We Got Lucky In Kentucky!

We figured the headline would keep you reading. It’s not what you think…

We have been busy girls since our last update.

We found beautiful vintage furniture on ebay (that we couldn’t live without!) and contacted our new friend, Gallery shop owner John Taylor in Russelville, KY. Once we picked our pieces and made a deal, we promptly headed down south. On our journey we learned a few things. Leaving Chicago via the Dan Ryan at 7:00 on a Friday evening is not really a good idea. You might as well stop for dinner first. The Waffle House (in the middle of nowhere) is, as it always has been, a place to see and be seen (or stared at). Sometimes when there is a stand-still traffic jam (at 3 am somewhere south of Louisville for 30 minutes or more) truck drivers fall asleep, in turn causing another traffic jam that causes other truck drivers of 18 wheelers to honk a lot. The Fairfield Inn (in Elizabthtown) has an amazing free continental breakfast. 26-foot U-hauls make WIDE RIGHT TURNS. Furniture can look light as a feather in a photo, but you try to haul it into said U-haul. It’s not so easy. One of these two here partners has a fantasy to be a truck driver, out on the open road, singin’ at the top of her lungs, but really only makes it 4 blocks before hitting two curbs, freaking out, and letting Trucker Babe take the wheel (and driving the remaining 8 hour trip to Chicago). We’re not naming any names. Unloading a 26-foot U-haul sucks just as much as loading it. But oh my, isn’t that furniture just perfect?!

Worth every mile.

JT & Babe, thanks for making the trip with us! You are rewarded with free coffee, pastry, and our undying love, for life.

After unloading and sleeping for a couple of hours, we decided to make use of the 26-foot truck in our possession and go to the Sandwich Antiques Market in Sandwich, Illinois. We found and bought so many pieces for so little money that we could hardly believe our luck! Although, we were delirious from driving to Kentucky and back, so who knows what we bought or for how much money, but what turned up in the shop looks great. We think we’re ok.

Since then, we have been to Home Depot for an average of 6 times in a span of 5 days, which could be worse but could be so, so much better. We are now suddenly carpenters, painters, plumbers, cleaners, tile layers, wall builders, and electricians.

And we are loving every minute of it.

xo,
g&b

Miles and Miles of Oak

(above) That's us, still smiling at the end of a long day.

(left) Our current kitchen. Needs a little work, no?

(below) Lots and lots of staining.

Yesterday was quite a productive day in Lovely land. Faced with 600 lineal feet of various wood wall base components and new doors to stain and varnish, we did what any other ambitious business-starters would do.

We went to lunch.

Once we had sufficient fuel in our bellys, we hit the road, ran our errands, and eventually made it back to Lovely to get to work.

We love being there, in the space, watching our vision materialize right before our eyes. Even more, we love getting our hands dirty and making it happen ourselves. It helps to have an ever-present crew of friends right in there with us.

This is a big week for Lovely. Here are a couple of "before" pics. The "afters" are soon to follow!

xoxo,

g&b

Who Knew?

The load capacity of a Volvo does not support hauling 500 sf of ceramic tile. Apparently anything over half of that will cause sparks to fly from beneath the bumper.

Growing, harvesting, roasting, cupping, and serving coffee is an art. There are people who are so passionate about it that they travel for 265 days out of the year to work with, educate, and buy from farmers all over the world. We can't wait to serve the fruits of their labor.

Good plumbers are hard to come by. When you do find one, they ask you for LOTS of money. Wish us luck.

Painting a 2500 square foot space with 14' ceilings will run you the cost of supplies plus free coffee for life for all those who volunteer to help. We're glad to pay up.

Friends come out of the woodwork to help you make a dream come true.

Thank you for checking in on us. We will have so much more to report soon!

xoxo,
g & b

Awesome bows.

Option A for our uniforms. Tryin' to keep it real, ya know?

Monday morning, back to "work"

I think that Brooke & I are both still tingling from Saturday night. It felt like our very own debutante ball, being two girls from the South. We are eternally grateful that the bride & groom allowed us to contribute to their day and introduce their family and friends to Lovely at the same time. It was, of course, all about them and we were ecstatic to be there.

Now we're back to "work", which I define as the stuff that's not so fun to do. Budgets, number crunching, planning, planning, planning. Brooke is forever calming me down in that department, as I am the high-strung worrier and she is my laid-back counterpart. We just can't wait to get in the kitchen, open the doors to Lovely, and feed you all as much as you will allow us to! None of that will happen, alas, until finish our homework. We are so close. Almost there. Eating, breathing, & sleeping Lovely. We are at our "office", which is defined as any coffee shop with good lattes and free wi-fi. Brooke is going to "kill me" if I don't stop using quotes, either of the typed or air variety.

Tomorrow we will have keys to the space in hand, which will be a milestone of both of our dreams. (Commence butterflies in my stomach.)

Keep checking in with us. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

-gina

Last night was awesome.

We catered our first wedding cupcake table last night and are so pleased with the results! It's crazy that yesterday morning began with full boxes of naked little cakes in paper cups... and in a few hours they were transformed into small works of art. They really looked beautiful and we had so much fun working on the project. We were invited to stay for the reception, where we enjoyed amazing food, cocktails and company and danced the night away. So many wonderful people, so much fun!
Today, I'm still reeling from the thrill... and my feet hurt from all the dancing. But last night I caught a glimpse of whats to come for us and our little bake shop, and I'm so excited I could cry.

-brooke

Coming Soon!

We're working hard to bring Lovely Bake Shop to life and can hardly wait to share it with you!

Check back often to see what we're up to!

Hooray!
Brooke and Gina