Brabary Renovation, Part Two: Execution, Results and Lessons Learned

Our recent four-day renovation at Brabary (read our earlierpost about how we prepared and planned) went very smoothly. We want to highlight a few of the key lessons we learned, and what helped make this project such a success.

The designer and I worked together closely and communicated openly with each other. That was extremely important. Our senses of style were also a good match, so she was able to understand and deliver my vision for the store.

While we could have rented a storage unit, we chose to pack up all of our merchandise and store it in the center of the room, covered in sheets. The tradespeople had to work around it, but it made a huge difference to how quickly we were able to hang things back up on Wednesday morning. Imagine – we arrived at 8:00 a.m., and opened at 10:00 a.m.!

I had a moment of doubt when I saw the state of things on Sunday morning, but the designer quickly reassured me that the workers were starting later in the day and would work into the night. And indeed, we met our goal of a four-day renovation!

That’s where having a designer really paid off. She was so diligent in communicating back and forth between me and the tradespeople, so everything kept moving and I always knew exactly what was going on.

There are always other less expensive options for renovations, but you have to realize that it’s a trade-off. Then it might be you calling tradespeople or vendors, making design decisions, or even assembling furniture or fixtures.

Do what you do best and pay others to do what they do best. It is so important for professionals to understand the best use of their time and skills, and this extends to all areas of your business.

The same valuable lesson applies to household tasks and projects. Some people love being part of the process, others find it stressful and find that it’s well worth paying for help. On the do-it-yourself end you can get free advice on colors at a home improvement store, and on the premium service end you can have a decorator source, select, and even go out and purchase everything for you. And there is a whole range of options in between.

We’re extremely happy with the results and process of our renovation at Brabary. The staff is thrilled and there’s been a noticeable improvement in morale. While some of our returning customers haven’t even noticed (the colour changes were that subtle), we know that we’re creating a better first impression for our new customers.