9867 comments ·

What Have I Been Up To? Part 1 - The Train Has Left The Station

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.

9867 comments

Your comment was posted successfully! Thank you!

  • fxdhdfg

    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919016/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919014/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919030/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919031/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919065/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919038/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919066/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919069/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919020/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919023/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919026/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919024/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919040/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919045/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919041/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919042/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919049/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919097/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919096/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545919015/

  • penyelamatbumi

    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262174148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262210148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262234148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262270148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262312148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262378148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262420148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262438148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262456148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262534148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262648148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262672148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262696148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262726148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262750148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262774148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262804148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262816148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262840148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262858148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262930148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262954148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262966148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143262990148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263038148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263062148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263086148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263110148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263146148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263164148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263266148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263284148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263890148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263920148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263932148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263950148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143263968148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143264028148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143264058148841
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122143264106148841

  • cfgdf

    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914284/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914406/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914409/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914452/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914454/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914458/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914471/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914474/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914410/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914417/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914411/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914416/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914435/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914431/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914433/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914434/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914465/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914463/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914462/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914455/

  • cfgdf

    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914284/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914406/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914409/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914452/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914454/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914458/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914471/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914474/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914410/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914417/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914411/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914416/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914435/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914431/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914433/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914434/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914465/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914463/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914462/
    https://www.imdb.com/list/ls545914455/

  • XCFVXF

    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883446325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883482325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883500325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883518325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883536325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883584325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096883614325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885648325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885654325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885672325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885696325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885792325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885810325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885816325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885822325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096885882325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915438325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915444325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915522325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915588325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915708325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096915852325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096916056325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096916296325518&type=3
    https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122096916494325518&type=3

Leave a comment

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

PILLLAR Blog
SKATE
APPAREL
GEAR
FORUM Beans