Oooh, who doesn't love a makeover?
What's everyone's favorite part of Pretty Woman? The makeover.
What about Clueless? When Cher and Dion makeover Ty. (granted, they later learn that not everyone needs a makeover, but whatever.)
My Fair Lady? I hate the movie, but again, the makeover is the best part.
Princess Diaries? Yeah, the makeover montage.
Hmm, I'm sensing a trend. Are there any makeover movies where the guy gets some help? (edit: YES! Willard from Footloose gets a dancing makeover. AWESOME.)
Anyhoo, Muddy's had a little makeover. Or face-lift. Or, as a relative of a certain age referred to hers... a minor procedure. Y'all were so awesome and understanding when we had to close and operate out of the Underground for a couple of days and you've been super-patient with us as things slowly get put back in order, so I thought y'all might like to know what exactly we did!
Numero Uno: this is the big one... we got a new HVAC unit out back and some work on it inside too. This required a CRANE and was easily the most pricey item on the list, but also the most necessary. It's a big dog.
Dos: moved the coffee sideboard and dish deposit to the back and the dry goods merchandise to the front and moved around some seating. Why? One of the consistent pieces of feedback we were getting was "I want to go get a greeting card, tee shirt, pack of candles, etc but I don't want to leave my place in line to walk back to the black hole!" So we made it so the line is next to the goods and you can peruse at your leisure without worrying someone will snag your place. This has the added bonus of being able to curve the line around this area, making it easier and more comfortable to fit more people INSIDE (where it's nice and air conditioned, see above) while they wait. Yay!
Tress: Angled jut-outs. These are mostly for architectural interest, but also provide us with a little more wall space and more intimate seating environment!
Cuatro: Shelf units beside the cashier and the case. These give us some extra space for register paper and business cards as well as our cake stands and domes when not in use. A little storage that goes a long way. It also gave us a more visible place to put our drink menu!
Cinco: New floors! We got a vinyl floor that has a pretty wood pattern for the customer area (I LOVE it!) that's easy to clean and is more sound-absorbent. We also got rubber flooring in the kitchen, which is way nicer to our feet and knees as we work on our feet all day.
Seis: Re-configured some shelving by the ovens to put in a cooling rack for items fresh out of the oven. This is taking some getting used to, but we love it because it frees up precious counter space to work on.
Siete: Some electrical work like installing plugs in the ceiling (cool lights coming soon) and a few more near our appliances. Exhilerating, I know!
Ocho: Painting. We redid the bathroom color and expanded the "thank you" wall space for y'all to give shout-outs to your favorite people and things. We also spruced up the dish washing room, just 'cause. We also painted over the chalkboard over the bench. Now this is something I was sad to do and I figured I'd hear some disappointment about it, so it's only fair to share my reasons... which I will do in another post.
Nueve: Re-built the bench. This is the THIRD makeover on this dang bench and I'm done. Basically, the box style was bad because when small people sat on the bench, their legs would swing and little feet would bang on the bench... and the sound would carry into the space next to ours! Our poor neighbors! So now the bench is re-built with legs instead of a solid panel. And there was much rejoicing.
Diez: We redid some of the shelving in the pantry to be more efficient for storage. Sexy!
So! That's the basic run-down of what all we were doing while we were closed, and I really hope y'all like it! Lots o' work, but the air feels nice and cool (just in time!) and the line is (hopefully) more pleasant, and the seating is awesome... YAY!