Digital Therapy Part I: Balls

Just when you thought you had your shit together...something happens that challenges your ability to adapt. Picture this. A big developer comes by and buys the block and building your shop is in. They propose a giant $50 million dollar project that would require a SIGNIFICANT amount of construction. Everyone knows that demolition, cranes and dump trucks don't necessarily drive traffic to your store...so you have to think about what to do next. Welcome to T-Rex Cookie's last 3+ months! What do you do as a business? A business that is just getting it's legs warmed up for a run only to be told that you need knee surgery.
Let me paint you a picture. I could choose to stay in place and live through 2 years of cranes and construction OR find a different location and just leave behind what was organically built in the space, never mind the $100K build out that I spent making the space mine. Don't get me wrong, density development along the light rail corridor is great. However, as a small business in the complex slotted for that construction, it stinks. It stinks in multiple ways, namely taking what took a lot of blood (at least a pint), sweat (at least a quart) and tears (at least three gallons) to get established...that what stinks the most.
All the moving parts; new location lease agreements, financing, Minneapolis Planning approvals, the pissed off neighbors, meetings, pre-meetings for meetings, contractor quotes, lease extensions, did I mention financing? It's like each piece is a ball being juggled. Correction. Each piece is like a dodge ball, those red ones that are over inflated so they are hard like bowling balls, being chucked at your head. As a small business owner, it's virtually impossible to explain the emotions that go through you. I think the tears count is up to four gallons now.
Stay tuned for updates on where T-Rex Cookie is with this project! I think of this as digital therapy.