The days and even weeks flew by as we worked diligently to
get the facility ready. The landlord had recently bought the building and was
prepared to make changes, too.
The
carpeting, which would have been horrible to keep clean with wool processing
taking place, came up and was replaced with linoleum tiles.
The wallpaper was
removed, the paneling was painted, lights were moved, ceiling tiles replaced,
doors widened, etc., etc.
Some changes
were big, while others were quite small; however, every change brought us that
much closer to opening.
I knew I would be busy with the wool processing orders,
although I also realized that the hand machines would be definitely slower
going than the big industrial machines would have been!
But, I wanted to create
a retail part of the mill, too.
A place where we would display items we had
made from the sheep wool or llama fiber.
My daughters and I found ourselves
knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, and felting at a mad pace in order to stock
the shelves.
I have three looms and they were always in motion!
As we grew closer to opening day, my older daughter left to
hike the Pacific Crest Trail to raise money for and awareness of Lyme disease.
She had been planning the hike long before I had gotten the crazy idea to open
a wool processing facility! I was supportive of her leaving, but knew I had
just lost an employee (or should I say, volunteer)!
My younger daughter graduated from college and
was leaving shortly thereafter to do her graduate degree in Europe.
So, by default, my new business partner
became the family dog! She accompanied me to the mill each day as we continued
to prepare for the grand opening!
