Construction is an exciting roller coaster that makes this idea of opening up a modern furniture store real. Fortunately for me as an Architect I am very familiar with construction sites so I knew what we were getting into...good and bad. Luckily, the excitement and positive vibes are taking over and we are all too familiar with dealing with old buildings. There are bound to have issues but none that can’t be overcome.
As the showroom transitions it is loud, dusty and dirty, a little smelly (from the machine fumes) and did I mention loud? But in a way, all the activity is infectious and every jackhammer bout, as remarkably loud as it may be, is a reminder of all the fun. I don’t have to physically jackhammer the floor...no one would really want me to attempt that, so I just listen to the energy of the construction as I open up the newest catalog of a fabulous collection and start to imagine the pieces in the store or in a customer's house!
Everything is moving quickly. Within a couple days, the peculiar concrete floor that summarized the history of the building’s original use as a meat locker for the neighboring grocery store is erased. The ramps to nowhere are reduced to a pile destined for the dumpster. As you can see in the image this left us with a muddy mess. As dirty and messy as this all is, I love the transition as an old building takes on a new identity and a new purpose. Soon, the new floor will be flooded with beautiful pieces of furniture and it is exactly that image that keeps me positive.
It is a busy week ahead. The construction team will be busy and move fast as they begin to put the walls up. And everyone on the store team is just as busy getting orders in place. The end of the week culminates in our first trip to market in High Point, NC. We are breaking out our comfortable shoes so we cover as much of the 10 million square feet as possible. Well, maybe not that much but we are going to cover all the modern furniture and home decor areas as possible to bring back some really awesome pieces to Sioux City. More to come next week from Market!!!