The last two weeks have been a blur of many items getting checked off the list, and as is customary, new items getting added to the list. Three steps forward, and then realizing you still have two more steps to get to where you already hoped to be.

An enormous part of that progress is all the help we’ve gotten along the way. Antonia built and installed custom shelves for us, with the help of her co-worker Keith. This is a big step towards having resting places for our wide assortment of tchotchkes.

Matt has spent 20+ hours walking me through “opening a restaurant 101” - which has been invaluable as I’ve been figuring out what the heck I’m supposed to be doing. Jayme and Sean donated cocktail glasses from Tales of the Cocktail. James (my boyfriend) has helped paint walls, install shelves, scrub range grates, and assisted in the seemingly endless shuffling of stuff to and fro as we clear space to sand tables, stain floors, and have plumbing and electrical work done. Another Sean spent a couple of hours with us walking through how to set up the right systems for hiring and payroll and inventory and accounting and just plain opening a restaurant and what we needed to be paying attention to 90 to 60 to 30 days out from opening.

Vanessa stopped by on a Saturday morning to walk us through accounting basics and helped me understand how to use quickbooks more effectively AND reinforced the fact that I really need to find an accountant. Sidebar - if anyone knows a good accountant who is taking on work, please, please, please send them my way.

Ellie also came by and gave her advice on setting up the bar area, what kind of cocktails we should offer, and we picked her brain on what she’s seen work best, and also not so well, at the places she’s worked. Adam popped in too and shared his thoughts on vendors and distributors. Michael picked up our tabletops to sand and refinish them this week. Peyton jumped in, on fairly short notice and with a quick turnaround, to draw a design for some bandanas (coming soon!). I’m so fricken excited about these!!

And that’s just in the past two weeks. This doesn’t include the conversations I’ve had with restaurant/bar/bakery owners and employees and the unsolicited texts I’ve sent posing very specific questions (shout out Konrad, Sara, Eliza, Haley, Dayna, Emma and Andrew). So many people have been so generous with their time and energy. When I sat down to write this update on what we’ve made progress on, I found myself reflecting on how all the learning and doing we’re doing is enabled by all these people. Where did you all come from and how did we get so lucky?? It feels like we don’t just have a village, but a whole city of people supporting us. I feel so grateful.

Also, shout out to my plumber who always comes on time.

And shout out Alice, always. My endlessly pressure-washing, de-greasing, spray-painting, regular painting, extremely DIY literate, and bandana-printing-coordinating queen.

With love and deep gratitude,

Katya