business talk

Because some people are always asking and because I love to brag on my husband, I thought I'd blog about our business: how it started, how its evolved, and where we are today.

After spending two years attempting the dumbest "business" imaginable (this is a company I will not grace by name), our family was in the worst finacial state possible. We had had two cars repossessed, our home had fallen into foreclosure, and every bill we owed was at least two months behind. In December of 2007, Richie had began submitting his application to nearly every place hiring in the Metro area. After a month of applying and over a hundred resumes submitted, Richie had not received decent job offer.

We just so happened to have a friend who is an OKC police officer who also owns his own security business. On occasion, he would throw some extra security work Richie's way. He had offered a few shifts for Richie to work on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's. So, with no income, we were eagerly anticipating this money.

We just so happened to stop by the Civic Center Music Hall to visit a friend, Richard, we knew from when we worked the coffee shop years before. He asked us what we were doing "now-a-days." Richie reluctantly answered, "I am currently looking for something." And Richard followed by asking, "Would you be interested in the concessions at Rose State Performing Arts Theatre?" Without hesitation, Richie answered, "YES!" They gave us a week to open the concession stand. This included licensing, equipment, product, etc...

So we had a choice: pay our very overdue bills with the expected security money or start a small concession stand business. The answer was obvious.

And we just so happened to know a guy who sells used catering and concessions equipment. He loaned us the equipment we needed to get started. This included a hot dog machine, a pretzel machine, and a freezer. We used the money from working security to obtain licenses and product for our first weekend we opened. After that first weekend, we made back all the money we spent. After the second weekend, we paid off the equipment borrowed and were in the "green."

And it just so happened that the first time Richie ever searched Craiglist, he found a coffee shop at a private school for sale. They were asking $15k for it, which of course we didn't have. But Richie is one determine man and wouldn't let the price discourage him. He called the owner and they worked out a deal. Not only did they knock $5k off the price, they even let us pay it out over the course of 4 months. So in August, we not only had a small concessions stand, but we also had a coffee shop.

The Civic Center Music Hall Coffee Shop came next, followed by a catering business, the liquor bars at both the the Civic Center and the Stage Center, and now we'll be taking on the concessions and liquor bar at Shakespears in the Park at the Myriad Gardens. This is a grand total of 7 locations in the span of a little over a year! Here are some pictures of the Civic Center Music Hall Coffee Shop...

The entryway

The coffee bar

Our cappuccino machine

The seating area

And here is some of the art hung in the coffee shop

So the point being that all of those "just so happened" moments were God setting us up for success. He is soooo good, all the time and all the time, He is good. Thank you, Lord, for pulling us out of the myre and setting our feet on solid ground.