Today was go-go-go! Woke up, got out of bed, drag a comb across my head... When downtown and got on that to do list!
- Buy ad space for my ABC notification
- Meet with Chamber of Commerce and join
- Meet with Main St Martinez and join
- Have Lunch with Janosh
- Put my 30 day notice for ABC in the window, plus my "Hi, Glad to be coming to the neighborhood" on the door.
- Get finger printed at 1:30 over at the Sheriff's office
Got a surprise call from my potential meat vendor (Del Monte Meats). I had planned on hitting the Martinez News-Gazette before meeting with Reba from the Chamber of Commerce, but he was downtown and wanted to meet me at the shop. So I switched gears and ran over to my place (god how I love saying that) and met Ron and his sales-apprentice. We talked meat and I think we are pretty copacetic on A Plan. They need to find buyers for all the Kobe Beef organic trim and Neiman Ranch organic pork extras (you know head, offal, you name it)... and I am the girl who wants ALL that stuff! He said he can get me organic back fat for $1.30 a pound. OH YEAH BABY! So then I hoofed it over to the Chamber of Commerce (admiring the quaint old Downtown area the whole way) where I met Reba, who was a bubbly no-nonsense short haired lady in a sweater dress. We chatted and her Secratary kept leaning in to listen and join in now and then. Both of them got more and more excited as I got more and more excited about talking about my business and my food. By then end, we were all hungry! The secratary leaned in to me at the end and quietly said, "You have so much passion for what you do, and you are so good with people... you are going to do great!" (I did refrain from giving her a big kiss). Joining is $200.00. Then, conveniently enough, Tricia (from Main Street Martinez) leaned out her office door (they are in the same building) and said, "Are you Rachael?" Next meeting starts... NOW. So went in and chatted about all of the awesome
events they have going on this year. I am really excited about the fact that many of them happen outside my front door! Everyone is SO nice! Joining is $100 Trisha walks me back to my place and I meet Mr Orphal (who is doing jury duty at the Court House) and we head down to Lemon Grass for lunch. Lemon Grass is at the very end of the street and I've heard rave reviews of the place; it is the hottest thing in town and I want to see what lunch business looks like for this new hot spot, plus see how the food is. Food is SO SO good. Like totally kicks ass. But what is making me nervous is... the place is wall to wall bodies. Not a free table in the place, where there are probably 15- 20 tables. There is eventually a wait at the door. There are easily 45+ people in the room. And this is the FARTHEST restaurant from the County Seat. I am assuming around 40 people will hit my place between 11:00 and 3:00 in my business plan. This place is turning 45+ people in about 45 minutes. Now I am seriously worried I have under estimated the amount of business I am going to get. This SO sucks for me because my food is so labor intensive. But it is also good, because there is some real potantial for success as well. I am not sure why I am so surprised at how busy the place is. The food rocks, the space is lovely, the service good and the prices decent. Mr Orphal heads back to the court house and I get lost walking around trying to find the Sheriff's Office, but I am not late. I joke genially with the girls behind the counter. It is $25 to get finger printed and I need a full life-scan to get a beer and wine license. Then I head over to the Martinez News-Gazette to submit my intent to sell beer and wine notification, which has to run for 3 weeks, then they send an affidavit to ABC saying I did it. Whew! I also have to mail back my proof that I got finger printed. it is EVERYTHING you think about when you think about an old time Newspaper. Big old brownstone building, adorable little elderly lady behind the desk with giant glasses, super hot well dressed Lois Lane type reporter at her desk and bubbly office manager. The reporter said she would be interested in interviewing me! So we exchanged cards and whatnot. Anyway, so WHEW! GO ME! OH! and guess what else??? The Main St Martinez manager stopped me on my way to the Gazette and said she'd talked to the guy opening the new brewery and he was interested in buying some of my salumi for his bar snacks! Pretty cool! So now it is 4:00 and I just got home and rifled thru my Camber of Commerce bag of promotional stuff and made myself a Facebook page and wrote this blog... I am feeling pretty darn productive today!
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