It's amazing how many times this one children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, can be applied to real life. Starting on one project, which leads to a whole new, unplanned-for, project, happens to all of us. Despite our meticulous planning for renovating the space...

We're starting to feel the pressure now that March is nearly halfway over. When we started renovating the space two months ago, April seemed so far away. Now, it's right around the corner. When we're there tearing things apart, many people poke their heads in the open...

Today, Presidents' Day, there was a marked shift in how renovation felt at the bookstore. The professional construction crew arrived. It was like the Cavalry coming in, and that felt pretty presidential — and LOUD — to me. (Be sure to turn your sound on.)...

Usually, the phrase "back to square one" means something fell through, but, in our case, it means we're able to move FORWARD. After we signed the store lease about a month ago, we kicked into high gear in demolishing interior (non-load-bearing) walls that we didn't...

I haven't blogged in a while because there's not really anything exciting going on down at the store. My step-son, who's doing a lot of the grunt-work with the demolition, got sidelined this week with a bad cold, so nothing happened. Last weekend, we rented a...

My husband, son, and I took a field trip to the Bay Area — specifically Berkeley and Oakland — to visit several bookstores for inspiration. We've been working with a bookshelf manufacturer on what our bookcases will look like. We know one thing already: white. And...

Demo Day 3 is under our belt. We’ve made much faster progress than we ever anticipated.

I do know that, in the world of interior design, you're supposed to find one piece of inspiration and build off of that. It's helped me as I have decorated our home over the years. We thought we found the entryway floor tile we wanted, but then, yesterday, our tile...

I've been diving into looking for historical information on what will be our bookstore. One of the things that struck me most was that, from the outside, the space looks small. But, once you get inside, you see how long and narrow it is. And there are three floors:...

My husband, Ross, and I have been chomping at the bit to announce the opening of our bookstore in downtown Sacramento for three months now. I guess that negotiating a retail lease takes longer than one might think. I am glad that I took liberties to do a...