Apologies for the long span since the last update, but while we've been very busy, there hasn't been anything earth-shattering to report, which is mostly good as it means all is moving along nicely.
Construction
Almost done with the library entry
In the last update I showed pictures of construction. Well, it's still ongoing, but a LOT has been done. The main 2 entrance doors have been replaced with new ADA compliant ramps. The soffit has been repaired and painted outside. This past weekend our volunteers were cleaning the rafters while the painters start to make everything look good this coming week. It's an old building and we've found a lot of things along the way to fix up.
Testing out paint colors for the Wall of Honor and prepping the library ramp for carpet
The most important news is that because of the additional construction requirements, the earliest we can likely open is mid August. I know we all wanted to open sooner, but this is also why we could only provide an estimated date for this summer.
Jobs
Because of the delay, we have made limited hiring decisions. But, in the next week or two we'll be scheduling interviews with our applicants, many of whom applied last May. If you are interested or if you know someone who is interested in being a member of our great team in a full-time or part-time position, be sure to apply ASAP. Visit our site here for job descriptions and an application.
Trips
Another reason for the later update is that I was away on several work trips. Fortunately, when I had personal time, I found my way to 7 different board game stores and cafes in Seattle, Montreal, & Paris. I really enjoyed meeting with the owners and staff and discussing the various challenges and ideas for providing a great experience for the public to play games. In most cases, the cafes charged $5 to $10 per person to play and those that didn't had very few games to choose from and focused more on selling games or food. A couple places didn't open until 4pm. As part of our mission, Spielbound will purposely be open all day so that seniors and retirees can more easily enjoy our space to play games.
In Paris, lots of games in French. Even though Spiel is German, the French love to play, too.
In Montreal, 12:30am on a Monday night and still plenty of games being played. Also, a lot in French. :-)
I've been fortunate to learn a lot from these shops from all over the world these past 2 years, and I can only hope Spielbound is better for it - thanks for reading and again for your support!