Opening Day!!

Yesterday we opened, albeit with lots of blank spaces on the fixtures! It's slow going to enter all the new inventory into our system, but it'll get done soon enough. My Dad (and number 1 employeee) took lots of photos.

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back?

Since I last posted, the wiring has been done, the drywall installed and taped, and the walls painted. Flooring installation started last week, and there we hit yet another snag. Partway through the installation, the flooring contractor realized he'd been sent someone else's, shorter, piece of carpet, and the carpet company was being less than helpful about getting us a piece in the correct size. That was Friday afternoon.

This morning, the flooring contractor told me that a new carpet was on it's way and should be here by the end of the week. If that's so, we're still on track to open on the 19th of May. We are all crossing our fingers!

Construction Update

Now we see the bones of the future store.

Top to Bottom:

• My sweetie as seen from the work room into the retail space - you can see the openings for three sets of French doors.
• The new wall between the work room and the storage area. The plumbing for the clean-up sink is roughed in, and the walls are reinforced for the cabinets that are coming.
• The permit!!
• The permit and my "coming soon" sign.
• The retail space - my office in the back corner, and the new column is where the check-out will be.
• The retail space from a different angle.
• From the side of the retail space into the work room.
• From the back of the retail space looking towards the work room.

Under Construction Finally!

The building permit was finaly issued and construction is under way. It's very exciting to see my vision take shape.

From top to bottom:
The retail space post demolition
A Dumpster! With trash in it!
Ellen breaks down walls!
An actual hole!
Running the plumbing for the workroom sink.

"Signs" of Progress

My exterior sign has been installed! I took some photos this morning and it looks great!

On the bad news side, the carpet I chose is discontinued - and we can't get the building permits until the fire marshal signs off on the flooring materials. Yikes!

On the good news side, my trademark was approved by the government and I can now put the little R in a circle next to my "momento" logo. That little task took longer than a pregnancy to complete - good thing I started last year!

Friday afternoon, we're off the CHA. I can't wait to see all the new goodies!

Who is Dumbledore?

Dumble is our family's newest member - a little Yorkshire Terrier. He's sweet and funny and cute and we all adore him. As a matter of fact, one of his nicknames is Dumble-dorable!

Dumble just luuurves people. When my older boy (19) has company, Dumble practically wags his back end off and becomes a squirmy little bundle of worship.

We got him to be company for me and I was planning to bring him to the store so he wouldn't be lonely when I started working full-time. But I worried that all the people in and out of the place would be overwhelming for the little guy.

Then in mid-December we had a holiday open house at our place, and after the first few people arrived (and were appropriately fawned over,) Dumble calmed down. He didn't bark when the doorbell rang, or when people let themselves in. Instead he busied himself doing an impression of a roomba. He did try to plant himself in my Mom's dinner plate when she left it too close to the edge of the coffee table, but mostly he foraged for crumbs around everyone's feet.

I think he's going to love being a shop-dog. Now if I can just get him over the car sickness...

The architects plans are awaiting landlord approval and will soon go out to contractors for bid.

Ellen

Why MOMENTO?

Momento is Spanish or Italian for "moment." It also sounds similar to the word "memento," which is an object, like a ticket stub or photo, that you keep to remind yourself of the good times. It's a "two-fer." Of course, the first few people I showed it to said, "You know, it's spelled M E M E N T O," and I'd have to explain about the Italian word - I'll definitely have to keep on top of that in my branding.

To me the word reminds us to pay attention to the little things, to live in the moment and enjoy what we have rather than thinking of what might have been. It speaks to me about why I scrapbook - to tell my stories to my family, and to remember the little details that add up to so much.

Here's the latest on my progress towards opening:
- The architect's plans are nearly complete and I hope to put the work out to bid very soon.
- The exterior signage has been ordered and is being worked on.
- Some "Coming Soon" banners are hanging in the windows.

I wish a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

How does a computer geek from way back end up owning a scrapbooking store?

I'll admit it. I'm a geek. A Star Trek-watching, gadget-loving technophile. There's an 8 foot tall display case in my dining room filled with vintage Star Trek collectibles. I was the first girl in my high school to take and finish AP Physics. I've got two Tivos, three VCRs and a DVD player. We have high-speed cable Internet and multiple XM radios. And there are five computers in my house.

The funny thing is that I'm also a pretty big girly-girl. I like makeup and jewelry and shopping for clothes. I adore Christmas and decorate my house up the wazoo for the holidays. And I'm crafty. As a kid, I learned to crochet from my grandma. As a teen, I sewed myself some pretty happening outfits. In my twenties, it was cross stitch. And in 1999, I started scrapbooking.

What can I tell you? I love scrapbooking. I love that you can try lots of different techniques and materials, so the hobby is always changing. And I love that I'm working with photos of the people and things I love the most. And I can experiment. If one page doesn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped - well, there's always more pictures!

So back to the geek thing. When I got to college, I intended to major in Math and Physics. But Physics lost its charm, and there was a computing requirement for the Math degree. Just like that, I was hooked! Programming was everything I loved about science. Everything was logical, and one thing followed from another. My brain was made to write programs and I loved it.

In 1987, two things happened that changed my life profoundly. First my son, Alex, was born. Then I went to work for the NASDAQ Stock Market. For the next 18 1/2 years. Before I was laid off in the Spring of '06, I'd risen from an entry level programmer to a lead in charge of an important system. I'd also nearly completed an MBA, which I'd started in hopes of moving into management.

There was a point, a bit more than a year ago, when I realized I was going to be laid off. Jobs programming the type of computers I worked with don't exactly grow on trees. I feared my family would have to relocate in order to find another job. Then my husband got an invitation to his cousin's wedding. And I got an idea.

I bought a small album, and made scrapbook pages with empty photo mats. Cream and white and gold and silver. Tags and ribbons and fibers. Stickers and rub-ons and charms. It was quite lovely, if I must say so myself. I brought my digital camera, laptop, and my little Epson PhotoMate printer. I set up in the groom's room and printed and cropped 10 photos of the wedding and reception and placed them in the album. A gift bag and some tissue paper and the album was good to go.

But before we gave it to the Bride and Groom, we showed it around to other members of my husband's family. And the husband of the Bride's sister said seven fateful words: "You should do this for a living." At first I scoffed. There's no way that making scrapbooks for people could replace the income of an experienced computer programmer. But it got me thinking...

I love to scrapbook.
I've nearly got an MBA.
I'm losing my job.
I've got some money put away.

And by then end of the weekend, I knew.

On the plane ride home, I told my husband, "I'm going to open a scrapbooking store."