Remodeling!

Ok, truly, I cannot wait until I am blogging about paper and techniques, and new things and creating and on and on. But right now...PROGRESS! So glad to see guys with big bulky belts and dust everywhere and the faint smell of paint and drywall. Clean new ceilings and walls. We've been shopping flea markets for furniture and appointments and I'm sending in new orders every week to restock inventory.

So. On the march. Feels good. Can't wait to see you all there. We expect to be reopened June 1. If you are in town and see us cleaning and setting up and getting ready, please feel free to stop in and say hello!

Working on orders!!

One thing that is really exciting about the reopen of the store is the chance to bring on new lines that I didn't have before. Hero Arts makes quality products and the projects I've seen completed with their stamps are so creative and beautiful! I can't wait to get some product in and do some samples.

Every year after Christmas, I am so ready for some bright and pastel colors. I like to age just about everything to get a vintage look, but pastel things get old, too, right? The Hero Arts catalog is so bright and pretty it really gets me in the mood.

What???? That's right!

What's going on with the store?

Are you going to reopen? When?

Are you getting frustrated?

Why is it taking so long?

What do you do all day?

Can you order something for me?

Are you doing workshops?

I miss Rocky Mountain Memories!!!!

These are just a few of the questions I get daily from friends and customers who wonder about what's going on and when the heck we're going to reopen and start playing again!

So here's a little progress report:

The store itself is cleaned out, gutted and ready to rebuild. We are meeting with the construction guys this week to discuss the finish out and I'll know more then. We are planning for a reopen this spring, but I can't publish a date yet. Because I don't know one. And if I knew one, I probably wouldn't trust it to remain unchanged!! As soon as I can reasonably let you know something, I'll publish it here.

The Park Theatre Mall is gone. The slab is largely cleaned up, but there is some remaining debris. The future? Not sure. Sharon plans to rebuild but I don't know what a new building looks like or what the timeline is. I don't think Sharon knows that yet either but, like me, I believe she's working each day to make that happen.

In the meantime, I'm working. I'm working on a new logo, a new floorplan, new furniture for my studio (yippee!), reordering inventory, and more. There's SO MUCH to do. So while we wait for the rebuild, Rick and I are working full time to get ready. Thanks for your questions, your interest, and I hope to see you soon in a newly remodeled store that smells like stinky new paint & carpet. I happen to LUV that smell. :-)

Walking Around the Lake

I have discovered and become addicted to walking around Lake Estes. I've done this for a few years now. It used to be strictly a summer addiction, but I find that more and more I watch for days that are sunny and calm so that I can take advantage of the lake trail year round.

Its good for me physically, but much more it is healing to my soul and mind to get outdoors and enjoy the trees, birds, the river that feads it, and other walkers. I hope you enjoy these pictures and that they give you a sense of being there.

Ducks Landing

Canopies of River Birch

Mount Olympus

Our Lady of the Mountains

Stanley Hotel along Lumpy Ridge

Headed back toward the Contenental Divide.

Oh, I wish you could be here!

No sleep, up early.....

.....but I can't do much! The house is quiet, others are sleeping, so blogging is a pretty good activity, I guess! I'm getting out today and getting some pics working on a plan for next year to make the blog more dynamic. So many ideas, they need organization and prioritation to make them fun and achievable and not overwhelming.

I hope everyone has a meaningful Christmas. You are loved. Find someone who needs to know they are loved and tell them. Helping someone else is a sure cure for holiday blues. And cut back on the sugar. :-)

Merry Christmas.

Progress!

Yeah! Yesterday we started working with the company that goes in, does the inventory and cleaning out the store. We've had so many offers for help (for which we humbly thank you!!), but forces greater than ourselves are in control.

But clean up has begun, which is awesome. We'll work very hard over the next couple of days getting the inventory done and getting that to the insurance company.

Hang in and stay tuned. Other than the stores that reopened right away, we think we'll be the first store to come back after the fire. The fire was awful, but new beginnings are hopeful and exciting. Yeah!!

One Week Later

A week ago today things changed. Our lovely store sustained damage, our friends & merchant neighbors sustained far greater damage.

So where are we today?

I haven't updated much, because there hasn't been a lot to update. We really had to wait for the investigations to be completed for us to make much progress. The ATF ruled that the cause of the fire was accidental, due to several things converging. They believe it began by a natural gas water heater in a small enclosure in the music box store in the mall.

We have been able to get in the store for brief periods to get computer, files & irreplaceable items out. The site has now been released by investigative authorities to the reconstruction guys. We expect a professional team to go in and do clean up.

We've got a small space behind the store near the post office as a staging area to bring what we can out of the store and to take delivery on new inventory.

Thanks again so much for all who have offered prayer, love and care for us. We've had dozens and dozens who have offered to help, and have had no way to accept help until now. We could use someone to just sweep and spiff up our staging area before we move stuff in if anyone has some time to do that. Its empty and pretty small. Call me or send an email if you can help.

Thanks again to everyone (I'll have to say that a lot; hope you don't get tired of hearing it). I'll post again soon!