Store Exterior Refresh
By Kenna Eaton, GM
Finally, we are ready to take on the Herculean task of re-painting the outside of the store to match the addition. It’s been on the ‘to-do’ list for almost 5 years – but this year seems to be the year it will happen. Given the complex nature of the work, it’s going to take us a while to complete, in fact I told the painter it might be a 3-year job—possibly I was exaggerating, but then again maybe not! We decided to break the project down into several chunks, starting in the courtyard, on the south side of the building. Why there?
If you go out and look closely, you’ll notice some walls are cinderblock, and some are cedar shingles. Some shingles have been painted, others haven’t. Some have vines climbing up, others don’t. The courtyard is a small discreet area, somewhat protected and a good place for our team of workers to start. And a good place to find out how best to remove the vines and prepare the walls for painting. The vines have been climbing those walls for over 20 years, putting down little feet in their effort to climb higher. It’ll be a lot of work removing the feet, before painting but this way the crew will be well trained before moving on to the front of the building. Yes, the vines are loved by all—including me, but they haven’t been looking so good given the last few rough winters. Our hope is that, after painting, with a little love they will grow back up once again, covering our store with their beauty.
The walls will be painted the same dark grey as the addition. The shingles will either be kept as natural cedar, or if we can’t remove the wash, painted white, again like the addition. Currently, we aren’t ready to tackle the trellis that runs around the building at the top of the walls, but it is on the list—and thus adds to the potential for a very long project.
Two more smaller projects are in the works as well.
· We’re covering the south side exterior of the bulk room with a second wall to help mitigate the potential for leaking in that room. The top windows will still be exposed, and the sun will still shine in.
· The other project is removing the shed in the courtyard. We still need the shed, but we really don’t want it in the courtyard. Unfortunately, it is impossible to move the shed to our preferred location, back in the northeast corner, behind the veggie garden. The current preferred option includes selling the shed and then building a new one…we know that sounds crazy, but sometimes it’s the only way to go!
Thank you for your patience and understanding as things may get busier around the store.
