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.