Sunday, October 28, 2007 Returning to your first love By Gladys Lalaine Marcial My Turn
THE construction for my coffee shop has been going on for more than two months now. The first time I passed by the location, I told myself, "This is where I want to put up my own shop one of these days." Then made a follow up comment to myself, "Naah... rent's gonna be too expensive."
It was one of those moments where I caught "myself" talking to "I". Much like a conversation between "me," "myself," and "I".
Anyway, I was hunting for a month for a commercial place where I could open my coffee shop. World Palace was the last location on my mind, because I already told myself that rent will be very expensive (even if I didn't inquire yet). There were a couple of places that I eyed but I did not really fall in love with. Unlike the first time I laid my eyes on World Palace. It was love at first sight.
My uncle pushed me to open before September, so I tried my best to get the capital I needed to pay for rent, hire an architect and some other resources that needed funding. As soon as I got a loan from my grandparents, I didn't waste any time. I started right away. Days, weeks, and months have passed and I have slowly built a coffee shop, a charming coffee shop that is. I have consulted a lot of different people like friends and acquaintances from the internet, but most of the good advices came from a friend from Kansas.
Today, I saw a major transformation. With the help of a lot of people, we turned an the empty, bare and boring space into something that made me fall in love with it more and more each day I see it. The empty space is no longer a skeleton but is becoming a coffee shop. I can say, without a doubt, that it is a labor of love, a whole LATTE love. I saw how the carpenters put all their efforts in making the furniture. The walls and ceiling carefully hand painted over and over. The tables and chairs were made to make sure that clients remain comfortable and will not wish to leave for an extended period of time. The food specially prepared to give clients their money's worth and satisfy their palate. Each of the decorations were carefully hand picked by my friends and I to double as conversation pieces. Everything in the place has a story to tell.
The feeling is great, knowing that friends, professionals, and even strangers have been a part of its making. Each one has contributed an idea which I took consideration of, trying to make into reality something that I envision as a perfect coffee shop. I can no longer sleep knowing that it's opening soon. My wish is for everything in the shop to be appreciated by our clients, every bit as much as it is by the ones who made it come to reality.
