The Winners

So did you guys enjoy the gorgeous day? For those of you who are not local, it was a beautiful day in San Francisco. The temperature hit the 80s. We kept the door open and the dog wanted to stay in the sun all day. But, he had to work as a shop dog by being in a film called "The Peapod Fabrics Grand Opening Prize Winners." Sorry, it's one day late. The prizes didn't arrive all at once, but today we got them all. I know many of you love Japanese sewing books, so I chose some that are available in English. I wanted to film the drawing and my boy (and the dog, well, he had no choice) agreed. We had to do it in two segments because my memory card got full just before the last prize. I quickly deleted some of the photos and continued filming. The film looks incomplete at the end because we ran out of memory again. My film editor-in-chief (my boy) did an excellent job editing it. I tried to upload on Blogger, but it was taking more than two hours and sill not working. So I quit and asked my boy to upload it on his YouTube channel. He loves filming and editing videos of him skateboarding. So watch to see if your name is called and congratulations to the lucky winners! Again thanks all for coming.

Making of the New Peapod Fabrics

Thanks all for coming to our Grand Opening (prize winners will be announced by Wednesday). It was very nice to see you all. I received a lot of warm wishes and compliments for how the shop looks and its contribution to the neighborhood. The newest comment I received was from a stranger who walked by as I was walking out the door this evening. She said to me, "I've been living this neighborhood for the past 35 years, and this is the cutest store ever. You are doing a great thing" It was very sweet to hear. I understand that her comment was not just how the shop looks. It is about what my shop contributes to the community. I know we need Peapod Fabrics :-) No, I meant any small businesses that make the city and communities special. Okay, if I may say something for the sake of all the small business owners, I have to admit that it is not always easy. Costs of running businesses go up every year. Laws and regulations are not always on small businesses side. Demands for paying less get higher as the recession goes down deeper. We try to meet the demands, but the truth is that we have to make a living too. I almost wrote then Mayor Newsom to protect small businesses in a better way. Without unique small businesses, the City of San Francisco won't be the same place. I'm sure you guys agree with me on this. Who doesn't want to see neighborhoods more vibrant and happy? Am I right? So let's support hard working small businesses! We really need your help, otherwise we can't stay. I did it again, didn't I? I didn't mean this post as a pledge for small businesses. But, I meant to show you before and after pictures of the new Peapod. So here enjoy my long journey to Grand Opening. It was hard, but a fun project. Space configuration was the hardest part of this entire project. an overall view... the nasty carpet had to go... so did the plastic drapes... the floors are in...dash seemed lost as he noticed the difference... dash: i prefer the stinky carpet, mama... phew! moving complete... fabric bolts await the new shelving... what was i thinking? the famous "tattoo parlor" black walls... painting the other side of the walls in grey... thinking of what color to paint this wall with... much needed bright color smiles on the door... turquoise started growing from the kitchenettes... the peg boards painted in orange...our notion wall is growing... thinking about what to do with the cutting table... every time i finished a part of the space, i had to place shelving and fabrics to see how they all looked... accent turquoise was the third color choice. couldn't hold my paint brush anymore.. reds and pinks by the windows, but got stuck with the rest of the space around them... more turquoise... this was the disaster zone and last area to work on... feeling desperate for this area with no time or money to hire another handy man... i was almost crying because i didn't ask my floor guy to put the flooring on this bench area as it was covered with an ugly carpet. i was on my own. after giving much thoughts, i decided to cover it with my canvas and piping (my first attempt using piping, a staple gun and a glue gun). i bought this child rocking chair dirt cheap several years ago at an estate sale, but it was sitting in my storage forever. i painted it, wove the chair bottom, and made quilted seat and pillow. a perfect project! i was very proud of myself when i was able to change the light fixtures... welcome to the new peapod fabrics...

Phone Out of Service

Just a quick note...our credit machine is working, but instead the phone is not working. So sorry for the lame system. This will resolve when I receive the right terminal next week.

The following is the new business hours...

Tue - Fri 12pm - 6pm
Sat 11:30am - 5:30pm
Sun 12pm - 4pm
Mon closed

Awning

So the rain had stopped, and the sun came out for Peapod's Grand Opening Day. Thank you, Sun. And thank you everyone who stopped by. It was a great day. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces who came to congratulate me. And it was also wonderful to see some new faces who noticed the new store at the corner of Irving and 15th Avenue. I love this location! It's easier to be noticed. The ginormous awning helps people notice the shop too. Yes, Peapod now has an awning (with its name on it)! A very pretty one! My awning guy, Andy, did an excellent job. He was so helpful. It was a bit challenging to choose the right style because of those historical windows above the awning. But, He knew all the regulations and worked with the obstacles that Peapod's new location had. So I trusted him and voila! It is beautiful! I love it, and so do my customers. Thank you again, Andy!

Grand Opening

Hello everyone! Yes, it's tomorrow! Am I ready? Uh...not sure. It is not perfect, but it will be growing as time passes by just as the shop at old location had grown. Anyways, the doors will open at noon tomorrow. There are some more things to be done tomorrow morning. One thing is that I received the wrong credit card terminal, and I am not sure if it works just yet. I will work on it first thing in the morning, but just in case, it might be a good idea to bring cash. Sorry for the inconvenience. But, there will be a raffle for some craft books. So shop and enter to win (one entry per person). I will draw and announce the winners after the weekend. I'll see you this weekend. Thanks again for being patient and your warm wishes!

Dispatch From 1400 Irving

So sorry for not coming here for so long. One word. Swamped! Up to setting up the shelves was fast, so I was feeling good about opening. But, after that work slowed down and I started to feel pressure. It's been like this...one day I have big progress, but next day no progress at all. Just sitting there staring at the space thinking. While this high maintenance dog of ours looks at me with begging eyes to go to the park. Then the disaster hit North Eastern Japan. I was glued to the TV as things became worse every minute. The images on the news were just incredible. My family lives in West Japan, but I called my dad just in case, but their phones were down until three days later. They were okay...well, from the earthquake and tsunami for now, but radiation exposure? Very scary. Thank you for those who thought about me. My heart goes to those who have lived in the disaster area. My heart ached when I heard there were people who survived the earthquake and tsunami, but died in the evacuation shelters or hospitals because they didn't have sufficient supplies and care. I turn on the heater in the morning and think about those in the shelters without heat. It's been snowing there. I've never posted on anything like this even when I helped for Haiti, but please support in anyway you can.

As today's post naturally became a sort of a pledge of aid, but I meant it as an announcement for the new location. So here it is. The shop will be reopen on next Friday, March 25th at 1400 Irving St @15th Ave. Thank you everyone for being patient with me!!!