YES.

We now have approved plans. Approved, son. What?

Now we just have to start the actual work.

Also

We need a general contractor to sign off on our building permits so we can post them and be all legalish. Anyone know a licensed someone who can sign a piece of paper?

Does anyone know

a good accountant or someone who can help us set up our books? We just got QuickBooks but want to be sure we set things up right, especially tax-wise. Thank you, kind souls.

Ready to Start Work

Almost everything has been moved out of the space, and we're ready to start some actual work. Below are some new photos so you can see the place without all of the clutter.

Whenever I say things are going well...

Something comes up that isn't well, well. It seems that our plans have been "disapproved". This just means the architect has to redraw a few minor things, but we won't get approval until later this week. In other news, we showed our prospective carpenter the space on Saturday--it seems like he'll be able to work on it, building our bar and some of our furniture. Brick and wood panelling look like the order of the day for our walls.

We're also investigating HVAC options, since that seems to be a major cost in our projected estimate. Ideas?

Actual architectural plans!

We finally got our grubby hands on real, fancy-looking architectural plans, that have been registered with the NYC Department of Buildings ("RENOVATE EXISTING STORE FOR EATING & DRINKING PLACE"). We should have the permits in a day or two.

Oh, and

I know, I know, "slowly." Anyway, Christian Acker, our designer, just sent me some mind-numbingly awesome pictures of our bar sign in development. They're below. Holy crap. Thoughts?

Things happening slow again--for now.

Well, the space is clear and ready to renovate (Kevin: "So bored! When you ready to start?"), but we're waiting for contractors and architects to meet and permiticize and start the actual renovation work. In the meantime, we've purchased a projector for showing athletic events (and maybe movies?) at the bar and are "testing" it in our apartment. The picture is lovely and large, and should be great for you West Coast sports fans. The robot is moving along very well--he now has his spout on his head, rather than his belly, for logistic reasons. Any objections?

While waiting, we've continued our menu-building, as well as our quest for exciting merchandise to sell at the bar. These are a few areas where you, the wind beneath our wings, can help. To wit:

--Do you know of any dried/cured West Coast meats that we could carry at the bar? We're thinking dry salames and the like, but aren't sure about specific brands.
--Nice West Coast cheeses?
--Nice West Coast breads that we can get in New York without turning them stale? Sourdoughs?
--West Coast chips? Salsas?
--As for merchandise, do you know of any good companies who make pretty pint glasses, coasters, matches, or business cards?

Your help is much appreciated. Onward!

Things happening fast

I went by the space today--as those of you who have been by there recently can probably attest, it's a LOT emptier. Kevin has gotten rid of almost all of his stuff, except the few oddities he's saving for us. I grabbed some classical music records today as part of our final haul.

By next Monday the space should basically be clear. Tomorrow we're walking through with our contractor. I imagine by the time he's ready to start we will be too. So it looks like we're (knock on wood) on schedule so far.

Other news:

--Hey, the front gate now opens all the way! One less project!
--We have keys, finally, so we can go by the place any time. Hurrah, flexibility.

Community Board meeting

We went to the "community" board "meeting" last night and were pleasantly surprised. We had been prepared for a big official affair, but it was hardly that. It consisted of Jon and I standing next to a locked door in the Brooklyn Hospital for forty-five minutes, until two old ladies came up, found the door locked as well, and got someone to unlock it. These two nice ladies were the community board committee. (Apparently, due to sickness/other engagements, only two of the four committee members were there.) We told them about our bar, they asked a few questions (whether we would have outdoor seating, soundproofing, whether we would serve Hennessy). We gave them all our documentation (thanks to all the people who wrote letters!), they said our bar sounded nice, and that was it. I think we'll have their support, which is a big step towards getting our liquor license.