Just A Thought.

We are exceptionally busy at PJP Buttonwood this week, so much so that I'm already coming to terms with the likelihood that Friday night will turn into an all-night baking affair.  Jeanne and I were talking earlier today that just a year ago, the prospect of baking all night would send us both into a panic spiral and now, we are both completely unfazed by the idea.  Let's all have a moment of appreciation for emotional growth.  And for the new Starbucks that opens at 5 am.

That said, looking at the order board for the next few days is giving me my first serious pause as to whether or not we are testing the limits of what can be accomplished in the 1,050 square feet at PJP Buttonwood.  Lately it seems we are out of space for boxes, bags, baking supplies, food supplies, and people.  Simply ordering all the eggs and butter and heavy whipping cream we will need this week resulted in an odd dairy-based game of Tetris in our single commercial refrigerator.  And while we planned to rent the space next door for the two weeks preceding Thanksgiving to handle overflow, Silent Stan has convinced us that taking it for a month would work better for us.  And we all know right now that after a month passes, we totally are not going to want to give it back.  Well played, Silent Stan, well played.

Jeanne has coveted that vacant space since the day we opened our doors almost one and a half years ago.  And because I know her so very well, I can tell you that she has scenarios of removing concrete walls and other projects that would probably make the Boone County Planning and Zoning Commission laugh hysterically and then stomp on our design dreams.  And while that space used to be a Check Into Cash store, the marginal carpet squares, fluorescent lighting, and beige walls would be a thing of the past if we had a few weeks and $80,000 to make it our own.  (Well, who are we kidding, true to every HGTV show, we would go over budget by at least 20%.)

Rest assured that we will be giving the space back on December 1st.  The thought of writing a rent check for both spaces that is a bit more than double the cost of our current 1,050 square feet makes me want to barf.  And considering our utility bill was $645.45 this month, I'm completely not interested in heating/cooling/lighting/providing water to another 1400 square feet.  And let's not forget about the Triple Nets...I bet our share of sweeping costs on two spaces is a minimum $91,000 charge.

But just for today, when I'm a little overwhelmed, and thinking about all the things that need to happen in PJP Buttonwood between 8 am tomorrow and 1 pm on Saturday (and all the stuff and people we will need to make it happen), the thought is pretty awesome.

Even if I simply had a space for an office where I could sit and second guess all of my decisions in private.