Crazy? Exciting? Unbelievable? Yes, all those words apply. I have been thinking of moving to a bigger, better place for two to three years now. And each time I think of it, or mention it, the thought gets pushed to the back of my mind or further where nothing ever gets done about it.
I have been working without a lease since the end of July, wondering if the current landlords were going to walk in one day and tell me to get out. Well, it didn't happen exactly like that, but it did come. I felt that my dream would never happen if I stayed there for the three year lease they wanted me to sign. So, they gave me an ultimatum and I turned them down.
Once the decision had been made, the scrambling had begun. I knew I was leaving, but didn't know if I could find a place to go to. My wife told me that I could sit home and twiddle my thumbs and it would not hurt our financial situation. But that is not what I want to do. I want to continue the work I started over 10 years ago, the one where I help people.
A friend and I drove through the beaches area and looked at various places, and I called and talked to a lot of realtors. I found one that pointed me to the Tradewinds shopping center (the first one you come to after coming across the intracoastal on Atlantic) where I met the owner and submitted plans to him for the creation of offices. The cost was way too much, and the location was not all that great.
This same realtor then pointed me back to the Sand Dollar center, a place that the rent he quoted me was way too high. Then he told me that he could work me a deal because he liked me and what I was trying to do. Not only did he do so, he went out of his way to make it work. There were times when I thought it would never happen. There was a time when I told him what he could do with the place. But finally, the language of the lease came to be where the owner and I could be comfortable with it.
The realtor told me at one point that one of the reasons they have not been able to rent this place is that the layout is weird. As most of you know, I thrive on weird. The layout is just perfect for my uses.
Spirit had to have had a hand (do spirits have hands?) in making this work. There is no reason that this should have even been an option. Yet, it came about and it is happening. Unreal? Unbelievable? Yes. Magic? Yes. Crazy? Still yes. But happening? Very much yes.
I want to thank everyone that has been putting energy and good thoughts toward something good happening. It has, and it is. And please, keep doing so in hopes that the magic continues so we can open when want and that the business comes in to keep us there. Thank you, and thank you spirit.