Shop Progress

How’s the shop going, you ask? The short answer is, “great!” And it truly is. The longer answer is that we are working incredibly hard on the historic storefront building and are so pleased with how it looks. Like most projects, it is taking longer than I had hoped, but the results are totally worth it! It’s going to be gorgeous when we are finished with it! I realize I’m totally bragging, and I’m okay with that. Because my favorite parts are the details that we are uncovering and highlighting that are original to the 1877 building. It’s like every historical renovator’s dream come true! We are so lucky!

Whimsy & Blue Boutique

I love the new paint! The blue is Benjamin Moore Province Blue, and the white is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.

So far, we’ve removed the old hardware store displays which really opened up the space and made the shop look huge! Then we primed and painted the inside and hired one of my favorite contractors to paint the exterior. It’s so perfectly whimsy and blue now! I love seeing people slow down to look at it as they drive by or walk past. It gives me a thrill every single time! The final part of our project is the flooring. We discovered amazing original hardwood floors, and we are in the process of removing the multiple layers of flooring to get to the hardwoods. It’s a ton of work, and we are crawling around on our hands and knees removing literally thousands of nails, but we know it’s going to look stunning when we are done!

We’ve removed SO MANY NAILS!!!

There was a phase where the work was so overwhelming with no end in sight, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. But just in the last few days we’ve made some serious progress on the floors (thanks to our friends and family who have helped- you guys rock!). Now there is a light at the end of the construction tunnel! It’s a very tiny light that is far, far away, but it’s there. This is the part of the project where my stubbornness and competitive streak come in handy. When I’m exhausted and sore and really just want to spend an evening sitting on the couch watching This Is Us, I remind myself that if opening up a store was easy everyone would do it. And that the only way out of this phase is to put my head down and keep moving forward. Then I pick up the hammer or paint brush or inventory spreadsheet and I keep working. There is a drive in me, a determination that keeps me moving forward, and when all else fails, there is always coffee! Truly, I like working hard and seeing our effort result in an amazing transformation. And I instinctively know that, just like our house, this shop was meant to be ours. I love it so much! And it’s turning out even better than I imagined when we started this journey!

I’m a little confused as to why HGTV hasn’t contacted me yet. I lead a glamorous life, and this fashion look is going to be all the rage next season. I think my head lamp really brings out the sparkle in my eyes, don’t you agree?

Because the work projects are so labor intensive, it looks like our opening date will most likely be pushed back into November. I don’t know the exact weekend yet, but I’ll be sure to share that info as soon as we know! Oh friends, I’m so excited to share this adventure with you! I love that our little shop is going to be a place to gather, share, and celebrate. I love this community. You guys make me brave! It’s amazing how someone always seems to say something encouraging right when I need to hear it the most. I couldn’t do this without you, and I’m so grateful for your excitement and support!

I’ll post the social media handles for Whimsy & Blue Boutique once those are up and running! For now, be sure to follow Whimsical Blue Living on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to get the latest updates on all our projects and adventures! And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to receive an email on Sunday mornings with the posts from the week. That way you never miss a post!

Have a beautiful day!
Sandy

Sharing is caring...