Too Much To Do

The sheer volume of tasks to complete is staggering. One of the largest tasks to complete is painting the space- ceiling, walls, floor, trim. Every inch of the space needs to be painted. Of course first there needs to be cleaning, taping and tarping. I know I should just leap up and begin but instead I am drinking a cup of coffee with my dog sleeping with his head on my lap. I am thinking about painting and that is a start. Today we will do the shopping- ladder, tape, paint, etc... Then I will put on loud music and get to it.

Commercial Real Estate

We had an Open House yesterday in Gardiner to showcase the commercial real estate available. There are a few treasures and some big commitments of time and money. It was interesting to bring together the State Fire Marshal, Maine Historic Preservation, Realtors and business owners. I came away much more knowledgeable about what it will take to get some of these spaces utilized.

One of the buildings that would be among the larger challenges is also an amazing space- tin celings, wainscoting, and a grand staircase. Oddly the upper floors have not been touched since the 1950's. In fact there were newspapers up there dating from 1953. While it is selling for $160,000 for 4350 sf, it would take at least $100,000 just to bring electrical and plumbing up to date (not to mention putting in a sprinkler system). All of that work would qualify for historic preservation tax credits but it still means having the money to put in up front. It will require a buyer with vision. I imagine it becoming a boutique hotel. Anyone out there with a vision...and deep pockets?

This Renovation Sponsored by...

While part of our dream was to have Peter working less and enjoying life more, there is no denying that without his job we would never have been able to make this move. So while I'm ripping things apart and sometimes putting them back together, Peter is sitting at his desk putting in far too many hours. Lately he has been joining me and Bo on our morning walk. It has been a strange winter with little snow and the morning walks are a great start to the day. Then for Peter it is back to his desk and the daily grind that manages to flow right into a nightly grind as well.

The Move to Maine

So why Maine? I lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years. I love D.C. but in Washington I would always be a renter. We couldn't afford to buy in a decent neighborhood. And what we could afford would have been tiny! When we started searching for the commercial property we could call home, it was the buildings in Maine that spoke to us. What were they saying? Two things, "I can be something if someone would just take care of me" and "I am reasonably priced." It was an excellent combination.

Now, we thought that we would buy the building and within six months have someone renting our second floor office space. Almost two years later and we have no one in the second floor and I still haven't opened a gallery. We do have a sprinkler system. I've removed drop ceilings, painted, etc... so now we are close. And we better be! Because and income preoperty with no income is just a money pit. We have some more money to spend before we can call the 1st floor space a gallery. Not sure where that money is coming from but my new mantra is "we will get there."

Big Dreams

For several years, Peter and I wandered around Washington, D.C. talking about our dreams. Some were fairly simple, like finding a place to live large enough for his kids to spend time with us in the summer (one visit was all we needed to realize four of us in a one bedroom apartment wasn't going to cut it). Other dreams were a bit larger and more complicated to figure out, like how to get Peter to work less and enjoy life more. During our wanderings we hit on one thing we both were keen on- buying and living in a commercial building. Not everyone's dream, I know, but surprisingly a dream we wanted to share.

In the summer of 2008, we bought our building. The very building we had tracked online for two years. When the price dropped, we jumped (a bit faster than we were prepared to). And now we own, what his kids call "Dad's disaster house."