For the next couple of months, Joanna and I spent our evenings and days off scrubbing and painting everything we could get our hands on, while we brainstormed ideas for our nifty new event space. We decided what we wanted to keep from the weird furniture stash and started selling the items we weren’t using on Craigslist.
I started running the numbers, trying to get a handle on what we would need to do to break even and what our budget might look like.
Yes, I’m FULLY aware that should have happened first. We were a little excited, what can I say?
Mike was willing to work with us on rent, but we needed to get it up to something reasonable within a few months of opening. We needed to get a beer and wine license and of course, there would be insurance, utilities, WiFi, ASCAP, BMI, garbage removal, an alarm system, etc. etc.
I realized pretty quickly that we would need a busier calendar than what we had originally discussed. I was game to give it a go, but Joanna had serious concerns. We both had demanding full-time days jobs PLUS.
My PLUS was the handful of freelance marketing clients I maintained on top of my day job. Her PLUS was her band which has a busy gigging schedule. My motivation for my side hustle was primarily financial, so I didn’t mind giving it up at some point. Joanna gets a lot of joy from being on stage and it’s not something she ever wants to give up. Totally understandable.
We went back and forth for a while, and ultimately she decided to bow out of the project with no hard feelings on either side.
In the meantime, my life partner Jimmy had gotten intrigued by my little business idea. So, when Joanna jumped out, Jimmy jumped in. We formed an LLC and continued working on the room while we debated what exactly our new venture would look like.
Our first order of business was to PAINT EVERYTHING.
I decided the most cost-effective thing to do with the ceilings would be to color match the existing paint rather than buying gallons of primer and paint to make it lighter. I didn’t mind the color, it was kind of a mushroom-y shade of brown.
The recessed sections of the ceiling were another story – there were three sections, two were blue and one was orange and they had to go. Ditto for the walls. In my photos in Part 1 the walls look neutral, but in reality, they were an anemic shade of pale blue. They looked like something you might see in a 1950’s nursery for a little boy…not the vibe we were going for.
I tackled the walls first and the fresh coat of neutral paint made a massive difference. Mike boxed in the exposed stairway, which originally featured an old bed pillow stuffed into the cracks for insulation.
Much better!
Acquiring Jimmy as my partner meant that I also acquired Mike to help with our projects since it was now a family affair. He became an invaluable help in getting a lot of our projects done.
Our handyman Kyle spent a couple of weeks patching and painting the beast of a ceiling.
Ta Da!
The rope lights change the way the color looks, but the recessed areas were painted one shade lighter than the walls.
Cleaning up the ceiling and getting a fresh coat of paint on everything made such a difference – it really looked like a different room.
After much debate about the placement, we built the stage and placed it roughly in the center of the room.
We wanted the sight lines to be excellent no matter where our guests were in the room and this ended up being the only spot that would accomplish it.
There was a narrow section of crappy tile (2 layers, actually) across the front of the room near the door. We ripped that up.
And replaced it with a wood-look laminate.
Luckily, the rest of the room has a terrazzo floor. It’s not in perfect shape, but I thought I could disguise the bad spots with area rugs.
We were making excellent headway, and the room was already almost unrecognizable from where started. Progress!
