Mobile, Al

On Saturday I left the shop and my son and I drove to Mobile, AL to do my "50 Things Every Pro Photographer Should Know" show. I had a very good time with all of the folks from the Mississippi/Alabama Professional Photographers of America chapter. I SOLD OUT of my instructional DVDs and gave away all of the Image Doctor hats and t-shirts that I had. We then packed up and drove all the way home. Tomorrow, we have some high school Sr portrait sessions at the shop. You can see some of the ones I did last week over on my other blog at http://www.whatsscottdoing.blogspot.com/
We had some time on Saturday night to catch a minor league AA baseball game between the Mobile Bay bears and the Chattanooga Lookouts. Lookouts won and were also staying at our hotel downtown and Garen got to hang out with some of them and one of the coaches. We also took a quick tour of the battle ship Alabama while we were there. I left the camera with the photos from the trip at the shop, so I will post them tomorrow.

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Use this link
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Opening Day

Today in downtown McDonough we had the Geranium Festival. I had a booth right in front of the shop and it was a GREAT day. The shop was full of people all day. Today was also my opening day. Good day to have a grand opening as over 9000 people came in town for this event.

Oh Just Lighten Up

The McDonough Community Development Sign Ordnance Department has no sense of humor.

People Said I was Crazy

Many people said I was crazy for opening a studio on the town square with the mortgage mess, credit mess, and gas prices going up. I feel crazy after jumping threw all of the hoops that local government throws up at small business. A little while ago I was walking back from city hall and as I turned into the alley behind my building, the "Happy Bus" was parked right behind my door. I figured they had come to take me away.
But they didn't. I think they came and took the guy that writes the parking tickets.

The floor people came right on time today and started right to work. The TV show people were there to interview the owner of the flooring company and to get a few more shots of the building.
See the floor peoples web site at http://www.flooringsolutionsbycandace.net/

Almost Finished

The shop is almost ready. There was a misunderstanding about when the floor people were going to be ready, so they will be here tomorrow morning at 8:30am. When they finish, I will lock the doors and no one can step on the floors for about 12 hours, so I am going fishing. As soon as I finish with getting the sign permit, tending to some city mandated plumbing requirements, talk to the newspaper about doing a story on us, print the sample photographs for the walls and plan for Wednesday's corporate photo shoot for Equifax. Then I can go fishing. I realized today that I have not even picked up my guitar or even sat down by the lake in over 2 weeks. I will post new photos when the photos are on the walls.

Costs Up To Now

Lets see :
Paint -411.00
Lumber and Sheet Rock- 385.00
Food for the helpers -130.00
New Locks - 45.00
City Building Licence - 125.00
Water Deposit - 150.00
Electric deposit -0.00
General stuff -100.00
Total Materials = $ 1346.00

Labor has been free in exchange for advertising time and an interview on the TV show.
Labor so far would have been about $2000.00
Also, the Main Street Historical Lady came out today and said that I could not paint the outside of the building the color that we already bought the paint for.

Tomorrow the floor people come out and do the floors. "For Free"

Painters and Contractors

Only a very few rise above the rest.
We are filming a TV show about the renovation of my new shop. Three contractors have failed to live up to their end of the bargain. Two were "No Shows" and one showed up but then left the job site to go do another job and then called and said he could not come back. Now I am not being some kind of control freak here. I did not even talk to the contractors. The TV show host had this all set up and now most of the contractors are all falling threw. Except for these guys.

Air Repair- The Heating and AC company
McDonough Flooring
and the most fantastic painter "whose name I forget because I am not dealing with them" that came out because he was talking with the painter that left the job site and felt that he could help Melissa with the TV show deadline. He brought his two great kids with him and while he is painting right now at 1 am, his son is asleep in the car and his beautiful daughter is doing her college homework and helping her dad. She is a Psychology Major at Spellman College, an all girls school in Atlanta.
Photos are of the painter and son. Tomorrow I will outline the costs of doing all of this as to date.

Shop Progress May 2, 08

Today I went and got materials from the local building supply place and then we started putting them up. Also, I went to have the water turned on and was not able to because I did not have my paperwork that says that it is my building. The electric company had no problem turning on the power, I did not even need a deposit. But the water comes from a city government full of government employees. I needed ID and my paperwork in order to give them a $ 150.00 deposit just for water. We have one bathroom. I'll bet the water bill for a year won't even be $150.00.
I am keeping a list of all of the expenses that go into opening a retail photo studio in a mid sized town, and will be doing a class on the subject at the new shop and at conventions and photography meetings. I may do a DVD also. Today I spent $ 497.00 But also took in $ 670.00 worth of new Restoration business from people that had heard that the Photo restoration Shop was opening and they came by because they thought we were already open.
Photos are from today.

Clean Up and Wall Layout

Today we got a lot of stuff cleaned up and positioned the locations for the walls. Photo is of Melissa lining up a floor contractor to put a sealer on the wood floors. Melisa hosts a local TV show about re-designing spaces. All of my contractors are providing their services and most of the materials for free in exchange for being on the TV show and getting to be interviewed and showcase their business.
those of you that have my Instructional DVD called " My Favorite Photographs and How They Were Made" Melissa is the one who was shooting the footage of the photo shoot for my photo "After the Storm". You don't see her but you see the camera and her feet flying threw the air when she fell during shooting.

See the You Tube link to one of her shows by clicking this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvoN3OqmGR4

Tomorrow We Start to Work

These are some photos of our new retail shop. I took possession today and we will start to work tomorrow. Every Day I will take more photos and write about all of the things that you have to do to open a retail store. If you are thinking about opening one. Read the new posts every day. In a week you might just change your mind.

This Blog is about to become active again. Look for new stuff mid March 2008