Phew!

Well, it's done...mostly. It took about 10 hours to move merchandise & displays over, and another couple of hours getting the new store to an acceptable level for business tomorrow. Those of you popping in in the next couple of days will likely find a bit of chaos, but we're working on it. After some scheduling snafus with RCN, we have most of our phones & internet working (it wouldn't be a phone company if they didn't make you wait, right?).

It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle now figuring out where everything's going to go in the store. Everybody's been asking if we're going to have more space. Not exactly...but it's just organized differently. We have several rooms: upstairs there's the guitar & mandolin salon, the harp & dulcimer room, and violins/exotic strings/Indian instruments/used winds & brass. On the main level we have the usual wall o'banjos by the front counter. Customers can walk around and get their strings, picks and other accessories. The book & cd room is off to one side, the accordions have their own room on the other side. A short hallway and then there's the large room, divided into less expensive guitars & amps, drums/percussion and kid's stuff. Finally, all of our storage/overstock/cases/packing & boxes mess will be confined to the basement--hopefully eliminating some of the characteristic clutter in the main merchandise areas.

On the positive side...once everything gets organized, the store is going to look really nice. Everyone who has been in the new building has been impressed with the look. It's going to be a nice vibe keeping with our folky tradition. The "pickin' porch" on the upper level should be finished in the next couple of days. You will be able to relax out there and look out over downtown Takoma Park as you strum on that Goodall guitar! There is definitely a buzz and excitement among the staff. Of course, it may take us a bit longer to find things, as we discover where we have actually put them!!

I had my hands too full today to snap pictures of the moving process, but here's a couple of the now very-empty rooms at the old store. I'm holding off taking pics of the new store until things look a little better.

Signing off, fairly exhausted but really proud of our staff and volunteers for a great job today!



Empty main room


Aftermath of the moving tornado



Goodbye guitar room!


ps...despite the hopes of many, we did not find Jimmy Hoffa. The search continues.