Well, our first week open has passed. I must say, I am completely overwhelmed and encouraged by all of the help we received getting to this point, and all of the great compliments we have gotten thus far. This experience has truly surpassed my expectations, and only make me even more excited for what the future holds.
A lot of people enter our store and say "you've done a fantastic job on this place", and my response always is "it took a village". Yes, it did take a small village to get to this point. Many, many, many people had their hands on this project, directly and indirectly, and all deserve applause for helping us succeed. I can't list everyone in this blog post, and I really am afraid I would forget someone! But there are a few people that I want to give a shout out to.
Kim, Heather and Becki from Design4Space - without their ability to take my vision (consisting of less than half a dozen words - I really didn't know what to say except that I wanted a Modern Vintage look, and that I like turquoise!!) and turning it into what they did, I may be sitting in a store with only 4 walls and a bunch of shoes. Not only are they super talented, but such a fantastic and fun bunch of gals to work with. I am really going to miss the witty email bantering back and forth!
Derek and his "group of gals" from Revolution Strategy, who created our logos. They were able to take our vision for an upscale NY style of store with a vintage twist and apply that to our branding. Again, a fantastic group of people to work with.
Keith Brideau, our landlord, and his group of guys for working hard on providing the manpower to get the space ready for use.
Tim Hunter and his guys from The Artizan Group who built the beautiful shelving, mirrors, and various other components. Tim even sawed off my old shoe heels and made some cool hooks for the store. He thought I was crazy, and sacrificed a couple of blades on his saw to complete them!
Local craftsman Steven Judge, who hand carved our beautiful sign hanging outside the store.
Chris English, cousin extraordinaire, who gave up many hours to help out with various tasks - wiring, painting etc. Chris - we owe you BIG TIME! (Emily - we owe you too!)
Benito Cerone, local craftsman, dedicated his garage to building our beautiful front desk, benches and tables.
Joanne DeMerchant, mother-in-law extraordinaire, who did the wallpaper, painted, and made the comfy cushions upon which you will sit on.
And of course, to all you wonderful business people in the Saint John area - thanks so much for all of your encouragement and support. I am truly delighted to become a part of the Uptown Saint John business crowd. What a fantastic group of individuals I get to work alongside every day. This is what really excites and motivates me.
And thank you to everyone who came out our first week open. I hope you all liked what you saw, and that we can bring to Saint John what you all want!
Shelley
