Progress Update: October
We’ve got the bones of our website up. We’ve gotten our branding and logo designed. We’ve started gathering feedback from our local neighbors. We’ve set up our LLC. These are a few of the big things we’ve completed as we work to stand up our Sunny Village Cafe and indoor playground. We’ve done countless numbers of other pieces of work, from planning, to contacting, to envisioning, to searching. The list of work is literally endless.
I know a lot of our community members and neighbors are interested in our progress and if our dream space will actually become a reality. Every month I’ll write up a quick blog post mentioning our biggest wins and possibly our roadblocks (if it isn’t too stressful or emotional) as our space comes together. I want to be as transparent as I can. I want you to be a part of this journey.
About a month ago I had one very busy day meeting with different people for different aspects of the business. It was so busy I had to take a day off from my normal job (did I mention I work full-time lol). I ran to Fulton market to take a look at an espresso machine. Then I went back to my neighborhood and got my nails done by Amy at Illinois Nail. Her nail salon is in the same strip where I am considering opening the cafe. This was my first time meeting her and I told her about how we may soon become business neighbors. After that was my biggest meeting of the day. I met with a potential landlord as well as my interior designer at a prospective location. We talked through the space and negotiations. To be honest, I was so intimidated. But my designer, Cristiana from Perpetuum Designs, was so awesome to have there with me! She and her partner George knew exactly what to ask and helped me feel much more confident. I shook hands with the landlord and finished that meeting with a big smile on my face!
Now, I’m waiting on the contract from the landlord. Once I have that all finalized and signed, I will be so excited to give more details about our location! Meanwhile, I’ve started working with my designer and an interior architect as the very first steps of our design process is figuring out the layout of our cafe–where will the kitchen be, the seating, the play area, the quiet room, the bathrooms, our retail section, etc. And then we’ll be able to get to the fun stuff!
I have a lot of big ideas and big dreams for this space, but I’ve been realizing that I’m going to have to slow down and implement these dreams in phases. We’ll start with the basics when we open, but I hope to grow from there. For example, I’d love for us to mainly use reusable serverware—but I’ll need to save up for that investment as business grows. But I want to get there! Also, I want some beautiful unique play equipment, but some of that will have to wait until once we are actually bringing in revenue. And I would love to widen our cafe offerings to include a small, healthy, adult and kid friendly lunch menu.
How am I feeling? Honestly, pretty nervous. I love my current job and home/work situation. But also I just can’t stop the driving force and desire behind building this space and community. This is not a cheap endeavor–it will and has already taken a huge chunk of time and $$. I would love and appreciate all your support, positive comments, and any constructive feedback you may have.
To help at least a little with all the start-up costs, I’m considering selling some small products as well as setting up an Amazon associate account. If you buy the things that I recommend using the links on my blog posts, then I’ll be able to make a little here and there. Let me know what kinds of recommendations you’d like or if you’d be interested in purchasing sets of Montessori style sandpaper letters and numbers (I know, random! But it’s something I know how to do). Or even if you’d be interested in paying for a balloon arch for an upcoming party or event. Again, even just your verbal support is a huge strength to me and keeps me motivated and inspired. Thank you for being here with me!
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