What Have I Been Up To? Part 1 - The Train Has Left The Station
Well hello there my much neglected, but never forgotten, email subscribers and blog readers. We’ve been quite busy at PILLLAR over the past 12 months, thus the delay between writings. I suppose it’s time to bring you all up to speed on what I’ve been up to.
It was a warm May 2021 morning, in St. Paul at Palace pop-up skatepark where I met Brad Hay for an early morning session. Like most times when I skate with Brad, we ended up talking more than skating, and I’m always good with that. The conversation drifted over many different topics when we finally landed on future plans for our respective companies. Brad with ReGenerate Wood and me with PILLLAR. I love these conversations because they allow for your mind to run wild with ideas and dreams which can hopefully one day become reality.
I talked about this idea that I had been carrying around for a while about starting a cafe/skateboard shop for PILLLAR and finished by saying “maybe someday.” When Brad quickly and emphatically replied, “you have to do it!”
The next day I started browsing the internet for commercial real estate.
Knowing nothing about commercial real estate and even less about what it takes to open a coffee shop, I had no idea what was in store for me next.
I found, what I thought, was the perfect location for this new endeavor and I began the process of working with the landlord on signing a lease. I drew up a business plan, put together a budget (what the fuck do I know about budgeting for this kinda thing?), applied for a business loans, found an architect. I’m already in over my head, but this train had left the station.
About 4 weeks of haggling with the landlord over my business plan, negotiating on what improvements he would cover on the space versus what I would have to pay for and discussing financing, I knew this pairing was not a match made in tenant/landlord heaven. After a particularly contentious meeting, I made the decision that I had to move on. I could not continue to work with him.
On my drive home, which was rerouted down Central Ave in Northeast Minneapolis, due to construction, I drove past a freshly painted black building with a “For Lease” sign hanging proudly in the window. I pulled over, pushed my nose up to the glass to see a much neglected office space, which had all the potential in the world, and took down the phone number on the sign.
Three days later I met the leasing agent and as I walked through the narrow hallways, pulled up corners of cheap carpet and popped up sections of the discolored drop ceiling, in my head, this was already my space.
Your comment was posted successfully! Thank you!
https://gist.github.com/1chaoo/9a491b4a5424c279f8c218859e4ccb2a
https://gist.github.com/1chaoo/e9cffcd938d278e8f69e080ad48bffd5
https://gist.github.com/1chaoo/1578cadb485a1a3248b290df4636729a
https://gist.github.com/Edoardonardo/c95e4c50391a6742d5f4630b75eded81
https://gist.github.com/Edoardonardo/bcce64a6a3dc4f94834bebfbba71acfd
https://gist.github.com/Edoardonardo/e6ec0712a44f49e8b5e267e711696e8f
https://gist.github.com/Edoardonardo/c0c33ca2cff2a4e417b7d63fa77b51cd
https://gist.github.com/Edoardonardo/24d534a08001ca27297aa27d03315dae
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/836766e831a4bb6e829195cf7c224ce7
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/8841b2c85520f005fe05dcb6a8b3b1c9
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/2c682e163e30c3ea8a52424f55f76939
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/f7a5e1483fcc35a2c67fcc136360b570
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/3917ceb3011343a65a12c7eb96b22c63
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/ca5a2d1c065f7692ea8d0484ae85753a
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/0832c9ed34e81767807eb15851b95f19
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/b87d28e883faa6b2c2e1bf1edf064c86
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/a45cc4d52cb8b54f9ad19071d8a0c766
https://gist.github.com/xinfengjian/b9076f740be9ad2b25b7cf8a79594be2
https://pont.co/u/nowyouseeme
https://pont.co/u/nowyouseeme1
https://pont.co/u/nowyouseeme2
https://pont.co/u/foisoumacide
https://pont.co/u/foisoumacide1
https://pont.co/u/foisoumacide2
https://pont.co/u/siebenwinter
https://pont.co/u/siebenwinter1
https://pont.co/u/siebenwinter2
https://pont.co/u/sisu2hd
https://pont.co/u/sisu2hd1
https://pont.co/u/sisu2hd2
https://pont.co/u/anjodasorte
https://pont.co/u/anjodasorte1
https://pont.co/u/anjodasorte2
https://pont.co/u/wickedforgood
https://pont.co/u/wickedpelobem
https://pont.co/u/wickedpelobem1
https://pont.co/u/pequenosclaroe
https://pont.co/u/pequenosclaroe1
https://pont.co/u/pequenosclaroe2
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151294356
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151295314
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151466533
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151241070
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151452392
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151231733
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151401899
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151479847
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151295335
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151461179
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151231736
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151228727
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151478984
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151282147
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151282141
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151403857
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151236059
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4151407003
https://laylo.com/laylo-1baytyo
https://laylo.com/laylo-5qtcrx5
https://laylo.com/laylo-rwcgc2a
https://laylo.com/laylo-zgdhzgq
https://laylo.com/laylo-nbp51jt
https://laylo.com/laylo-w2ogh4p
https://laylo.com/laylo-l2peljl
https://laylo.com/laylo-vze4rs5
https://laylo.com/laylo-ts73i2k
https://laylo.com/laylo-30vh6bp
https://laylo.com/laylo-3kwluf8
https://laylo.com/laylo-5hazyjq
https://laylo.com/laylo-a56bmkw
https://laylo.com/laylo-fdwrza8
https://laylo.com/laylo-tkw7qmh
https://laylo.com/laylo-srav7od
https://laylo.com/laylo-wcmdeyj
https://laylo.com/laylo-0htukfr
https://laylo.com/laylo-oggc3xg
https://laylo.com/laylo-itlyoy7
https://laylo.com/laylo-mtzdplq
https://laylo.com/laylo-paaghov
Leave a comment