Thankfulness

Apparently, Thanksgiving is next week which just seems impossible to me.  This fall has slipped by in a blur of school, extracurricular activities and work.  So many things have been left undone and so much, yet nothing, has happened.  As this is the natural time of year to reflect on things for which we are thankful, I wanted to get back on the blog.  

As you might have guessed from my radio silence on the issue, we did not end up with the restaurant space in Chapel Hill.  After I last wrote, we waited yet another two full weeks before hearing a final decision from the building owner.  He ultimately chose another restaurant concept for the space - Indian.  Which I find a strange choice.  Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food.  Mmmm, samosas.  But, there are 4 other Indian restaurants already located on the SAME STREET.  But, it's his building and his choice and I wish them the best of luck.  

We thought we really wanted this restaurant space.  And, it would have been great.  There has not been, and likely never will be, another space requiring so little work and upfront cost.  But, the low upfront costs were balanced out by high occupancy costs so we would have paid for it one way or another.  We were so disappointed to lose the Chapel Hill space. 

And then a small coffee shop in our tiny town of Pittsboro closed.  We called a local architect to meet us and discuss possibilities for the space.  It turned out that the coffee shop was just too small but it paid off for us in an unexpected way.  Our architect urged us to come visit the building where he keeps his office.  

It's a renovated 1920's textile mill, sitting on a hill just on the north side of town.  There are soaring, exposed wood beam ceilings and hardwood floors.  Huge windows line the original brick walls.  Outside, there is a fantastic pollinator garden, planted and maintained by our local agriculture agent.  The lower parking lot of the building is the site of the weekly farmer's market.  

So, I find myself thankful for losing the Chapel Hill location.  We'd talked about the Mill before but thought the space we wanted was already leased to an art gallery.  The art installation, we've since found out, is temporary and the ideal space is available.  We've been working with our architect on sketches for the space and have arrived at a plan we love.  We're meeting with the building owner tomorrow to discuss more specifics about a potential lease.  I'm trying very hard not to get overly excited about the space since there are still a hundred different reasons this might not work out but it's difficult.  We'll know more after the meeting tomorrow and I promise to update the blog faithfully!