We're Still Here and Things Are Happening!

Hello again after a long absence! Absence from our blog but definitely not from the labor of love which is our building. Anytime spent dealing with an old house or old building will teach patience, compromise, good juggling skills, determination, vision, and did I mention patience? 😊

For so long, it felt we were getting nowhere, although everyone was working hard. It was just demolish, clean; demolish, clean. Over and over until suddenly we began the building back process. First came the new entrance space, then the windows, then part of the front bricks. Before we knew it, after all these months, we were seeing a store appear!

I'm purposely adding a picture of our beautiful door (unfinished) with some of the mess, which is not a true picture of how much of a mess we made. Our building proves that sometimes out of great mess, beauty can be found.

These are our beautiful doors, partially. We had to cut about 7 inches off of the bottom as they were too tall but we were able to keep all of the beauty. There is another part of the doors that this photo doesn't show. By opening day we will have these painted and intact and I know they will be the statement piece we were looking for. We purchased these beauties in Nashville, TN at Preservation Station. I cannot say enough good things about that place. Not only did they have a great selection, the owners were extremely helpful and gracious. 

Since this photo was taken, the plywood that you can see through the windows has come down, while craft paper has gone up over the windows. We don't want to give too much away at once! We've prioritized what absolutely has to be done for opening day. We absolutely loved the "new" old brick as it was going up on the front exterior. We have decided to leave the front as it now without painting it. After the new year we will have the rest of the old brick removed and replaced with the "new" old brick. It's the exact look we wanted and are thrilled to not have to paint the brick.

The awning seen through the windows will eventually come down and be replaced with a two striped awning that will match the doors. The new floor will go now after all work is done and we are in the process of repairing the original ceiling. At this point in time there will be no public restroom. Vintage Brides will be ready hopefully by next summer. There is still so much to do, but even the most boring detail is exciting! I can't wait for everyone to see the restored building.

So Complicated!

There is a Carolyn Dawn Johnson song, So Complicated, that I love.
      "So Complicated, I'm so frustrated, I wanna hold you close,
                             I wanna push you away..."
That can easily be how we feel about our store, home, and inventory right now! 🤣

Our daughter came over today to help corral inventory and she was a huge help. No matter how beautiful things are and the wonderful memories they bring back, you can't live your life when you are drowning in a sea of things, especially inventory.

Originally we were to open before Christmas. Our City Inspector and our Fire Chief both thought we should hire an architect, so we did. This is when things spiraled out of control - but honestly, its in such a good way that I can't complain.

Our architects have been amazing in guiding us, drawing up plans, sharing their knowledge AND, as a bonus, they have fallen in love with our little town. So much so that we met with our City Manager where we made plans and shared information and ideas for the downtown district.

On December 22 our little town was certified as a CLG (Certified Local Government)  community by the National Park Service! What this means for us is that we now have access to technical assistance from the state, including training, advocacy, ordinance development, design guideline consultation, codes enforcement guidance, and advice on legal procedures. What does this mean for our citizens? Well, I'm glad you asked!

We truly have a special town. Located in beautiful Southeast Tennessee, we sit exactly between Knoxville and Chattanooga and are 3 hours from Atlanta, Nashville, and Asheville. We get to enjoy small town living while being so close to larger cities and all they have to offer, yet we don't have to fight traffic every day.

Are there downfalls to life in a small town? The only one I've ever found is not having some of the better restaurants close at hand, but that's  it. We have horseback riding trails, bike trails, jogging trails, walking trails, hiking trails....just about anything you can imagine. We are within 30 minutes of the Ocoee River, the site of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater events. The Hiwassee River offers a slower paced whitewater adventure which is definitely more my style!

We are blessed to sit in a valley of the Appalachian Mountains. No matter which way we turn, there are mountains, including Starr Mountain in our own community.  We have some lovely lakes and a slow paced atmosphere. There is beauty everywhere we look.

Now that we have become a CLG, we will be able to shine up our little gem of a historic town. This will bring in tourism dollars and help enable mom and pop stores, such as our own, to survive in today's climates of malls and Amazon (don't get me wrong, I LOVE Amazon). The mom and pop shops have customer service that can't be beat, unique gifts, personal service in finding what you need, and are the heartbeat of downtown. We may never be Star's Hollow (Gilmore Girls reference) because we'll be even better...everything is better in the South!

Back to our architects and what started my rambling: We are also a Main Street America community and its still very new to us. Our first grant opportunity was to update facades on some of the downtown businesses. Sullivan's missed the opportunity as we had not purchased our building when the grant was applied for. I think there are about 6 businesses that have drawn up their plans and they are going to look fabulous! There have been a couple of small hiccups but our Architects helping us out because they love preservation. That's not the only help they have offered, but its all I'm going to tell you about now. I can't give away all of the good news at once!!

So, yes, its So Complicated, but only in the best way; and it is a little bit like falling in love. The highs, the quickened heart beat, the smiling for no reason; but also the nerves, the constant thinking about the one you love and wondering if they are thinking of you (I'm fairly certain our building doesn't think of us sweetly since we're tearing her apart), the continual worry if you are saying the right thing, doing the right thing, and staring into space for long periods of time. Small business and historic properties are just like that, so complicated.

I'll end this today not with a picture of inventory, but with pictures of why I do what I do, whether its concerning the store or helping to improve our town. Our babies are now 31, 30, and 25. We want a better place because of them. 💓

Jason, our oldest dressed as a scarecrow and on the day of his Baptism:

                                                          
 Spencer serving as an Olympic Ambassador for Japan in 1996 and on the day of his Baptism:

Holly as a toddler and on the day of her Baptism:

All three of our monkey's. They are the ones we planted our roots for.

                                                   
                          

                                                          With the late
                                                        Steve McNair

Historic town, historic building, good architects who are fast becoming friends, and three beautiful, grown children. My heart is full today!!

The Thrill of it All!

I find the beginning of a new year to be exciting and refreshing. There is a brand new year in which anything can happen - so many possibilities! I pray that the new year is kind to all of us.

We met with the architects this morning for 2 hours in our unheated building. It's rather cold in this part of the South right now so I was very thankful to come home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while I compartmentalized the new information in my mind.

We have an approximate cost now of all the changes, repairs, and modernizing that needs to be done in order to preserve the Linn Building and make it a safe building for years to come. This is definitely a labor of love and we'll be using a great deal of sweat equity to get it ready for a late spring opening. My husband and I have remodeled three homes in the course of our marriage and while we had truly hoped we were at the end of those days, this brand new year is bringing us an old challenge: getting the most of our money while doing right by the building.

The HVAC, exterior facade, electrical, and most plumbing will need to be contracted out; everything else will be done by us so if you know any good labor that will work for pizza, send them our way! I'm just ready to get started and by Valentines Day we should have our contractor and permits in place. Between now and then we will be in demolition mode in the interior. One thing is for certain: the counter jumped over by the two G.I.'s during the Battle of Athens, will remain right where it is.

Making progress, no matter how small or how slow, is exciting. I'm still working hard on our website but I will admit to slacking during the holidays. It's time to get back to work and upload more inventory.

This week we watched The Thrill of it All with Doris Day and James Garner. I'm a huge fan of the Doris Day movies due to the sets and the wardrobe. With the exception of a few questionable hats, I would love to fill our store with pieces that you see in any Doris Day movie. Her gowns were breathtaking and her business clothes were smart. I also love the staircases, the furniture...everything except those questionable hats! If you are curious as to the types of vintage items we'll sale, check out any Doris Day comedy. You won't be disappointed!

In the meantime, here's another sneak peek at a few of our items.

                                                                     Ladies Hat                                         

                                                                        Delft Vase

                                                                        Fun Flask

Welcome to Sullivan's On Jackson!

Hello and welcome to Sullivan's on Jackson! We are a brand new business located in historic downtown Athens, Tennessee at 115 N. Jackson Street. We expect our brick and mortar store to open late spring 2018. In the meantime we are offering service on our website, www.sullivansonjackson.com. 

What is Sullivan's On Jackson? We are a vintage and vintage inspired boutique. While we give a lingering nod to the past, we will stock new items and selections perfect for gift giving. We will also provide treasures that represent Athens' local artisans as well as the history of our beautiful town. 

While our building is undergoing a major remodeling, check our blog and our website often to see what is new. We are so excited to be opening in Athens where we will carry on the vintage tradition of excellent customer care!

                     This is one of the fun items we offer,
                                                      a vintage flask for a "wee scotch".