Another Snow picture

Prosperity

An unknown someone sent The Grafton 123 a prosperity tree.

I'd post a picture of it, but the ones I've taken didn't turn out that well. It's actually sitting behind Kevin in the windowsill in the previous post.

I have no idea who sent it, but it is perfect.
It came via UPS in a tall, thin box. Michelle and Amber opened it and unpacked it, thinking it was a supply shipment. When they brought it out of the kitchen and I saw it for the first time, I knew immediately what it was -its symbolism- and felt a moment of total gratitude (I've been feeling gratitude a lot lately, and this was definitely gratitude).

Thank you to whoever it is who had the insight and wisdom to do something so perfect.

NOT construction pictures

This makes me very happy to be able to post pictures of NOT construction!

Let me introduce Amber:

She can not only run the cash register better than myself, she can make an amazing cup of coffee (or espresso or cappuccino or latte or mochaccino...), too.

We opened Wednesday morning at 7am. At 7:05am Curtis and Johnny came in for their morning coffee:


Today we had fresh homemade apple cinnamon muffins for breakfast, fresh homemade oatmeal raisin cookies for a mid-morning snack, and wonderful fresh homemade cheesy pepperoni rolls for lunch.
(It smells wonderful in here!)

We're Open

Yay! We did it!
Yesterday was our first day.
We were busy!
We're looking forward to more of it.

I know I said I'd post pictures, but not today.
Soon.

Interior Picture

This is a relatively new picture (2 days ago?):


The sign in the window is the sign that will hang over the sidewalk. It will go up soon; I'll take pictures. There's still a little bit of construction clutter, but it's focused around the front door now and PC is finishing up with all the interior trim. The finish work is time consuming, but the effect is worth it.

Two Weeks

Two Weeks-ish.
The 'ish' gives me some breathing room.

Progress in Pictures

"Random Pictures" would be an appropriate title, too, but "Progress..." sounds much better, huh?

Up until last weekend, the toilet sat in the middle of the bathroom floor:


And then I snapped this glamorous shot of PC setting the toilet (yes, I said setting and not sitting; he's sitting on a bucket):

If you look closely, you'll see that he's eating an ice cream bar. Eating ice cream over a brand new toilet is just one of the many fun things we've been able to do in preparation for opening.
It's a very nice toilet, too; it's one of those 'whooshy' fast-flushers (that's the scientific term).

Here's the view from down the street:

The ubiquitous mess in the parking lot is fast approaching its final days; parking lot clean-up is scheduled at the end of the 'To-do to Open' List.

The sawhorses in the entryway are nearing an end, too. There's some final trim work to do that requires sawing and that's about it (finally).


However, we still have the occasional pile of miscellaneous tools/parts. Fortunately, these jumbles are mostly growing in the closets:


That's it for now.
More soon.

The Espresso Machine is Here!

This is a picture I snapped when the installers first unpacked it and set it on the counter last week:


Now that it smells like coffee inside, I know we're getting close!

Menu Board Installation

I posted the opening special last time. Now I want to post the pictures of the chalkboard installation.
Here's the first one:


The board on the bottom is notched so that the bottom of the blackboard can sit right down inside it.

A little to the right:


Keep in mind that these things are at least a half inch thick and weigh well over 100 pounds each!



These are all old slate boards out of the old high school!



The very nice woman who now owns the old building gave them to us! I haven't asked for her permission to use her name, but I don't think she'd mind if I thanked her here, publicly. It was a very kind gesture on her part and it just seems right: A piece of old Grafton in our new coffee house.



Yes, we do have counter tops.
Yes, they look great.
No, I don't have pictures uploaded yet.
Yes, I will get to it soon.

Menu Board - Opening Special

I have a ton of random pictures, but I figured you were probably sick of them by now.
Instead of randomness, here's something that speaks for itself:


Progress!
I have a ton of pictures of cabinet building, equipment, menu board installation, random jumbled messes, pizza crust, and the bathroom, but the "Opening Special" is the closest I have to proof of "very close to opening."

The countertops will be installed today! I'll take a ton of pictures (and try to post them before they get old).

More Random Picture

Here's a quick post in the spirit of trying to keep up with the blog even if it means posting old pictures:



These next ones are a little bit newer; the saws are a good representation of what is happening inside (I will post new inside pictures soon):






Here's where the wood scraps go:





The countertop comes next week and the espresso machine will be here the week of the 8th!

I've had an incredible response to the tiny 'Now Taking Applications' ad in the Mountain Stateman (Thank you!).

I also have a new sign that will go up this weekend with others soon to follow....

6-8 Weeks from Opening

Thank you to all of you regular blog readers who come over here to check and see if I've posted anything new.
There is a whole lot of new stuff going on, but I can't seem to find the time to blog.
However, looking on the bright side of things, if I'm busy not blogging, you can be assured that I am busy getting ready to open.