Saturday, September 24, 2011
Walking slow
It is once again .... off season. I have written about it before in my blog, but every year when it comes around in Telluride, I just have to express what this is like. Today I went to the store and walked very slowly to my car. Just enjoying putting one foot in front of the other and feeling time, roll by ..... Off season is when time is not important. When a chance meeting with a friend at the bank turns into a 45 minute catch up session. No rushing, no lists to check off, no hoops to jump through. Well, actually, my fiscal year ends in about 6 days so there is a tad bit of accounting to catch up on. But, nothing seems all that important except maybe .... a nap.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The little chocolate shop that could
A little over a year ago I was explainging to yet another person, why, 5 years ago, I built my 1200 sq. foot chocolate company 3 miles out of the Town of Telluride. Why aren't you in town! Absorbedent rents and 5 months of off season to start. And then, there's those 2 other chocolate companies who went out of business in less than a year trying to make it in town. But, this time a little voice inside said ... I wonder if that's still true.
Due to the economic down turn, certain closed doors are swinging open. I wondered if this was one of them. A few hours later I was checking the classifieds and making calls. Within 4 days, I had seen a space that was, well, almost perfect for just a little chocolate retail shop. I've lived in this town for 17 years and, even though this space is just off main street - on the strongest block, I had never known it was there. For over 10 years, it had been the home of a silk screen t-shirt manufacturer. He used it as a factory - no retail. Not many people even knew it was there.
Still thinking this was a wild idea with no chance of materializing I began meetings with the landlord and step by step laying out a lease that would work for me. Because you see, I am skitish when it comes to risk - so I drafted a lease that kept me safe if it didn't go well. And by golly, they went for it because the lease also gave them a very good outcome if I was successful. They were willing to gamble and.... I signed a lease.
Next - I had to turn this absolutely run down, filthy, 300 sq. foot space into a chocolate shop good enough to be called Telluride Truffle.
Oh - it was a mess with great possibilities. High 13 foot mismatched walls topped with a beautiful historic tin top ceiling. Original carved woodwork hidden by draping and layers of ugly grey paint. A filthy, cheap wall to wall carpet covering who knew what sort of floor. A sad little light crookedly hanging from the center of the room. I had to make this little space into a jewel of a chocolate shop. And I only had .... 30 days.
I have to hand it to prayer, Ebay, a plumber that did not give up, a clever carpenter who just kept figuring out how to do it cheaper. And an angel of a faux painter named Eli.
We did open 30 days later and it is everything that I needed it to be. It has a great feel to it. Many people comment they feel they are in Europe as they walk into the door. Even Europeans!
Due to the economic down turn, certain closed doors are swinging open. I wondered if this was one of them. A few hours later I was checking the classifieds and making calls. Within 4 days, I had seen a space that was, well, almost perfect for just a little chocolate retail shop. I've lived in this town for 17 years and, even though this space is just off main street - on the strongest block, I had never known it was there. For over 10 years, it had been the home of a silk screen t-shirt manufacturer. He used it as a factory - no retail. Not many people even knew it was there.
Still thinking this was a wild idea with no chance of materializing I began meetings with the landlord and step by step laying out a lease that would work for me. Because you see, I am skitish when it comes to risk - so I drafted a lease that kept me safe if it didn't go well. And by golly, they went for it because the lease also gave them a very good outcome if I was successful. They were willing to gamble and.... I signed a lease.
Next - I had to turn this absolutely run down, filthy, 300 sq. foot space into a chocolate shop good enough to be called Telluride Truffle.
Oh - it was a mess with great possibilities. High 13 foot mismatched walls topped with a beautiful historic tin top ceiling. Original carved woodwork hidden by draping and layers of ugly grey paint. A filthy, cheap wall to wall carpet covering who knew what sort of floor. A sad little light crookedly hanging from the center of the room. I had to make this little space into a jewel of a chocolate shop. And I only had .... 30 days.
I have to hand it to prayer, Ebay, a plumber that did not give up, a clever carpenter who just kept figuring out how to do it cheaper. And an angel of a faux painter named Eli.
We did open 30 days later and it is everything that I needed it to be. It has a great feel to it. Many people comment they feel they are in Europe as they walk into the door. Even Europeans!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Goats Milk and Chocolate
Recently my nutritionist suggested I not drink milk but goat's milk is fine. That's OK, I've never been a great fan of milk. But the main place I would miss it is in my hot chocolate. We make really really good hot chocolate (not yet available on the site). So recently I bought some goat's milk and cooked up a cup for myself.
Well, dear readers and fans of Telluride Truffle, I must first of all say ..... please appreciate what I do for you. I offer up my pallate in the interest of informing you, our customers. And I think it's safe to say: Do. Not. (I repeat) Do. Not do it. Trust me. For those of you who are tempted, imagine feta cheese with chocolate poured on it. Wow - that is one nasty taste. But if you must, sugar helps alot. I use agave. Our hot chocolate is not that sweet so adding about 2 teaspoons of Agave made it drinkable. Next .... staytuned for my explorations into rice milk.
By the way - until we get it on the site, if you would like to order the hot chocolate just give us a call and we can get some out to you. One pound $16.
Well, dear readers and fans of Telluride Truffle, I must first of all say ..... please appreciate what I do for you. I offer up my pallate in the interest of informing you, our customers. And I think it's safe to say: Do. Not. (I repeat) Do. Not do it. Trust me. For those of you who are tempted, imagine feta cheese with chocolate poured on it. Wow - that is one nasty taste. But if you must, sugar helps alot. I use agave. Our hot chocolate is not that sweet so adding about 2 teaspoons of Agave made it drinkable. Next .... staytuned for my explorations into rice milk.
By the way - until we get it on the site, if you would like to order the hot chocolate just give us a call and we can get some out to you. One pound $16.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
It's MARCH!!! Oh thank God ...... it's March!
In a town with 6 months of winter, you learn to notice the little changes that say - we've only got a few more months to go!!! And that becomes apparent in .... MARCH! The light changes - it's brighter and more, well ... sunny. But the best part is SPRING SKIING is here. That time of year when skiing becomes effortless. The snow is sooooo soft we call it "hero snow" because you can ski alot better than usual - it's effortless. And you can leave the heavy coat and the layers of long underwear at home. You can ski in just shirt sleeves and a baseball hat. I love .... MARCH!
In a town with 6 months of winter, you learn to notice the little changes that say - we've only got a few more months to go!!! And that becomes apparent in .... MARCH! The light changes - it's brighter and more, well ... sunny. But the best part is SPRING SKIING is here. That time of year when skiing becomes effortless. The snow is sooooo soft we call it "hero snow" because you can ski alot better than usual - it's effortless. And you can leave the heavy coat and the layers of long underwear at home. You can ski in just shirt sleeves and a baseball hat. I love .... MARCH!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I'm going to let you in on a secret because not many people know about this place - even locals don't know about it.
Best place to have breakfast in Telluride: San Sophia Bed and Breakfast opens their doors to the public every morning for a really really good breakfast buffet. Everything is done to perfection. On top of great food they have friendly service and a homey and inviting ambiance. $16 for everything including beverages. I don't know much about their rooms, but considering how happy everyone looks in the breakfast room, I would imagine it's also a great place to stay.
Best place to have breakfast in Telluride: San Sophia Bed and Breakfast opens their doors to the public every morning for a really really good breakfast buffet. Everything is done to perfection. On top of great food they have friendly service and a homey and inviting ambiance. $16 for everything including beverages. I don't know much about their rooms, but considering how happy everyone looks in the breakfast room, I would imagine it's also a great place to stay.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Last time you heard from me I had just completed turning a 1200 sq. ft. space from a real mess to a beautiful new home for Telluride Truffle. And then ... nothing for two years!! What happened?
1. I got really busy - I didn't even really ski or boat for two years!!! Now THAT is BUSY.
2. I began writing this blog before blogs were even called blogs. I just called it a"Diary from a girl in the mountains." I guess I just picked up the idea from the collective consciousness because now everone is doing it. But way back then, the format to write diary entries was really laborious and finally it quit working and I got busy (see excuse 1). But we updated the site and put in this new format so I'm back in the game. How hip am I - blogging away.
1. I got really busy - I didn't even really ski or boat for two years!!! Now THAT is BUSY.
2. I began writing this blog before blogs were even called blogs. I just called it a"Diary from a girl in the mountains." I guess I just picked up the idea from the collective consciousness because now everone is doing it. But way back then, the format to write diary entries was really laborious and finally it quit working and I got busy (see excuse 1). But we updated the site and put in this new format so I'm back in the game. How hip am I - blogging away.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Telluride Truffle News
I don't often talk about the biz per see in these quips on the life of a girl in Telluride. But if you look at the date of the last entry, you will notice there is a gap of 7 months!! Where have I been ... what have I been doing? You might think I had some horrible ski accident or was kidnapped by bears - we have been broken into twice by bears - it's only natural they would want to take me with them next time - they evidently like the chocolate. "To heck with honey and berries - these truffles are GREAT. Lets just take the leader and we can have them whenever we want!"
However, no it wasn't anything so dramatic but it was the hardest thing I've done in 9 years of doing business.
For the past 4 years I have been working out of two commercial spaces 4 miles apart. One place is where we make the truffles and the other is where they are packaged and shipped. This really got insane in December when we made and shipped 38,000 truffles! All of those truffles were wrapped up in cellophane and transported in my trusty van, driven 3 miles, walked up a flight of stairs, unwrapped and put into their proper packaging and shipped out. This is what one must do when you do business in an area where commercial rent is $23 a square foot! Gotta keep the overhead DOWN. But one must also balance that with one's mental health and by January of this year, I was exhausted.
One day I called into our trusty local radio station, KOTO to Trash and Treasure, a weekly show where people put things up for sale. I called in to give something away and the DJ recognized my voice and said she heard I was looking for a commercial space. To which I answered on the air - "YES - and if anyone knows of 1000 sq feet let me know. I've been looking for 2 years!" It was my lucky day and within the hour I got a phone call, and by the end of the week we were in lease negotiations. I signed on the dotted line April 15.
The new home was a 1200 sq foot place with walls where they couldn't be, carpet that had to go and absolutely no knowledge of how to go about it. And ... not to mention I had to turn a carpeted room into a commercial kitchen with ovens, stoves, sinks etc.
I called a contractor friend, Nick, for advice to which he offered "It is going to take longer than you could imagine and cost more than you could dream. Get ready – it’s going to be a bitch.” Thinking, surely he was exaggerating, I asked “OK, now tell me, is this something I can do myself, calling electricians, plumbers etc, lining them up to work - just tell me the truth - you won’t hurt my feelings, can I do it?"
To which Nick answered, "Hell NO - you gotta get a guy. Someone who knows how to talk to these guys. Someone who knows how to deal with them." Did I take his advice? Stay tuned to hear about what is entailed when a girl with little knowledge builds something on her own in a mountain town. And I thought Bears were scary....
Part II
Keeping Nick’s advice in mind I sought a contractor. A few estimates later I found myself becoming more and more optimistic of my own abilities. Funny how much money can be a motivator! And after all, none of these contractors had actually DONE a commercial kitchen.
So I decided to become a contractor AND run a chocolate business. Now maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea in a regular city where tradesmen sign … contracts. But here in Telluride, those contract things are reserved for building BIG houses with A LOT of money. For my little job, asking for a contract would have been insulting. I’m lucky they even showed up to give me an estimate. For that matter I’m lucky they GAVE me an estimate. Not that they really held to those either.
After three long sleepless and sometimes tear filled months, the commercial kitchen was done and everything pretty much worked. But Nick was right – it was a bit of a nightmare that seemed to never end. Glad I’m awake and back in the business of being a chocolatier. Where life is rosy and everyone shows up.
However, no it wasn't anything so dramatic but it was the hardest thing I've done in 9 years of doing business.
For the past 4 years I have been working out of two commercial spaces 4 miles apart. One place is where we make the truffles and the other is where they are packaged and shipped. This really got insane in December when we made and shipped 38,000 truffles! All of those truffles were wrapped up in cellophane and transported in my trusty van, driven 3 miles, walked up a flight of stairs, unwrapped and put into their proper packaging and shipped out. This is what one must do when you do business in an area where commercial rent is $23 a square foot! Gotta keep the overhead DOWN. But one must also balance that with one's mental health and by January of this year, I was exhausted.
One day I called into our trusty local radio station, KOTO to Trash and Treasure, a weekly show where people put things up for sale. I called in to give something away and the DJ recognized my voice and said she heard I was looking for a commercial space. To which I answered on the air - "YES - and if anyone knows of 1000 sq feet let me know. I've been looking for 2 years!" It was my lucky day and within the hour I got a phone call, and by the end of the week we were in lease negotiations. I signed on the dotted line April 15.
The new home was a 1200 sq foot place with walls where they couldn't be, carpet that had to go and absolutely no knowledge of how to go about it. And ... not to mention I had to turn a carpeted room into a commercial kitchen with ovens, stoves, sinks etc.
I called a contractor friend, Nick, for advice to which he offered "It is going to take longer than you could imagine and cost more than you could dream. Get ready – it’s going to be a bitch.” Thinking, surely he was exaggerating, I asked “OK, now tell me, is this something I can do myself, calling electricians, plumbers etc, lining them up to work - just tell me the truth - you won’t hurt my feelings, can I do it?"
To which Nick answered, "Hell NO - you gotta get a guy. Someone who knows how to talk to these guys. Someone who knows how to deal with them." Did I take his advice? Stay tuned to hear about what is entailed when a girl with little knowledge builds something on her own in a mountain town. And I thought Bears were scary....
Part II
Keeping Nick’s advice in mind I sought a contractor. A few estimates later I found myself becoming more and more optimistic of my own abilities. Funny how much money can be a motivator! And after all, none of these contractors had actually DONE a commercial kitchen.
So I decided to become a contractor AND run a chocolate business. Now maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea in a regular city where tradesmen sign … contracts. But here in Telluride, those contract things are reserved for building BIG houses with A LOT of money. For my little job, asking for a contract would have been insulting. I’m lucky they even showed up to give me an estimate. For that matter I’m lucky they GAVE me an estimate. Not that they really held to those either.
After three long sleepless and sometimes tear filled months, the commercial kitchen was done and everything pretty much worked. But Nick was right – it was a bit of a nightmare that seemed to never end. Glad I’m awake and back in the business of being a chocolatier. Where life is rosy and everyone shows up.
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