Tanker want to go home

Tanker fans,

I forgot to mention the shop cat. Tanker will definitely be there when we open and even before.

Tanker has been spending his time with us, on holiday. We love him, but it's not quite a holiday for us. We already have two cats, Casper and Minnie. Tanker and Casper get along OK, they play sometimes but Tanker is a lone cat.

However, Tanker and Minnie have problems. I don't know if Tanker just wants to get to know Minnie or if he's intimidating her. Anyway, there's lots of growling when the two see each other. Minnie runs and Tanker chases. Minnie wants him gone!

I think Tanker also is missing his fans. Since he's not the only cat here he doesn't get as much attention (when he wants it) as at the shop.

On the plus side Tanker has gained weight and eats a lot here. He even likes to curl up around our feet at night when the other cats aren't around. He pretends to be distant but it's obvious he loves attention as long as you pretend not to know it.

We're in, we're in!

As Jay mentioned we have the keys and we've been carting stuff to Emerald City Gardens. Our house and yard was becoming an obstacle course. It's nice regaining our space at home. As we were there yesterday we had several friends and cheerleaders visit. Our friend Bob gave us some great ideas on lighting. In addition he's doing much of the work on the cash register area. It's gonna be really nice.

I was hoping to get more lights up outside to make the store more visible but that rain wouldn't stop so stay tuned. I'll be taking pictures every now and then so we have before - during - and after shots. I will be posting them in the future.

work-work-work,
Andy

We're in!

Got the keys yesterday. One carload of stuff hauled to the nursery, countless more to follow.

A second hiring confirmed, for which we're so thankful. Welcome, Laura!

Insurance came in NICELY under budget. Vinyl banners for the front fence? Somewhat over budget. It evens out, I guess.

Bleach and lights are today's priorities. *smiles mysteriously*

So much more to type about, but no time right now...maybe more this evening.

Laters!

the dark and the cold

I finally came in out of the dark and the cold (ehhh, not so cold) five minutes ago after sticking 40 cuttings of Cornus alba 'Ivory Halo' in 20 one-gallon pots. All or most of them should take and be sellable by May, possibly even April. This is one of our favorite bloodtwig dogwoods, more burgundy than bright red in the winter, beautiful light green leaves with a broad, irregular white margin and a lower growth habit (6'x6' max, usually lower) than its big brother, C. a. 'Elegantissima'. We'll probably retail the gallons for right around $10.

I know you can do the math, and you're perhaps going, "Oh, nice racket, Jay! Clip up a bunch of twigs and stick 'em in pots and...wow, that's some profit margin for a short afternoon's work!" Yeah, well, let's do some more math. I suffered in the dark and the cold (ehhh, not so cold), spending precious time that could have been used for cancer research or volunteering to help flood victims...I mean, if I did that stuff. Besides, the savvy shopper will realize this is not only a fair price but OMG, Becky, if both cuttings take - it's a two-for-one deal. That's right: if the pot you select has more than one stem coming out of the dirt, split the root ball and plant TWO PLANTS after paying for just one...and congratulate yourself for your smart shopping!

Everybody wins. We like that.

happy solstice!

Some very good news yesterday - we bought a Mercedes! Er, that is, our friend and colleague Mercedes will be coming to work for us. Thus she gains the distinction of becoming the first ECG employee. Take a bow, M., and thank you!

Also, we visited a nearby insurance agent and will, hopefully, hear back from him soon with a quote. "Ball park" numbers sound good, definitely within what we'd budgeted - and how often does THAT happen?

As predicted, no bulb planting occurred yesterday. Shut up.

I want to try and tackle more seed orders today and work on the new, improved business card and/or the main website. Updates will follow if I actually accomplish anything. :)

We're on our way!

As if we haven't been busy already, it's about to hit the fan. So much to do, to get done, and that doesn't even include the store set up. Business licenses, tax reporting stuff, insurance, utilities, learning payroll, and all the rest.
I had this crazy vision that, as I got older I'd work less and vacation more. I must have picked up a vision from someone walking by. All in all it's exciting and here's hoping we remember everything we're supposed to do before the grand opening March 1st.
The support has been great and really means a lot to us. Thanks.

it beginneth

Hi, peoples!

We signed the lease this morning. Liability insurance to be procured yet, then we get the keys right after xmas. We took Lorene to lunch at Roxy's and really, truly meant to plant bulbs on the parking strip this afternoon, but wimped out yet again. "It's too cold - WAAAAHH! Let's come back and do it tomorrow!" Uh-huh. Tomorrow's s'posed to be 10° colder.

Andy thinks we should do CafePress stuff. I like the idea of no up-front investment, though it's a lower profit margin and not likely to be high-volume, so probably best that we don't look to make our fortune this way. Eh, maybe one day I can revisit this first post and chortle at the naïveté of the preceding sentence. :b

Bring it on.