So what's going on?

ANOTHER DATE CHANGE!!  So.....we're still waiting for our permits from Naperville to start our build-out.  Talked to them on Friday and we're on track to have them by next Monday :-(  We have the contract from our contractor and the time frame for the buildout is 6-8 weeks.....which is up from the 4-5 that he stated on the bid.  Oh well.  So maybe we'll be having subs for Halloween?

Our Mural

For those of you who have been to a Firehouse Subs, you know that each store has a mural which depicts a scene particular to the store's location.  We decided to incorporate the original Naperville Firehouse and the Naper Fire Pump in our mural.  It's REALLY large so it was kinda tough to take a picture of (and this isn't the whole thing - but most of it).  What do you think?

Final Inspection!

Woo Hoo!  Tomorrow is our "final inspection" and if (when) we pass we can start on the construction!  That should take about 5 weeks (give or take a week) and then we can open!!  The inspection is scheduled for 8:00AM and I would like to be there, but......it's been a long and busy last 2 weeks for me so I'm not sure I can get up and drive over there that early.  Bob said he will be there since he lives right across the street so that's good.  At least one of us will be there to see what happens.  Our "new" opening date is September 14 and I think that should be pretty firm.  Sad, since we wanted to open in the spring!  But that's ok.....we can live with it.  Hope to see a BIG turnout on that date!!!!

Building Inspection

So excited!!  Got an e-mail from our landlord that they have finished their part of the construction and are ready to turn it over to our General Contractor so they can start the Firehouse build-out!  We passed our Fire Alarm inspection and our Final Inspection is scheduled for this Wednesday (July 27) at 8AM.  We will get the keys once that inspection is passed!!  Woo Hoo!!  

Guess What Came in the Mail?!

OK, so it's the little things that excite me!!!

General Contractor Bids

Wow!  My third post of the day!  That must mean things are happening!  Yes, they are.  We have received bids from five general contractors who all want to do our build-out work.  The highest bid is almost twice the amount of the lowest bid.  Hmmmmm....  Part of this is due to union vs non-union labor, but still....  So this weekend will be spent going over the bids and figuring out which is the best fit for us.  We're hoping that by Monday we will know who our general contractor is!  The build-out is expected to take approximately five weeks, so we should be pretty good for our August 31 Grand Opening!!  

Landlord Work

Our landlord is just about finished with the work that needs to be done according to the lease.  Below are the "before" and "almost after" pictures.  The "before" picture is actually our unit as well as the unrented one next door.  The "almost after" picture has the wall up that separates the two units.  The wall on the right in the rear is for the bathrooms.  Lots of work has been done and hopefully they will be finished in a week!!!

BEFORE

ALMOST AFTER

Coming Soon!

So excited!  We have our "Coming Soon" banner hanging!!  Check it out!!!

P.S.

And - surprise! - our new opening date is August 30, 2011.  So much for opening in the spring!

I'm finally back!

No updates for awhile, as there has not really been anything to report.  :-(

However, we now have the plans from our architect and have several contractors bidding on the project.  The bids are due on July 5 and then we'll be able to make our decision.  Once we have chosen our contractor, things should begin to roll (I hope).  Probably the most likely thing to hold us up would be permitting.  You know how governments run.....maybe I can head over to Naperville and do some schmoozing??

In the meantime, I've started ordering items for the store, like chip racks, cookie ovens, menu boards, etc.  Can't wait til that stuff starts getting delivered to my little condo!

Til next time.....

Opening Date

Well, looks like our opening date has been changed AGAIN!  We are now scheduled to open July 31.  We had hoped to be open in the spring, so we sure missed that!  Our lease has been signed and  I finally received the drawing from our architect, so now we are busy getting contractor bids.  We need to start getting this place built!!

We did get our signs ordered!  And sent a check to the guy who will paint our mural.  Every Firehouse has a LARGE mural which is unique to the area it serves.  We are going to go with old time Naperville so we'll have to see how that turns out!

Once we get started on the building, I'll be able to post some pictures of our progress....

Computer Work!

I won't continue to post dull, boring posts (I hope!), but I feel like I have to put something up to give this blog some substance.

Today I went to the Firehouse Subs in Wheaton (our area rep's store) to set up QuickBooks.  I had a glass of ice water while I was doing it.  And Sparky was training at the time so I saw him too.   So that's what I did today.  Told you it was boring!

Our New Blog

OK, my first attempt at blogging.....  I've decided to use it as a diary of our journey to open a Firehouse Subs franchise.  Now, a lot has been done already, but since I didn't have a blog then, I guess I'll just have to start at this point.  Bob has finished his local training and Sparky has one week left.  We've signed the lease for our store which will be located at 1979 McDowell Road in Naperville - near I-88 & Route 59.   We're waiting for our architect to draw up some plans now so that we can have contractors bid on the work.  I'm going to attach (at least I think I am) a picture of Sparky in front of our store.  Hope you'll continue to read my blog to get updates on our venture!