Renovation Life: Are We There Yet?

As a small business owner, I can tell you that one of the most simultaneously stressful and exciting things to take on is a renovation of your shop. I know this now for a certain fact because my husband (and business partner) Tim and I decided that 2018 would be the year we would really put our both marriage and life’s work to the test and undertake a complete face lift of our historic building at 121 S. Royal Street. Oh, and we would stay open for the duration of the renovations. Oh, and we would do a branding shift. Oh, and we have a toddler. Are we…crazy?Maybe. But both of us feel with absolute certainty that this is a great move for our business. Our building is the definition of “Old Town Quaint,” in both the lovely ways and the ways your realtor tries to gloss over in his or her description of the property. It’s historic and has great bones (no earthquake damage here!). It has lots of nooks and odd plumbing decisions, and the previous owners of the building did a lot of superficial repair work that well…isn’t exactly keeping up with the wear-and-tear of the business. Oh, and did I mention we have a thirty-year-old fully functional workshop in the back? Needless to say, I will be very happy once this is all finished.Long-term clients of ours have seen our shop through a few iterations, hopefully each one a little better than the last. Our newest renovation will afford us a really polished space where we can work with our clients one-on-one while still making Alexandria and Company a welcoming, decidedly “un-jewelry store” experience. When I feel overwhelmed by the changes taking place, I just picture the Pinterest board I shared with Lindsey at Shotgun Double (with whom we’re working for overall design) and I breath a sigh of relief. We’re headed in the right direction. We’re getting there.Just don’t ask me about a timeline.