As I type this I am still in disbelief that we are the new owners of a commercial building in our small town just a short walk from our home. This 2600 sqft building was built over 100 years ago. It was home to a dog groomer, a gym, an auto parts store and I think maybe an appliance store at one point. Its been a few different things and neglected is one of them. It desperately needs a new roof, serious tuckpointing on the old brick and everything else you can think of. This is most certainly our biggest project yet, the most expensive and riskiest. But Brandon and I have a little craziness in us, we dream big and we like to see life through rose colored lenses.
Ever since I moved to Pataskala I would go on walks around our downtown and dream about how I would remodel buildings and the business that could go in them. I saw the potential and the demand for revitalization in our downtown. I desperately wanted to be apart of that. There was a small blue building that I had my eyes on, I wrote the owner 3 letters in hopes that he would want to sell since it has been sitting vacant and on the market before. He never responded. I wasn't going to give up hope - it felt like the perfect little spot for a home decor and design store. I could see it, I would design the entire outside and dream of the interior layout. I prayed for it. Until I could get a response out of the owner I knew I couldn't just sit around and wait... I decided to work on an online store. I wanted my interior design business to connect with my store, offer vintage, handmade pieces and small collections of decor. But let's back up and take a look into my journey of getting here.
And prior to 2019 I spent many years searching for my purpose, taking jobs and quitting them. I felt very confused in what I should be doing but knew there was always something greater in store for me. I decided to really dig deep into what made me happy, what I enjoyed doing and made that my goal to work toward. I started slowly documenting our own home renovations, put together a small blog and created inspiration boards and designing every chance I could get. It wasn't always easy, and it has been a pretty slow road to get here today. A lot of challenges, a lot of growth, but every step of the way was at the perfect pace with all of the right lessons.
Fast forward to today... Looking back on my dreams of the small blue building I wanted, it reminded me of how great God is. I thought I was dreaming big but God knew I could handle bigger! This commercial building is much bigger. It is old, full of brick and problems. It is going to take a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of hard work but it is also opening the doors to even bigger dreams. Beyond dreaming of owning my own home decor store I also wanted a space to hold workshops and creative gatherings for other women and men! Brandon has always dreamt of owning a restaurant or bar. This building is allowing us to do all 3! We are able to utilize this large space in multiple ways to be creative and offer more to our community.
A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Never stop making dreams, never stop going after what truly makes you happy and most importantly never stop trusting in the Lord. His timing, his will, will always be perfect.
We might be a little crazy taking on such a large project while raising our son with hopes to grow our family. We might be a little crazy putting all our eggs in one basket. We might be a little crazy starting these new businesses. But we know for certain we were led to this, this is what we are meant to do in this season of our life. This will be more than a home decor store and a cocktail lounge. This is going to be a place in our community for everyone to come and feel welcomed, feel inspired, connect and create memories. For everyone local, please be patient as we take on this project. We are doing this with great intention to create a truly special place, and that takes time.
As we embark on this long journey to restoration, rebuilding and creating a new space.. follow along on Instagram and Facebook. We will try to document every step of the way, the good the bad and the ugly. I will do my best to post blog post as often as I can with sources and anything else important!
We are excited, a little nervous but honored to be the ones who get to do this!
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