More Bamboo

March 4 - Ordered bamboo fencing for the knee wall (aka service counter)

thanks biker boy

Come back soon

February 28 - Service counter is framed, beautiful floor covered for protection, Rockstar Carpenter on loan to Scranton job - bummer

February 27 - Undercounter refrigerators ordered

Against the clock

February 27 - We are racing against the cl0ck here to avoid an extra days charge on the rental of the stapler. It's due back at 4pm, at 3:05 we (meaning Mike) still had about 8 more pieces left with fast math, some precision cutting and careful speed we made it happen. Rock-on, star

Supa-dupa-floor-installer

February 26 - DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO INSTALL HARD WOOD FLOORS???? (if you already know act surprised, B. Papini) Do you know how much math is involved??? Between all the numbers and the stapling my back and my brain both ached!!! When you come visit be sure to notice the water marks staining the wood -those aren't from the smoothies - they're from my blood and sweat! Ok I'm exaggerating on the blood part it was only a tiny finger cut - but the sweat part is very real!!! This is the defining moment of Mike's rockstar status. Not only did he take an amateur ...a novice and turn her into a supa dupa hard wood floor installer the floor is truly a thing of beauty. I encourage you all to behold our RAMP!  What do you say when thank you isn't enough? (I know throw money at him ....lata, lata) Thank you Mike

It ain't Pergo

February 25 - DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HARD WOOD FLOORS COST TO INSTALL??? Do you know I had the insane idea to try to do myself??? I thought how hard could it be? I've seen them install pergo on TV at least a dozen times - it's not like it's spine surgery, right Al? What's that sound? Oh, that - that's the sound of self respecting millworkers laughing so hard they hit the floor! To think....that I thought I could do this myself all to save a few hundred bucks. Rockstar carpenter took pity on me an my shoestring budget and together we worked out a deal that was mutually .....beneficial. People!!! Please!!! ....not those kinds of benefits.

How about that?

February 23 - Received food license - approved to operate a public eating and drinking place, fan-tastic!

Qum Quat

February 22 -  I don't know about you but paint samples drive me crazy. They all seem to look the same after awhile. I really wanted to use organic paint but Quench colors just weren't available - and good thing too because organic paint is double the cost of regular paint and triple the cost if you go the walmart route! With some help from Jen - the go-to for all things paint and Delores (color psychology expurt) I decided to go with Qum Quat from home depot and a great organic color in slender reed for the "sitting area". It was pretty scary buying this orange paint, I remember thinking "I hope this looks the way it does in my head when it's on the wall" The lady at home depot I think her name was Beth was really nice and said that this color is supposed to make you feel thirsty. Yippee! I love the wall! Hope everyone in Stroudsburg is parched! Thanks JC, DH

Reinforcements

February 21 - Audie showed up and served as priming apprentice and did his best to spackle  - with a little help from my mom via phone - a spackle genius as she's known in the family circle.

He was a huge help, I've learned that I hate painting oh right, we're just priming the walls for paint .....well in dire need of some guinness anyway - anything to stop painting. Off we went to Siam Sa (gaelic word for fun n music) irish pub a block from the store looking like we we just got done painitng. Thanks AP

Paint Primer or Friday Night Martinis???

February 20 - Which would I rather inhale? Hmmm tough one. While drinking alone can be kinda pathetic (no offense to the loners) painting alone on a friday night can be therapeutic..............well, kinda...........ok, not really but that's what I had to tell myself so I wouldn't miss the martinis.

What's strong, regenerative and gorgeous?

February 17 - Placed an order for bamboo wood flooring - it was surprisingly reasonably priced. I've learned so much about bamboo I should open a store - oh no wait 1 store at a time please. Did you know bamboo can be continually re-harvested every 3 yrs and that some can grow over 4ft in 24 hours?? Flooring company has a retail outlet 40 mins away. To save a little mula my mom and I drove to Allentown and loaded up the 10 boxes of gorgeous bamboo flooring in her mini van - yay Mommy! We then had a lovely lunch at Cucina Italiana - (highly recommended btw)  afterall watching someone load your van can be tiresome. Thanks Uncle N. Aunt C

My Brilliant Sister

February 9 - We've moved (we meaning Mike) the lovely double french doors from existing door frame and built a brand new wall for them. Why do you ask we felt the need and expense to move a perfectly good door? My brilliant sister. She had the bright idea to place the door at a slant taking up some extra lobby space (shhh don't tell BW) that would give Quench and its customers more room to enjoy the yummy smoothies! She was soooo right! Thanks to her we now have a "sitting area" give us some time and we'll actually have things for you to sit on .....hint, hint, 3 small high top tables needed roughly 18-20 inches in diameter and stools - garage sale anyone?

Thanks sis

The sink is here, the sink is here!

February 4 - I've ordered the cutest little 3ft - 3 compartment sink ever seen! I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to find one this small. This was my very first purchase and it's cute as a button. I initially had severe feelings of resentment toward said sink - why o why was I being forced to spend so much on something that required so much space!!!! argh! Oh that's right it's only a state law, wherever there's food there's a 3 compartment sink - got it.

This is going to be fun

February 5 - that's what Carpenter and Rockstar of Millwork said to me when he saw the floor. Mike, M&D Carpentry is equally as professional and talented - but I'd rather listen to a jack hammer than his rendition of Kanye's love lock down! I desperately wanted to get rid of a platform that covered most of the floor. But I was warned that I may not be able to since platform could turn out to be the actual floor....and so it was. Mike tried to remove it but found that it supported the glass walls of the store.  On to plan B. We decided to raise the whole floor to platform height - more time, more money but we had to move around this road block. Rockstar that he is he built the best ADA compliant ramp ever, we are both quite proud. You may not need a ramp but for all your building needs may I strongly suggest (aka you betta use) : www.MandDCarpentry.com

Don't ask me I'm just the plumber

February 3 - Fortune smiled on me when Vince, Electrician & Plumber extraordinaire (Amethyst Plumbing, Heating & Electric -  vinpick@pnpa.net) strolls in. He's professional, he sings, he's experienced, he sings, tells delightful stories and came sans crack. Did I mention he sings too?Vince heads straight for the basement with me in tow! I did not sign up for this.  I have been where no self respecting girl should ever go.....If I ever have to go back into that dark, smelly, skeevy, maze like basement again it will be too soon!  eeew

Green Light

February 2 - Building and Zoning Permits approved! Let's Build a Juice Bar!

It's a tight Squeeze

December - must have a floor plan before I can submit applications to the zoning officer

I need to fit a refrigerator, freezer, a stupid 3 compartment sink, a hand wash sink - (don't ask me why they need 2) panini maker, soup warmer and blenders - Where's a good Genie when you need one. Can't find a Genie, well you can hire restaurant consultants. They will layout your space tell you where to put things so it's efficient and ergonomically correct, they will source equipment, they do all the measuring and math and worry about building codes for you. Wow! Sounds dreamy doesn't it? Did I mention I need to pay them? It was a nice dream.

As luck would have it, my dear friend at R&D Contracting who has done numerous layouts and iron work for big buildings all over manhattan, agrees to help for FREE. It's a tight squeeze but it all fits - we hope. Thanks MR

Off to see the Wizard

As many road maps as there are out there you still have to chart your own course. You've got an idea, you've got a name heck you've got a mission and a dream. What's next? Who green-lights my dream? Who approves my idea? The health and zoning officer that's who. In this town, it's a very nice man who shall remain nameless so there's less incentive for him to red-light project. My mentor and I decide to pay him a visit so we can correctly and efficiently chart my course to opening day! Thank you JW

What's in a Name?

Can I just say what torment it was to name this smoothie joint. My mom and I sat down with note pads writing anything that came to mind - what a bad idea that was. On second thought,  sending the list out to friends for feedback was an extremely bad idea. People like Porto just had too good a laugh! Maybe one day I'll post what the name contenders were....or maybe not.  After much angst and many name searches with the state - still no luck. This inevitably caused writers block on my business plan. Everyone knows you don't need a name to write a B plan - but not my brain it clearly needed a name. A name was important. I thought that my road trip to Seattle with Carrie would surely help - but it didn't. It wasn't until Joanna came to see the future space of "juice bar" that she mentioned her sister Marla suggested .....QUENCH.  Joanna, Bridgy and I kinda tilted our heads slightly, silently mulling the name over and then repeating it aloud one by one and well what's not to like.  Yay Marla!

The seed was planted

So, in October after the famous layoffs I left the city that never sleeps and moved back to the family home in Pa. I originally had plans to buy a health food store in Pleasant Valley NY. For many reasons that didn't work out.  One day my friend and mentor Bridgy and I, were having a lunch brainstorm session at a mexican spot on Main Street one building over from her store, about what we can legally do to obtain some income.  Bridgy had 130sq ft of space she needed to rent out and we were trying to figure out what would work in such a small space.  In keeping with my passion for more nutritive food, I thought what's fresher than juice and smoothies made with all natural ingredients. The juice bar became a seed! Incidentally that's what I tried to call it at first. To no-one's surprise the name was already in use. Thanks BW