Mission Accomplished!
I love nothing better than a crew of skilled workers on a
mission as they create excitement and energy that cannot be duplicated!
The mission? To revamp Finders Keepers Fashions in 4 days
including interior painting, exterior painting and repairs, new flooring, new
ceiling fans, up-cycling old counters, additional electrical wiring and various
overdue repair projects. Not to mention putting the store back together and
re-merchandised once the work was complete.
We did it in 4 days and we posted about it regularly on
Facebook for those interested. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the
co-ordination that took place beforehand by our contractor and his project
manager and a great deal of prep work on our part. The various teams worked
together like a symphony performance and everyone had a part, everyone kept
working, everyone kept moving. Hours and days flew by.
Saturday night at closing, my staff and I pushed all the
merchandise to the right hand side of the shop, as far as it would go. It was a
well-orchestrated dance as we packed the accessory room with as many racks as
would fit. The guys arrived at 7 p.m., started on the cleared area by removing
the carpet, the wall racks and prepping the walls and ceiling. Half of the shop
was totally painted the first night. All the fans were replaced in the main
part of the store.
Sunday the flooring guys arrived, unloaded the flooring and
began prepping the floor. The floor was installed on the left half of the shop
by 5:00 p.m. We could tell how wonderful the store was going to look already. I
ran to the used store fixture warehouse and purchased a set of 3 counters that
once lived in a Wolf Camera store. They had great potential and with some bead board
and re-laminating, they will be good as new! We discovered that the fans I
purchased caused an installation problem and only went one speed….super-fast,
creating a hurricane effect that was humorous but expensive to correct. Note to
self: read the box before purchasing, especially when purchasing 12….
By 5:15 we were moving all the racks of clothing over to the
left side, on to the new floor! By 6:15, everything was moved over and the
right-hand side was empty and ready for the guys who arrived at 7 p.m. to strip
the carpet and paint the rest of the shop. This night they stayed until about 3
a.m. Unfortunately, as the painters were leaving, one of the drivers thought he
turned his car headlights on, didn’t and got pulled over immediately by the
police. His license had expired and he ended up spending the night in the
DeKalb County jail. A long, bad day for him and the contractor bailed him out
the next day.Monday the flooring men arrived about 11:00 and prepped and
installed the rest of the flooring, including the kitchen and 2 restrooms.
Again they were out by 5:00 p.m. Exterior repairs and painting began. The staff
began organizing the clothing on the racks. The counters were delivered. I had
to figure out the new arrangement of the counter space. Fans now go 4 speeds
but the wall switches are faulty and dangerous. Fans kept off until this is
corrected. It would be a shame to burn down the building after all this effort
and work….not to mention expense.
Tuesday the manager and I planned and implemented the new
floor lay-out. We donated old racks and put casters on ALL the racks for easy
and safe repositioning. Wall racks went back up, all merchandise was placed on
each rack with great care. For once, there was not one thing on the wrong rack
and each piece was colorized. Accessory room was put back together, old
counters and jewelry cases cleaned like never before.
The electrician was there all day, disassembled a power
column on the floor and ran wires behind a wall, then through it into the new
counters so all cords are hidden and off the floor. Hurray! He left about
midnight.
Wednesday my husband re-connects all of the computers to all
of the new wiring. This project takes all day and several Office Depot runs.
New curtains go up for the fitting rooms, all mirrors are re-hung, and displays
are created, crafted and beautiful, including the jewelry cases. The exterior
is still being painted and repaired. Punch list items are addressed. Computers
are tested, and the final job of sorting through boxes of stuff once in the
counters and drawers begins. The manager puts her area back together, floors
are swept and mopped, paper over the windows removed. I found myself just
standing and staring at the shop, totally thrilled with the outcome. We leave
about 8 p.m. after taking lots of photos.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. Back in Business! Thanks to a great
staff and a great contractor. Yes, there are still some things to be done but
we made it, and it was worth ALL the effort! We love it and we hope you love
it, too, because we want to look our best for you, our loyal customers and
consignors, in honor of our 29th birthday. Stop by and see us soon!
Check out a few pictures below, and visit us on facebook: www.facebook.com/fkfashions for the whole photostory.
