A Cliff Built of 1 Million Tiny Steps
In the quest to find the latest and greatest in pond supplies for the new store, I attended the Aquatic Experience just outside Chicago, IL this past weekend. I was very happy to find that once I explained I had more than a year or two experience in the field way above the general hobbyist level, all the vendors went out of their way to showcase their products. We have 3 of our food product lines all signed up and they are all vet approved. Not a lot of pond equipment was featured at this show, but I actually found a guy out of Santa Cruz to help with pumps and small filters! We ended up on the bus to the keynote address and then the next day at the local restaurant. Small world! Speaking of the keynote, I’m sorry to say that it was awful. The guy had a key insight into the beginning of the aquarium industry, and dried it out more than a toaster on high. Thankfully, the dessert at the dinner was wonderful, so I got to concentrate on that instead.
My winnings
Fishies available for purchase
Back to the business! So… we have good news all around with the building we are pursuing and, hopefully, we’ll have a lease signed soon. Thank you to all the parties involved being super excited about my project. It certainly pays to be an oddball business with amazing leadership. Once the lease is signed, the building will still need some work until it is finished and move in ready. If everything goes somewhat to plan, we should be set to open around March of 2015! Yes, there will be a big party to commemorate the event. Be sure to check your mailboxes…
So far, I’ve only had one panic attack about this project. So far… It came the night after going over the building plans with my architect. He was giving me the lowdown on the building owner and suddenly, the cliff I was jumping off of grew another skyscraper high. I ran to my soon-to-be hospital manager as she was closing down for the night and she invited me over for venting time. With a cute dog, a bottle of vodka, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a stack of salt and vinegar Pringles, the cliff shrunk back down to regular size. It’s still a cliff, but I’m starting to form all the little steps in order to climb down safely. I’m sure there will be more to come, but I am so thankful that I have friends I can turn to when my brain goes into overload. Mid-panic, there were 3 people who I could go see who would immediately talk me down. I have never had that before in my life and it is such a relief to have such great friends as I undertake this insane project! Thank you! Thank you!
And, of course, when in Chicago, there’s only one place to go…
Shedd Aquarium – GO!
Dr. Jessie Sanders 