Big Day

I bought the store today! Specifically, I bought all the furniture and equipment inside the store. I sign the lease tomorrow and then it's REALLY mine.

I spent most of the day fighting off stress, reminding myself to take deep breaths. I laid out a serious amount of money today. But once the closing was actually done, the money transferred and the papers signed, I felt a great relief. There's no more second-guessing now. I've thought about this for a long time, done my research, made my decision, and now I'm making it happen. Doubt can't help me now - only constructive criticism can.

Chris and I went over to the store with the owner after the closing, and he showed us where all the locks and light switches and things are. I have keys! The place is well-equipped and clean, but the layout is kind of strange and it's not exactly cozy. So there are a lot of different directions we could take the space in - Chris and I have all kinds of imagining to do in the next week or so. Meanwhile I'm psyched to get in there and clean like crazy, make it into as much of a clean slate as possible.

I was afraid I might end up with a ton of Polish groceries left over in the space, but the owner cleaned most of it out. We may end up with a spare kielbasa or two, and there's nothing wrong with that.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's what the store looks like in its current incarnation: