225 Laura Street: A Downtown Core Renovation Project

[ronchamblin]

Thanks NW Westsider, Kreger, and TPC for the input.  It's all good for digesting.

And for that.... some more Norris items:

"If Chuck Norris looks at you and even thinks about Jesus, you are immediately converted to Christianity."

"Bill Gates lives in constant fear that Chuck Norris's PC will crash."

"Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer.  Too bad he has never cried."

[sandyshoes]

Peejayass #34:  Wow...really?  Were you waiting around just to pounce on someone?  Glad I could provide that opportunity for you to show your ass.  One day when you are elderly and infirm, may you find out how difficult it would be to do things (like moving a sofa) all by yourself.  Karma is a scary thing. 

[If_I_Loved_you]

Peejayass #34:  Wow...really?  Were you waiting around just to pounce on someone?  Glad I could provide that opportunity for you to show your ass.  One day when you are elderly and infirm, may you find out how difficult it would be to do things (like moving a sofa) all by yourself.  Karma is a scary thing.

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

[If_I_Loved_you]

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

“The deadliest bullshit is odorless and transparent”

 William Gibson quotes (American writer of science fiction, b.1948)

[stephendare]

Well Im for anything that doesnt take ten years to do, Ron.

I think thats the most important thing.

And if you cant get bank financing and don't want to take partners, then what is your plan?

Ten years?  I agree….. that’s too long.  That’s why I’m glad my project, once started, will take only around two years.  My 215 N. Laura Street project, the bookstore/café building, took me two years and four months from purchase to opening.  That time includes the six months in the beginning when I did almost nothing to the building.  Therefore, one could say that once started, the 215 building took me less than two years.

Not having the assets to do more than one semi-major project at a time, I have delayed starting the 225 project, and probably will not begin any work until April.  Therefore, if the two year duration for the project is realized, I will finish it in the spring of 2015.

Of course, the most important thing is not the objective of finishing a project within a set period.  The most important thing is to finish it.  The second most important thing is to finish it within a reasonable amount of time.  Two years is within reason in my view.

A bank loan?  Given my background of having paid every penny I’ve owed to all creditors for over fifty years, of never failing in a business, of consistently expanding in my current business for almost forty years while many others in the same business have failed….. I think any reasonable bank will seriously entertain a loan to me for the project.

Although I’ve suggested that the loan might be as high as $800,000, further thought allows me to say that two things will allow the loan to be less.  The first is that I will be able to do more of the preliminary work on the project myself, using my own money, than I had at first thought.  And secondly,  I anticipate selling my house so that I can contribute perhaps $200,000 additional to the project.  Therefore the loan might be as low as $400K to $500K.

In any case, thanks for the questions Stephen, but somehow, I am confident about the project.  My plan?  I have the same attitude as many people do about things like this…… which is simply that … “For many of us, no matter what some mediocrities or idiots place in front of us, we will force the son-of-a-bitch to completion.”   How or why?  Through the same process that allows many people to finish projects.  I can see within my mind the entire process of renovation, from beginning to end, with all the details.


Chuck Norris once ate an entire factory of sleeping pills.  They made him blink.     
 

Well its probably important to the person doing the project to eventually finish I suppose.  The neighboring community may have different goals or timetables to get them excited.

I certainly hope that your building is both speedily completed and successful.  Im sure in a year or so, the eventual timetables will be more clear.

[PeeJayEss]

Peejayass #34:  Wow...really?  Were you waiting around just to pounce on someone?  Glad I could provide that opportunity for you to show your ass.  One day when you are elderly and infirm, may you find out how difficult it would be to do things (like moving a sofa) all by yourself.  Karma is a scary thing.

I had already posted in this thread, so I clearly was not waiting to pounce. I was simply illustrating that I thought your concern was unrealistic and likely not shared by others. There aren't many people that can move a sofa by themselves, whether infirm or not, never mind up a set of stairs. If I am elderly and infirm some day, and trying to move a sofa upstairs by myself, I sure do hope someone stops me. In fact, if I tried to do that now, I would hope someone coming down the steps would stop me (after questioning the sanity of my attempt).

Karma certainly is a scary thing to the superstitious. I guess it also doesn't take into account childish name-calling or delighting at karmic retribution.

Well its probably important to the person doing the project to eventually finish I suppose.  The neighboring community may have different goals or timetables to get them excited.

What neighboring community? The community has stared at the building while it dropped into disrepair for years, doing nothing with it and everything around it. Someone takes the risk and purchases it with the intent to improve it, and the progress is not fast enough? If that is the attitude of the "community," then who cares what they think?

Peejayass #34:  Wow...really?  Were you waiting around just to pounce on someone?  Glad I could provide that opportunity for you to show your ass.  One day when you are elderly and infirm, may you find out how difficult it would be to do things (like moving a sofa) all by yourself.  Karma is a scary thing.

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

“The deadliest bullshit is odorless and transparent”

 William Gibson quotes (American writer of science fiction, b.1948)

"I don't know what we're yelling about!" - Brick Tamland

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Peejayass #34:  Wow...really?  Were you waiting around just to pounce on someone?  Glad I could provide that opportunity for you to show your ass.  One day when you are elderly and infirm, may you find out how difficult it would be to do things (like moving a sofa) all by yourself.  Karma is a scary thing.

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

(Karma is a scary thing) How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
- Wayne Dyer 

"Yes, well that's very cute, but you're running this thread like a bunch of bullsh!t. ~ Dave Moss

(Yes.  There's a quote for everything, huh.)   

“The deadliest bullshit is odorless and transparent”

 William Gibson quotes (American writer of science fiction, b.1948)

"I don't know what we're yelling about!" - Brick Tamland

"Great Scott!" ~ Doc Brown

[KPD]

I agree with you and several of the others about keeping the cafe in the bookstore. For at least 3 years, my husband and I have thought that a restuarant on the ground floor with apartments upstairs would be perfect for this building (we went so far as to tour the building with a real estate agent and realized it was too big of an undertaking for us). Our inspiration came from an article in Dwell magazine about a building very similar to yours. The restaurant in the article has glass garage doors that can be opened when the weather is pleasant. I believe I still have that edition so I'll locate the info on the article for you and either forward the details RE that issue so you can locate it online or make a copy and drop it off at Chamblin's this week.

[Tacachale]

A restaurant would be great there, though I'm sure would be a lot of work and risk if you haven't run one before.

I'd really encourage you to consider things we couldn't get much of anywhere else in town. For example, Bold Bean took a pretty simple concept - a real coffee shop - and ran away with it, and turned it into something you can't get anywhere else in NE Florida. I'd love to see something that cool right next to the coolest bookstore in the state.

[ronchamblin]

You're right Tacachale, in that I'm not a restaurant person.  That's why, if I were to do a restaurant there, I would hire the right person to operate it, find the best inputs to arrive at the right type, style, ambiance, menus, layout etc.  I will of course, do my own research by visiting other restaurants, research books on layouts, invite ideas from all types of people with experience operating restaurants. 

The idea would be to arrive at the best kind for the area.  The good thing is that I have months to make decisions.  I realize that I will have to pay the "main person" who operates the restaurant a good salary, perhaps even a percentage of the net, in order to achieve and maintain the excellence I envision we must have in order to be successful in the long run. 

No matter what we do, we must not open a mediocre, poorly thought out operation.  Given the time we have, there is no excuse for failing to create a place that will be a success, and a big draw for the area.  I cannot except mediocrity under the circumstances.  The bottom floor will be gutted completely within months.  Seldom do operators have an opportunity to design the perfect layout, beginning with a gutted building.

So far, a unique restaurant is on the table, although a large coffee roaster operation is too, similar to Bold Bean.  However, the latter, in my opinion will not offer as much revenue as would a place offering a full breakfast, an excellent lunch menu, and later, a unique evening menu for the area.  Given the space available, we could of course, install a coffee roasting operation to the side.  However, if so, it must enhance the overall concept, whatever that ends up being.  The good thing is that we will be able to use the tables in the bookstore, the bookstore patio, and the those on the sidewalk, which is about 24 tables, along with the 15 to 20 tables inside the new operation.  I would like to see a baking operation within, giving an ability similar to the old Worman's.

There are so many options.  Let's hope that a few months will allow arrival at the best.     

 

[stephendare]

and less than ten years to implement.

[ronchamblin]

Where are you at right now Stephen, because I'm going to find you and kick your ass.

Somehow, i feel like Chuck Norris tonight.

Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing people faster than Death can process them.

[stephendare]

Where are you at right now Stephen, because I'm going to find you and kick your ass.

Somehow, i feel like Chuck Norris tonight.

Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing people faster than Death can process them.

That won't speed up the project at all.

And Im pretty sure they have treatment options available for people who think they are Chuck Norris.

[ronchamblin]

I agree with you and several of the others about keeping the cafe in the bookstore. For at least 3 years, my husband and I have thought that a restuarant on the ground floor with apartments upstairs would be perfect for this building (we went so far as to tour the building with a real estate agent and realized it was too big of an undertaking for us). Our inspiration came from an article in Dwell magazine about a building very similar to yours. The restaurant in the article has glass garage doors that can be opened when the weather is pleasant. I believe I still have that edition so I'll locate the info on the article for you and either forward the details RE that issue so you can locate it online or make a copy and drop it off at Chamblin's this week.

KPD.. the article should be interesting.  I too, think, at this point, that it is best to keep the current small coffee/veggie shop in the bookstore, as many people seem to like the "light" lunches, soups, bagels,etc.  And if we do install a baking ability next door, we can simply walk the fresh pastries and cake over to the coffee shop. 


"When God and Satan play a game of football, Chuck Norris is the field they play upon."