A Change of Plans...

It's been no secret that my wife and I have been looking for a new place to move our storefront. I've blogged about it enough, after all.

So, we have been traipsing about looking at various places. Some places we go alone, and some we've been taking a few Gophers with us for advice and a different set of eyes. We actually found a place that would be absolutely perfect. So perfect that the spouse and I were ready to set things into motion to secure it.We were so confident that we sent three of our most trusted friends to go look at it.

What they came back with surprised the hell out of us, and it hurt a little as well, but in the end, I had to admit that they were right.

They agreed with us that the spot is a great fit for where we want to be in the future. The location is good, the parking and bus access are more than acceptable, and as the first tenants into the (currently unfinished) spot, we could pretty much dictate the layout of the place. Then they told us that we were not ready for it. That was a gut shot.

To support their argument, they pointed out that the fixtures we currently have are pretty much the ones the original owners of the store started out the store with. We've added a couple of shelves and some other pieces, but they've been pretty much in line with what we already had. The fixtures themselves are generic, and in some cases, starting to fall apart. Thinking about it, the original owners started the place on a tax return, and some borrowed and scrounged up things to get them a bare bones start. Currently, we don't look like much more than a bare bones place that's had a little bit of success.

These friends also told us that we could be better within our current spot, then proceeded to lay out ideas on how to do that.I think the most surprising thing for me was that I listened to them. Frequently, I'm not even willing to listen to my wife, let alone anyone else. I considered and am still considering what they said to us. The wife and I are pretty much decided that we are enacting many things that they suggested.

Basically, what they are suggesting is a continuation of what has been going on with myself. There has been a slow, inner transformation within myself which has manifested in the outward transformation that I have been blogging about for the last month. We need to take the next step and give the store a face lift, so, we're going to put ducks in a row and make that happen...

...because the Gophers are worth it.

-- GopherDave