So, this looks like it will be the spot!

As we planned this next step, God was involved. We prayed so much that we were doing the right thing. It was October 2023, Doug and I were making our rounds to find a location for Hydrology. Doug was working and would be off around 1pm. The night prior I mapped out the locations we would go to and see if we liked the area. We had criteria we wanted met. Did it sit nice in the plaza where people can see it. Were there a great mix of homes and apartments in a 3-5 mile radius. Were there fitness places near by like gyms, martial art, yoga, etc. I was ready to check these places out so I got myself together and headed out towards where Doug lived. I had time to kill so I hit a spot on the Southwest corner of Ellsworth and Baseline. I didn't really like where it was at in the plaza. The area I liked though. We were wanting to hopefully find a spot on the corner of a plaza so we can utilize the side of the building to have people pull up and we can assist them out there. I left that plaza and started towards Doug, but figured I would pull into the Southeast corner of Ellsworth and Baseline. Just in case there might be something. Well, I'll be! I saw something in the corner and jumped out of the truck to peak my head in. It was pretty nasty in there but it would be worth bringing Doug to see it.

I took Doug back over to check out the space. It was pretty sizable for what we wanted to do. The nice thing was the suite was on the end. The cherry on top is that it had a drive thru!! We loved it. I called to get information and to see if it was available. We felt it was a long shot to get into it. We still had to secure funding which could be a couple of months. In February I contacted the broker, who was fantastic to work with. The space was still available! There was a couple looking at the space and wasn't sure if they wanted to get it. We put in a letter of intent and waited for the landlord to contact us for an interview. 

The day came for the interview with the landlord. Through all the questioning they decided to let us have the space. We signed the lease with all the excitement and disbelief. Is this really happening?

There was a lot to do and one of the first things was to find out how we can get the right people to do this. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I have never done this before but I would stay confident each step of the way. God has gotten us this far so He'll put us in contact with the people to do this project. We ended up finding a contractor that said they could get everything from all the permits, drawings, inspections, each trade, etc. All the way up to getting the certificate of occupancy. I couldn't believe it! They can do everything? I'm in! So I gave them a rough sketch of what I wanted to layout to be. They put it in to plans to submit to the city and off we went. The one thing the owner kept saying was "You'll love us in the beginning, hate us in the middle and love us in the end when we turn it over to you". I didn't know what that meant until we got going.

WELL THAT'S CONSTRUCTION

There was a delay with the permit to start building. We paid for an expedited permit but it turned out to be the normal time. We had the contractor start anyways. They told me that we need the permit for the inspections. So they started cutting concrete and doing the underground plumbing. Shortly after that was done the permits were finally approved. Fire lines were checked and replaced in certain spots. The old swamp coolers were taken out and new AC units were put in. Framing went up pretty fast. If you've dealt with contractors and the trades it takes some coordination. It seems like wrangling cats at points. What I learned with this company is that he had his employees and then sub contractors. His employees were paid on job completion so they wanted to do it quickly. The sub contractors were paid hourly by their companies. By contrast the hourly workers didn't seem to care as much about getting the job done. This started from the top. These workers were sent from job to job throughout the day and week. It caused timelines to change and hindered other trades from doing their job. 

While our project was going on the General Contractor's company was working on acquiring other trade companies to grow his company. I can only imagine the undertaking that would be. It seemed as if the GC was losing track of the subs and couldn't stay on top of them. I was at the shop probably 95% of the time, it was me giving updates to the GC instead of the other way around. The trades kept rescheduling  or not showing up. Most of the time not sending enough workers to get the job done. All I kept hearing was "well that's construction". As if that was the cure all to decrease the anxiety of knowing you just keep getting further and further away from opening. Watching your working capital dwindle away. But the contractors were getting paid, so..

GOD IS IN CONTROL

During all this, Kristin and I did our best to stay positive and knew things were happening all in God's timing. We certainly have been humbled with learning patience. This all began with a prayer and it has continued with seeking God's will through all of this. We are only human, so we tend to have emotions that range from being scared, anxious, let down, to excited, hopeful, and energized. It's the roller coaster!

Through all of this process of the build out, it did turn out pretty good. If you asked me if I would do it different, I certainly would. We have learned so much during this process. We will always want to deliver a product that our customers deserve and love. Our brand will not sway from that. This is a big beautiful store that God has allowed us to have. We are doing our very best to keep it going and the community properly hydrated. The goal is to build multiple locations around the Valley. We have so much more to this dream that we want to offer. But we will take it a day at a time and look as far as we need to. Our team will focus on how we can grow this store, so we can deliver on store number 2. Something that our customers will be proud of how we grew to meet their needs.

Well, there's a little taste of what the build out was like. I know there was some bitter emotions in there but I have a feeling most business owners experience that when they have put their whole life to build something they believe so much in.

Thank you for being on this journey with us so far. I don't know yet what the next blog will be titled. I want to sprinkle in a couple educational posts in here as well. I'd also like to do posts that introduce our team as we build it up. For now, keep an eye out.