Finders Keepers Fashions received one EPIC makeover

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 29^th 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.