July Time!
I've had the instinct to go lay in the sun by the pool with zero sunscreen more times than I can count in the last two weeks. I've been ordering things, online, instead.
This is 3Bits & Change, an email about building a service and retail business. This one was written to some groves from Apple Music.
It’s been glorious weather in Minneapolis for the last few weeks. Just fantastic - 60s in the morning and 80s in the afternoons. I’ve been staying up late watching Wimbledon and Le Tour de France on streaming. Sometimes I’ve watched with a teenager but always with the dog. And a few times I’ve forgotten to set the next day’s alarm. Ope.
I’ve logged a few sunrises on the lake and sunsets by the pool. Oh how glorious Summer is in MN! Something like 7 weeks remain.
On the shop front, we’ve had a good set of weeks. I’ve been focused and building and learning and here are some updates:
5 times more time //no.1
Mondays have become ordering days. I’m learning the retail part of this business is entirely about inventory selection and availability (after a solid location and ample foot traffic - more to do there). I’ve started a new process of reviewing sales and setting up orders ASAP as the minimums are hit per vendor. It’s going well.
At least 5 times more computer work is required in this business than I had anticipated. I’ve set up +5 new vendors in the last two weeks and have been reminded that paperwork begets paperwork. Even if you want to call it computer work, in this business, it’s still printed, signed, scanned and returned to meet each vendor’s requests.
Knife shops //no.2
I’ve shopped a slew of knife shops in a handful of cities on three continents in the last 18 months. I did not plan to go to one that has since changed the way I think of knife shops.
We had a few extra hours to burn on an afternoon in Paris a few months ago. We stopped at two shops back-to-back that I had been following for over a year. I had expectations. They were dashed. So, we crossed the street and went to le marché couvert Beauvau.
Inside we found a coffee shop run by an English guy who was super energetic. As expected. He clearly loved languages, people, chocolate and coffee. The shop was called Early Bird and I’d love to go back anytime of day.
I didn’t grab is name. I did grab photos. He shared how he came to Paris. I shared that I was on a hunt for knife shops. His face lit up. It turns out one of his regulars works at a knife shop.
I asked him if it was the one across the street and he said “no,” with a face that seemed to imply not to go there.
He went on to share about the store his regular worked at and to describe the quick set of metro stops and lines would take to get there - and energetically nudged me to go.
This is what we found. It has changed how I view what a knife shop can be and a big source of inspiration for the next one. What do you think?
About that foot traffic //no.3
Nothing is ever urgent in commercial real estate. Fight me.
I went back and checked the dates on select photos in the roll.
It’s been since March that I heard we might get a space at 50th and France this Fall. It’s been since May 5th that I was in said space taking pictures and my dreaming has not stopped. It’s been 2+ years since I started identifying and contacting landlords by various means in the area. It’s been 24 hours longer now than when the landlord said he’d get back to me with the next step in the lease negotiation.
With or without the new location, at least we’ll be ready for Fall with all the new inventory on the way.
Sum
I was just reflecting that I’ve been to CT for the 4th, a Taylor Swift show and an NF show, celebrated a teen birthday (four times) and have read a few forceful books since I last wrote. There is some catching up to do.
Rest assured:
Ordering takes a ton of time
You should go get coffee in le marche because you never know where it will lead
Nothing is ever urgent in commercial real estate.
Change
Michigan has become the 7th state to provide school meals to all students, link.
On Your Way
Go! Sit on a dock and hang out with ALL your friends! It’s summer time afterall!
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