every now and then, i like to look through the picture files on my computer. tonight i ran across these pictures from one of our many 'adventures'. we can only laugh about it now. it was several years ago and while out looking at a jobsite, we happened to stop in at a little cafe on a lake in 'zimmyville'. after ordering our breakfast, i got to looking around at all the filth and couldn't/wouldn't eat what i had ordered. BUT...there was a for sale signed propped against the wall. i did another take...hey, this place could be cute! the next day we made an offer on it, accepted...new owners! that was the first of august and within 4 weeks the place was remodeled and open for business by labor day. but wait...i don't like to cook!
entrance before...is the mop bucket part of the decor?
yea, this is why i couldn't eat my breakfast. had this place EVER been health department inspected???
cafe entrance and counter after
here's our son in law, justin, looking way too happy about cleaning the greasy filth off of the fridge after being talked into joining this adventure with us. ever heard the expression "grin and bear it"?
do these pants make my butt look big?
akins excavating truck getting filled with unusable furnishings from the cafe.
grill and vent hood before cleaning. there's a little drawer on the left where the grease runs in...then you clean it out. this one was totally packed with congealed grease, barely able to pull it out. then we took the front of the stove off and i literally had to stick my arm back as far back as i could to pull out huge grease blobs. cleaning the vent went much faster, i just got some carb cleaner from the shop, stuck my head up in the vent and went after it. they both turned out spotless. in fact, they were so clean, i wouldn't let anyone fry anything on the grill. one morning a man came in wanting fried eggs. he was promptly told we didn't fry eggs. he was incredulous, saying, "you have eggs?...you have a grill?...why don't you have fried eggs?" what was i thinking?
starting the renovations. this stub wall would be rebuilt as a solid wall to conceal kitchen / prep area
slightly different angle, but this is the rebuilt solid wall
dining area before
dining area after
front dining area before
front dining area after
and now the hoosier cabinet has made it's way to marigold mercantile in victor, co. still full of amish specialty foods. wow, what a journey for all of us!
lesson learned? don't step out of your comfort zone in business...i should've stopped with the renovation! after lasting a whole 6 weeks, we locked the door and put the building up for sale. if you're ever in the area of baldwin lake in union, michigan, stop in at george cafe...they like to cook.
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