OH MY.

All of the tear out is done!
We did run into some live, on-the-wall wiring with no idea how to turn it off. None of the breakers seem to do the trick. Oh, and also the live natural gas lines attached to the interior wall with handy little valves. The landlord gets to solve those two challenges. So. That means we are done with tear out except for the awful carpet over the glued down carpet from the 1960's. I was going to paint the ceiling before we started that little adventure BUT, my Amazing Demo Guy tore it out, cut it up and tossed it out before I even had a chance to say, "what are we going to do with all this garbage?". He's pretty awesome. So my next job is tsp and an old floor mop for the walls so I can go in with KILZ and fresh paint. His next job is the floor-remover-sander-thingy. On the floors, of course. I'm thinking by Monday I might have a couple "mid-way " pictures.

Ahem. That August 1st date is going to come and go. But hey, a girl's allowed to be an optimist.

I finally have keys in hand to the new Studio/Store!

There is a ton of work to do.
What I'm going for is "European Flea Market meets Art Space with Odd Supplies".

Think: Recycle, Decor, Art supplies, Workshops.

There are basically 3 rooms.

• The largest room is to be used for the retail space. Here I will be offering antiques, refurbished flea market finds, odd collectible and decor items, creations from local Artisans and supplies. A few "normal" supplies but mostly supplies to inspire new projects that focus on altered art and recycling.

• The adjoining room is a workroom. A place to have workshops and host meetings, a home to art tools, a deep sink, and a giant worktable for projects and refurbishing.

• The third room is a smaller space that will be similar to my personal studio at home. It's a great place for my smaller projects. Also a computer and wrapping area, storage for my etsy store items, a tabletop photo booth, etc. It's also the room with the little kitchenette and the path to the restroom.

• Upstairs is a wonderful unfinished, low ceiling, attic area with shelves lining the wall. A perfect place to store those treasures that have yet to make their debut or that still need to be cleaned up and refurbished. The shelving is also a wonderful spot to store the supplies and "work in progress" items from our workshops.

So far, I've picked colors for paint, ceilings and trim. Chosen window coverings, ordered an awning, designed business cards and started working with the company on an exterior sign. I still have to choose lighting for the retail area and figure out what to do with the floors. I'm hoping that under the carpet is concrete and I can do a light stain and some polishing. My fingers are crossed. I have the "Amazing Handyman & Sign Cutter-Guy" as my helper. Who am I kidding? I'm his helper. kinda.

Time to get busy!