It is with great honor that I am proud to present the baby of the Remedy family, our new SOUTHGATE LOCATION! It has been two weeks since the new location opened, and already it is quickly becoming a favorite amongst our customers, bringing in old, new and even borrowing regular customers from different locations. It seems like everything is running smoothly, but trust me, the weeks leading up to the opening were a bit of a challenge.
Whether it was the flooring being on back order, or a measurement sent in wrong, the saying ‘the best laid plans…’ became a running joke. We were projected to open on the first of August, opened on the 19th, but only knew this on the evening of 18th. It was grueling, tiring and intense but it was an awesome feat that taught me more than I ever thought possible.
Here are a few of the life lessons I learned during the lead up to the opening of Southgate:
No matter how well you plan, SOMETHING will always go wrong.
I can probably count on one hand the amount of days that something went to plan. Almost every day, something new would pop up that we either had not thought of, or had no control over. Between cancelling schedules that were meticulously planned, accidentally over ordering on product, or even having a freezer turn out to actually be a fridge after you’ve organized all the ice cream in it perfectly (that was my bad), no day seemed to run smoothly. However, you do learn to roll with the punches, call yourself an idiot under your breath, swear not to tell anyone (or everyone, it would seem), unpack that fridge and hope that this will be the last silly thing you do that day – it wasn’t.
You laugh.
When everything around you isn’t going to plan, and it is late, you’re hungry and all you can think about is crashing into your bed with no end in sight, the only way to get through it all, is to laugh. After you unpack the fridge that you secretly hoped would turn into a freezer, you start to see the funny side. After all, you were there the day the fridge arrived. The mentality goes a little something like this: ‘Oh, the counter is going to arrive right before opening?’ Chuckle. ‘The flooring isn’t going to get in till the week AFTER the original opening date?’ Giggle. ‘That freezer you just stacked full of ice cream is actually a fridge?’ Sit on floor, stare up at said appliance and will it to change, while ugly cry laughing.
When things come together, they really come together.
After all the grunt work, the blood (from being trusted with a hammer), the sweat (from lack of strength) and the tears (from clumsiness), when you come in one morning and all that work starts to fall into place, the ice cream safely stored in a freezer, you are overcome with a sense of accomplishment. Those late nights and early mornings suddenly become worth it, and you can even see the light at the end of the figurative tunnel. You look around as people start to roll in for another day of setting up, and you have a new appreciation for them, because you all did this. Together, you turned an empty space into a café and that is something no one will ever be able to take away from any of you.
Were we stressed? A little. Did any of us have meltdowns? Not publicly. Do I still secretly wish that the fridge would turn into a freezer? Yes.
I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who was involved with the opening of Southgate. To Kate Tedeschini, for being the positive and sane one amongst all the chaos. To Rob and his team for turning an empty space into the beautiful and amazing place it is today. To Barry and the Canterbury team for going above and beyond, not only for Southgate but also for Remedy as a whole. To the staff members for taking time to help, coming in on days off, filling teas and organizing things just so. To Chris Smith for sharing our vision and making it possible. To our loyal and patient customers, who throughout it all, patiently waited for our opening day, and above all, for being the reason why we do what we do.