WE HAVE AN OFFICE!
WE HAVE AN OFFICE!
What a crazy past few weeks this has been. We went from finding out we were going to have a baby back in December to securing the perfect office and taking the leap to pay our security deposits and up front rent to then a global pandemic, unemployment, school closures, working from home full time and everything in between. When COVID-19 became a more serious thing in the US, it became abundantly clear that life as we knew it was not going to return to normal anytime soon. Ultimately, Jordan and I felt it best to let go of the investment we already made in the office to lesson our overhead liabilities in this season of such uncertainty.
Friends, if you are in the grind, reaching for the stars, know that the world is rooting for you. I am rooting for you. After almost a year of coming out of some really rough business circumstances, I had little faith in the goodness of humanity. taking on this office entirely on my own felt like such a huge risk. No safety nets. No partnerships. Just me and my husband and one giant risk. So, as you can imagine, letting it go was painful. I had to process and grieve the space I had longed for, for a couple days before I could officially give notice.
That email was heartbreaking. I sent it and called my mom to cry. But, it was done and I had let it go, knowing that it was the best decision for my family in this season. However, the subsequent email exchange and my landlord’s willingness to be so kind and gracious still overwhelms me as I share the story. He essentially said he is aware that it is a tough market and that it would be unlikely he could find another tenant anyway. He offered to hold our investment and wait until restrictions are lifted for us to occupy the space and begin rent. He also offered rent at roughly one third of what our original contract was for a year. ONE THIRD friends. I kept asking what the catch was and the answers were always so kind. Nothing. No strings. No expectations. Just a chance to weather the storms and see how it all shakes out. What a kind and generous offer from someone who has the opportunity to use what he has to support small businesses. Let me tell you, when we all come up for air, you better believe we will be having one heck of a party!
Okay, so now the fun part. I posted a photo showing some of the space. It really reflects about one third of the size of the space. I’ll drop the image here to refresh your memory.
I wanted to show the footprint of what the space actually is and also go over what we’d like to do in there. Now, to be honest, we will probably do this office in phases. The house is the priority at this time so everything we have from an investment standpoint is dedicated to that first and then we will pursue updates and things to this space. As of today, it is move in ready. Kitchen and bath are all already in there. We just need a few things to “open” but the dream plan is below.
So the space is roughly 1,000 SF and has a view of the Columbia Gorge. Free parking. ADA accessible with ADA compliant bathroom. Really it hit all the boxes for us. I see so many gatherings for the community here. I see so much creativity happening. I just cannot wait. I feel so, so grateful.
Back to dreaming. I posted a blog a while ago showing some of the vibes we wanted for the space. I wanted to show a few more inspo photos. Next up will be the moodboards with sources. But for now, just letting myself dream all the dreams for today and wanted to show you the space.
Okay so now that you can dream with me about all the things, share your thoughts below! Tell me what you think. Am I missing anything? What would you do in the space? I want to know all the things!
Lastly, the site is live, hope around the other pages and take a look at the refresh! <3