cabinets & pretty things
To pick up where we left off on May 14th: The cabinets were supposed to have been installed the week of May 14th and final inspection completed. Just like issues in the past we did not receive our certificate of occupancy until May 31st. Cabinets were not installed the week of May 14th as promised, they were installed the week of May 25th. Once we received our Certificate of Occupancy from the Fire Marshall, we then had to hire another GC (General Contractor) to go in and fix the poor construction performed by our initial GC.
The new GC was a breath of fresh air after repetitive lies from our original GC. As I've stated before, you can imagine the frustration of having your entire staff hired, all inventory sitting in your home and being told by a General Contractor that you will be able to open for business by March 28th. Here we are on June 16th opening for our official first week "soft opening" on Monday June 17th.
From June 1st to June 8th the new GC fixed majority of the initial GC's sloppy and unprofessional work and also tiled our wall/back-splash at the shampoo bowls. After witnessing firsthand how fast construction CAN be performed, there was NO excuse for the initial GC to take 4 months to up-fit the space.
From June 8th to June 14th, with the help of family and friends, the entire salon was cleaned, put together, stocked, pictures hung, cash wrap set up, State Board inspection completed and employees trained. These two weeks were absolutely exhausting!
We passed our State Board inspection on Wednesday, June 12th which was a huge relief. But, there was no stopping after the inspector left the building. Inventory still needed to be put in the POS system, credit card machine hooked up, state certifications hung, employee files turned in for payroll, schedules made, phone lines hooked up, internet turned on, and SO much more!
I sit here typing this on June 16th and the past 6 months have seemed like a blur. Waking up daily with the stress of missed deadlines, wondering what next lie the GC was going to say, knowing my employees are waiting to start work and personally ready to start taking clients again was mentally, physically and emotionally draining. Getting rid of the initial GC, watching our beautiful signs being installed, finalizing the local art piece hanging by our front door, and passing State Board inspection have been huge accomplishments thus far.
On Saturday June 15th, we had friends and family in for Blow Out! Signature styles. I am beyond thankful for everyone that made an appointment and for the team that we have in place. We are still hiring full time Cosmetologists since we lost several of our employees who needed to work and could not wait on the contractor to finish the job that he breached per his contractual completion date.
On Monday June 17th, we will be taking appointments for Blow Outs! & Spray Tans daily from 10:00 - 7:00 Monday through Saturday. Please bare with us as we work out the kinks of opening a brand new business and hiring a full staff. Thank you again to everyone who has supported this vision. Your kindness and prayers are greatly appreciated.
xoxo-
Caroline