- look at it (alone or with the old school girls)
- go home
- picture every little bit of how old school would fit into it
- talk about it
- sketch it out
- dream about it
- find out that it wouldn't work
- (because of zoning or
- how much it would cost to put in bathrooms or
- a grease trap (yes, it's a real thing)
- or location
- or any number of things)
- let it go (thank goodness I finally have a song to help me with this step :)
- look again
- repeat 14,000 times
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } This sounds depressing doesn't it?
But actually it wasn't.
I mean, sometimes it was a little bit
because there were some really great places that we looked at
& as we have said many times 'we can make any place work!'.
But along with that can-do attitude the mantra has been:
we want to be where we're supposed to be
& we don't want to be where we aren't supposed to be.
So we kept looking & dreaming & hoping.
For almost a year now.
& it's not that I didn't want to share,
it's more that I felt like I would have been sharing the same thing over & over.
& even with that being the case I know I could have still done it.
I would have been totally interested in a blog that showed pictures of every place that business looked at in their search.
But I didn't & that's okay.
I did take pictures at every place so here are some pictures of some of those spaces.
& now, at this point, we are closer than we have been to having a home!
Right now & how we got here...
First off I just have to apologize in advance for not using any names or defining characteristics when sharing this story.
Some things have to remain a mystery until certain other things come through.
Apparently business is similar to Nancy Drew.
& so,
a few months ago when I was looking at a space our realtor told me about this project that an organization was working on:
It would be like a big community center
with different businesses having their own spaces
& working together to be a positive presence in our community.
She thought old school might be a good fit.
Uh, yes!
I told her it sounded really great & to please keep me in the loop.
Forward a bit to one of the old school girls running into the main person orchestrating the big project.
She has known them for a long time & it came out that she was involved in old school.
She told them about old school, gave them our website to look at
& they called me.
We talked & I was totally digging what he was serving up (not a good metaphor but you get it).
In fact, almost the entire conversation consisted of him saying something
& then my brain & heart yelling 'YES! THAT! WE ARE YOUR PEOPLE!'
& my mouth being very calm & saying things like
'We've talked about similar things, too.'
& 'That seems like a really great idea.'
& also 'I will talk to my girls & get back to you.'
knowing that my girls would be all in, for sure :)
& then on a snowy day I met with the main guy at the place
(a place, by the way, that we had looked at & dreamed about but knew that it was way too big for. We considered it a future giant dream)
& it was great & there was more of my brain & heart yelling 'YES!'.
& as weeks progressed we emailed & talked on the phone a couple more times.
after one of our phone conversations I hung up
& put my hands over my eyes & just let out a huge happy sigh
& heard the words to a song on the radio
'every breath, every hour has come to this, one step closer'
& then I cried.
Of course.
waiting just a little bit more.
But this time the waiting feels different.
It feels like when you hear that a great book will become a movie
& you just know that the screenplay is being written
& you hear every once in a while
'Reese Witherspoon is playing the main character'
'Scenes are being shot on location in Denver'
& there's no release date yet
but you know that when they announce it you will put it on your calendar
& you'll totally be in line when it comes out,
opening night.
That's where we are.
Almost all of the characters are in place
the funding is just about complete
the screenplay has been written
we're just waiting for the location doors to open.
& we are excited!
Man, are we excited!
Making plans & lists & having weekly meetings with the old school girls.
It's been so wonderful!
Laurie & Dana are just the brightest spots in all of this.
They love life & they love people & they get excited about things!
I am so happy to get to dream & plan with them both.
From the beginning this situation has felt right
& my feelings haven't wavered in the months that we have been in talks.
Could it all not work out?
Of course!
But that's true for almost everything in the entire world now, then & to come.
Feeling right about it,
having pieces come together
& having bright hope wins out for me.
Every time.
We are close to having a space in a big (huge) space with other businesses (a coffee shop, another retailer & a couple of churches who will use it on Sundays).
Our space will be big enough to do what we have wanted to do from the beginning:
Creative play for kids, classes for kids & adults, parties, craft sales, panel discussions, mom groups, dad groups, small groups, book clubs, book signings, lectures, talks, workshops.
Seriously.
This place will enable us to do so many things!
Big big thank yous to all of you who have been so supportive
& patiently impatient with us!
Huge hugs to those who have asked how things are going
& who have been excited & ready along with us.
Your encouragement & enthusaism is everything <3
& as for me,
I will keep keeping you informed
(every week, or every 4 months at least :)
& let you cheer with us as we find the place that is just right for us.
Hooray!