We're going backwards here at the JP Knit & Stitch blog. We started blogging a bit late in the building process so we are working hard to catch up. We're sure you must be getting a little tired of all the building pics, but we love them and soon enough we are hoping to transition to a blog devoted to tools and materials other than saws, nails, wood, and paint. Until then, though, in this post, we want to spotlight the beautiful job Tim Hurley (
Hurley-Testa Construction) and his main man Jose did on the carpentry in the store. Here's a shot of Timmy and Jose in the early days of the store as workshop.
Here is Timmy mulling over the plans. Which he had to do. A lot. (Timmy is more used to building additions, gut renovations, and decks. Yarn and fabric stores...not so much!)
Here is Jose installing the adjustable fabric shelves. Jose's favorite song is Napoleon Dynamite. Drives Timmy crazy.
We had asked our incredible interior designer/architect Bobbi Davis (see previous post) to come up with a system of displaying our samples in the store. She of course came back with an amazing design for hanging multiple samples, almost creating a gallery effect. We love it because we think the things people make are works of art and deserve to be displayed as such. Timmy, a trained cabinet maker in his native Ireland, built these beautiful display spaces. He is such a talented craftsman (and climbs mountains for charity in his spare time!).
Timmy did a beautiful job on the carpentry in the store. It is hard to capture all the fine details in a photo. His work and attention to detail are evident throughout the store. We are so grateful.
We are almost finished with the build out of the store and are getting ready to stock shelves with our inventory! Stay tuned for details on our opening date. Hint: you should be able to shop at JP Knit & Stitch before the holidays...
We have said many times on this blog that we feel very lucky to work with such amazing people. We are now in the final stages of the build out of the store and we couldn't have got to this point without the hard work and dedication of Greg + Tim + Tony (Hurley-Testa Construction). They came in on Saturday to put the finishing touches on the store. And what finishing touches they were. Here's Tony (Greg's father, painter perfectionist, and former chemical engineer) putting the final coats on the fabric cutting table. Here he drizzles water on the 4 x polyurethaned surface.
Next Tony sands the water down on the surface with a high number grit sanding paper. When he has finished he will have sanded the surface with 200, 400, and 600 grit papers. Like I said, a perfectionist. (This is known in sanding circles as "going through the grits," a term I learned about on a Woodzone.com page called, "Sandpaper 101." Thanks, internet!)
Then he takes a dab of this old school paste wax and smoothes it into the surface.
Here is Greg and Tony sanding, waxing, and polishing our cutting table to a high shine. On Saturday.
Isn't it pretty! Don't you just want to cut fabric on that shiny, smooth surface?
And here is a last shot of Greg with his lovely wife Veronika. (They met when Greg helped her parents renovate their old Victorian in Newton. Don't they look happy?) Yes, you can see the almost completed store behind them...
