You are reading 3Bits & Change, Joseph's email about building a direct to consumer business on the internet. Today’s email was written to a bad station Alexa chose, again.
You’re invited.
Vivront Friends Open House.
November 4th 5-8PM.
3408 County Road 101, Wayzata, MN 55391
Good day!
Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Minnesota. Just a stunner. A rough 60 degrees splashed all over everything with sunshine casting crisp shadows on the ground from trees recently void of leaves. It was amazing.
I spent a good bit of yesterday on my hands and knees in the back of the shop swapping a toilet and sink. But… but now, it’s so much better in there. That old stool, which had some unsavory shadows of history, has been swapped with a very intentionally euro style replacement. I think the famous Goat Thieves will be impressed. We’ll see. In either case I’ll count this as one more task on a list of interesting tasks that come up after “So, you want to open a knife shop.”
We’re going to be ready on Friday.
A little over a week ago I realized that we had twice as much time to get this shop ready than I had been thinking. Good thing. It’s been just 14 days since we got the shell from the contractor and just 5 weeks since we signed the lease. That’s not a lot of time to plan.
With luck, we’ll get the last of the contracting done this week. And, we’ll tack on a number of elements to complete after open. The custom shelving on the right wall as you come in will be installed in Nov. The brand wall will be wallpapered in a few weeks. The rugs come next week. And the list goes on.
The balance of this week will go to rounding out signage for the different knife sets and preparing snacks and drinks for Friday evening. We’re looking forward to hosting those of you that can attend.
Bit #1
“What am I doing buying this?”
It’s 11:17am. I’m in the Galleria parking lot in Edina, MN. People are queuing for their salads at the new Sweetgreen and I’m walking into Crate and Barrel in thrice worn work pants with a mix between sweat and coffee scent wafting from my shirt. I think I brushed the door frame on the way in and a puff of knife shop smoke/dust erupted from my knee.
There I shopped for vases, leather baskets and a table runner with Asian style influences from a squarely Midwestern company. I could not help but mutter out loud to myself “What am I doing buying these” as I picked up some goofy looking vases. In that moment I could also hear the echo of a good friend’s advice for the shop’s design.
I waited no less than 11 minutes while the lady in front of me with a sweet Italian purse attempted and finally succeeded in paying for her cocktail set with crisp Benjamins. It’ll all be worth it when the shop feels like the photo above. This was just one Monday’s weird shopping experience closer to the goal.
Bit #2
Things are going to be sharp in the shop. All the things. Be careful. Some sharpeners hand out bandaids with each order - meh. We’re going to make a poster and/or a door decal out of the following.
“Aujourd'hui
Everything is Sharp!
Merci”
As I’ve shared this idea, folks have asked for it on t-shirts and other shwag. Yes, likely that too. Can you see it in some cool hand type with a bit of a weathered look? Est. 2021. :) I can.
I sharpened all the giveaway pencils yesterday. We’re on the way.
Bit #3
“Ah… there it is.”
I’ve had a roller coaster of emotions in the last 5 weeks. Often in the same 6o mins I can experience both a strong sense of confidence and a strong sense of doubt - a few times.
There have been moments where progress in the build has tipped me toward “Yeah, this is going to work.” Yet, the hardest day was the very first day. It was empty. There was only a vision in my head to look at. That was the hardest day because it felt like a big hole. I kept asking myself “just exactly, what am I doing.” Each time I step toward adding some distance to that question e.g. “what are you doing” and then to “what is he doing,” I find it easier to answer the question.
Anyway, back to the moments where I’ve felt like this is going to work:
When the row of base cabinets got installed.
When all the islands were built and pushed into place
When the front three overhead lights turned on for the first time
When the 15+ knife sets got laid out on the makeshift countertop for the first time
When the first shelf and picture frames went up
When the idea for the sculpture arose in a design conversation
I’ve seen shops like this around the world “work.” There is precedence. As this physical shop has come together and the excitement has grown what’s left is to be diligent, do good work and see what we can do to grow this thing to “it works” as fast as possible.
Here is to the journey.
Sum
All that’s left is the doing. Design direction is not only set it’s on it’s way to the shop in various boxes shipped from an array of vendors from all over the country. As it all arrives we’ll install and enjoy.
The last of the bigger pre-opening construction things were completed today. The last things to make are the knife inventory signs.
We’ll buy some snacks and bubbles on Friday morning. And, we’ll be ready.
Looking forward to it!
Change
Only a few weeks remain on the Congressional calendar for the House and Senate to prioritize and pass 2022 Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR).
New York’s Saratoga Springs School District will offer students free breakfast and lunch effective October 31, 2022, through the remainder of SY2022-23.
On Your Way
Enjoy the heck out of Fall. It’s only here for a short time and you’ll need to wait another year for it to come again. Where’s the upside? Ski season is next!
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Order kitchen knives sharpened or give the gift of sharp at Vivront.com.
Cheers to puffs of knife shop dust. Keep going💪💪💪