12/21/07

It feels like forever since my last blog.  As I'm sure a few of you heard, we had our Tonner Company Store Open House on Saturday, December 8th.  It was a huge hit and so many of you came out to celebrate with us!  The day began with a few collectors finishing early at the factory sale and heading up the street to the store to be among the first to buy "Grand Opening."  By noon, the store was packed with locals and collectors who traveled far and wide to celebrate with us. 

The day began with a few collectors finishing early at the factory sale and heading up the street to the store to be among the first to buy "Grand Opening."  By noon, the store was packed with locals and collectors who traveled far and wide to celebrate with us. 

The party was officially kicked off with our ceremonial ribbon cutting.  Dozens of guests gathered outside on the sidewalk to cheer us on.  Robert along with City of Kingston Mayor, James Sottile, Ulster County Chamber of Commerce President, Ward Todd, Dr. Noreen and many of the Tonner staff posed behind the giant ribbon for photos-giant scissors and all!

After we all gathered back inside, Robert signed dolls, guests mixed and mingled as they made their way out to the tent for refreshments.  Door prizes were awarded every 15 minutes via random drawings.  It was a wonderful day and we were honored that so many of you were able to join us. 

11/27/07

This will be my last blog before the open house!  The work is just about done and we are gearing up to welcome you all on Saturday.  I cannot believe it's finally here.  The store looks better than I imagined and everyone has been working hard to put the finishing touches on the store. 

Earlier this week, a reporter from our local cable news channel (Cable 6) came and interviewed Robert.  She saw the store, toured the factory and took a lot of footage of just about everything!  The interview is scheduled to air tonight.  If we can get a copy, we will most certainly post it on our website. 

Robert and Joe have been doing what they do best-making everything look beautiful.  Robert decorated the tree and Joe took care of the exterior decorating.  The store looks so festive.  The colors tie together beautifully!  The lighting is perfect and the store has a very warm feel to it.

Noreen and Irma along with help from most of the Tonner staff have been organizing, cleaning, doll de-boxing and doing all of  the other tasks involved with opening a store.  They have done an amazing job at making sure we are ready to open the doors on Friday. 

While I was snapping pictures this afternoon, Timely Signs (the company handling all of our outdoor signage) came to install our official "Tonner Company Store" letters!  They looks so majestic against the green background. 

We will see you all on Saturday!  For those of you who can't make it, I will be sure to post a recap of all of the festivities!

11/27/07

The store is just about ready!  We will begin moving stock over to the new store any time now and we hope to have the doors open this weekend for a very soft opening.  We will have to see how the rest of the week goes before we will know for sure.  Of course I will keep you all posted on the progress. 

The flooring is down in the party room and the room has such an open and sunny feel to it.  The party room should be complete later this week along with both bathrooms and all of the finishing touches. 

Speaking of finishing touches, we are still waiting on a few such as the counter tops which are incredible!  The electrical work has been completed and the plumbing is almost done too.  We are almost ready to officially open!!

Doctor Noreen is ready to work at her new state-of the-art doll hospital/ER.  Not only will she repair Tonner dolls, but she will fix just about any doll now!  Her "medical" skills are highly revered here in Kingston, so it will be a natural transition for her.  Noreen is a very talented "plastic surgeon" and can even reassemble ceramic elephants that broke into hundreds of unrecognizable pieces!  Just ask her about that "operation." 

We can't wait to see you all at the Open House Saturday, December 8th from 2-4pm!!

11/15/07

Wow! That was the first thing I said when I walked into the Company Store this week. A lot of the work in the main storeroom has been completed and the results are astonishing. This blog will have more photos than ever because they are just too great to pick and choose the best to show.

Tom has been busy planning and merchandising and has everything mapped out and ready for the "move in."   

The heavenly clouds have been painted on the ceiling and they look fantastic. They have a gold(ish) tone to them; they are not just plain white clouds. They have such a rich texture and an angelic radiance about them. They are just incredible!

The custom wall displays were going in as I arrived and they are also absolutely stunning. The time and craftsmanship that went into them is apparent in every detail. We should be stocking the shelves next week!

The party room is also in the process of being painted. The color is a buttery shade of a pale, creamy yellow. Ted said the flooring for that room will go in on Saturday. I will do my best to take some photographs of that.
 

Jack and Noreen just returned from their visit to the store and they were thrilled with what they saw.  The lighting is in and they are painting the custom displays.  I will get pictures and post them as soon as I can.
 

11/09/07

We are getting into the fun stuff now! Everything is changing so quickly and it is really coming together. The wood floors, the wall, trim and ceiling colors look incredible together and it is definitely looking like a real store now!

I saw Derek painting the exterior window sill yesterday and he explained that he had some last minute changes to make. As he painted, he also told me how much his mother in Florida enjoys seeing what her son is up to on the blog. How sweet!!

Tom has been working hard on getting the trim and flooring installed. The wood looks beautiful and really compliments the wall color. As soon as the flooring installation is complete, the trim along the baseline of the walls will go in and finally the display units. Then we can finally stock the shelves!!

I brought Tom Courtney (Visuals and Merchandising Director) along with me today as he is beginning to plan out the merchandising layout. Armed with stock lists and display shelving maps, he is ready to merchandise!


 

11/05/07

The Tonner Company Store is getting close! Jack and I went to visit today and things are really progressing along quite well. The ceiling in the front room has been painted a striking shade of sky blue (an artist is coming in to paint beautiful clouds on the ceiling). The walls in the party room bathroom have been painted and are awaiting the wainscoting.               

They are installing the subflooring now and Tom told us that as soon as it is completely installed, they will finish the interior painting. Once that is finished, the wood flooring will go in. Tom is fairly confident that the flooring installation will begin next week and could be finished by next Friday! As soon as that happens, the displays will go and then finally the products!! They still have a lot of little things to complete like installing the lighting fixtures, finishing the bathrooms, light switches and power outlets.

We have been busy planning the Open House on Saturday, December 8th from 2-4pm. Scott from Sav-On Party Rental come to take a look at the space as we will have to rent a tent to be sure there is plenty of room for everyone to really enjoy themselves. Between the Factory Sale (10-1pm) and the Open House (2-4pm) it will be a BIG day for us!

10/26/07

The renovations are nearing completion and we are all so very excited! The walls are all primed and ready for paint, the trim is going in, the ceiling support beams are being covered and the wood flooring is there and ready for installation! We are so close to moving in and setting up, but a few weeks feels like an eternity now that we are in the home stretch!

I made my way down to the basement which I haven’t done in a while and it also looks as great as a basement can look. It is clean and dry! It would make a great place to store extra supplies and miscellaneous store items.

I also got to see (and share) the official picture of the first Tonner Company Store exclusive 16” fashion doll! Her name is “Grand Opening” and she is limited to only 300 pieces! I bet she will sell out at our Open House event on Saturday, December 8th from 2-4pm (wink, wink)….

10/22/07

The walls are primed and ready for paint! The Company Store is beginning to look very official. Aaron was finishing painting the exterior trim and Tom was working on installing the trim around the windows. Aaron told me a bit about Tom’s carpentry skills and he had nothing but glowing compliments on his work. Judging by the work I have seen so far, Aaron’s compliments are certainly warranted.

The wood flooring for the office and the store has been delivered and will go in soon (once they finish painting). Aaron thinks painting could begin as early as tomorrow as they have all of the paint. They are expecting rain later this week so they would rather paint while it is still dry.  And now....

BEFORE...

AFTER!

I went upstairs to the office space and it looks amazing! It will make one incredible loft-style office. It is so bright, open, airy and sunny with windows on all four walls, recessed lighting and high ceilings.  As I drove away from the store today, I was in awe over the changes that have taken place.

I just returned from my daily visit to the store and Tom is priming the walls for paint. I think we will start to see some real wall color late this week or early next week. They did a little detail painting to the façade and it looks even better! It really shows off the detail of the woodwork and the colors compliment each other quite well. Once the walls are painted, the floors will be installed followed by the trim and finally the custom displays will go in!!

The estimated completion date has been pushed back to the end of October. Considering the amount of work that went into this project, it really hasn’t taken as long as I would have imagined. As soon as we possibly can, we will get in there and begin setting up the store!

I also have exciting news. We have an official date for our grand opening “Open House” event! The Open House will be Saturday, December 8th from 2pm-4pm. It’s the same day as the factory sale which is 10 am-1pm. Mark your calendar as these are two events no Tonner Doll collector can miss! Of course no Tonner gathering would be complete without giveaways and goodies!! Did I mention there would be a store exclusive? And of course Robert will be on hand to chat and sign the exclusive Tonner Company Store doll.

Further Open House details are not available yet, but will be posted as we get closer.

I visited the Tonner Company Store Wednesday morning to meet with a photographer from the Kingston Times and we are getting closer to opening. The walls will be ready for primer and paint early next week as they are finishing taping and applying the joint compound. All of the interior paint colors have been selected, so it should really come together by late next week.

The projected completion date for the renovation work is now later this month which means the grand opening celebrations will be a little delayed as well. The custom shelving units have been made and are just awaiting installation which should happen around the third week of October. Once the custom shelving is in, it will be painted, and then we can begin setting up! I also had the opportunity to see the first Tonner Company Store exclusive and it is amazing. I wish I could share more, but I can’t. You will just have to wait and see!

We have real walls! We have real stairs! We even have exterior paint! The store looks like a store now and it is incredible. I have been visiting regularly, and the changes are astonishing.

The new stairs arrived late last week and have been installed.

 They are unfinished and covered with paper to protect the wood while they continue to work. Almost all of the drywall is up and is just about ready for taping, spackling, and painting.

Tom said they might be ready to paint the interior later next week!

The exterior of the building has been painted and the colors are perfect! The restoration transformation is so great; it looks like a new building. One of the most incredible improvements to the exterior of the building is the new cornice that was just installed yesterday. It is so subtle, but it gives the building an entirely different look.

Right now, it looks as though the work will be finished closer to the end of the month, which will delay our grand opening just a bit. It will be well worth it and we will still be open before the holiday shopping season kicks off. Speaking of the store opening…. We have been busy planning. We are ironing out the little details like getting the phone line hooked up, Internet access, electricity, cash register and all of those other “little” details.

We have a few little surprises up our sleeve for the Tonner Company Store. Oh and did I mention we will have a store exclusive?? An amazingly incredible store exclusive??!!

Robert selected the exterior paint colors and they are amazing! The colors are very warm and classic and they truly compliment each other. Right now, some test sections have been painted on the brick, façade, door and windows. The actual color placement choice may change as they are testing different combinations with the colors, but I do believe the final outcome will be incredible. Also, the framework for one of the Tonner Company Store signs is on the side of the building. The wiring for lighting is there too. Now we just need lights and an actual sign!

All of the insulation is in. It only took them about a day and a half to complete the installation. Watching them install it was a riot! There was a guy walking around on stilts while he installed the ceiling insulation and the higher sections of the walls. The drywall installation could begin as early as tomorrow. The inside of the building has such a warm and cozy feel to it now compared to the coldness of the exposed brick. Not only does it look better, but it will be a lot more energy efficient with the thick insulation. Once the drywall goes up, everything will look so different!

The old stairs are officially gone, (RIP). They were very old and not too stable at all. The guys carried them out and bashed them with hammers to get them into pieces small enough to fit into the dumpster. Tom said the new stairs should be here later today. I can’t wait to see what they look like.

I will most definitely be there tomorrow to get some pictures of the new stairs and hopefully the drywall installation. Right now, it looks as though we should be open around the first or second week of November! Keep an eye on the website and on the Tonner Collector’s Club Yahoo Group for exciting grand opening news! Oh, and did I mention there would be a Tonner Company Store exclusive doll that WILL be here in time for the grand opening???

The week has started out with a bang! I visited the Company Store this morning and I saw just how close we are to getting insulation and drywall! The plumbing and electric have been “roughed in” both upstairs and down. Roughing the electric and plumbing is when the piping and wiring that run along the inside of the walls (through the interior framework) are in put in place and awaiting inspection

It gets “finished” once the drywall, electricity outlets and actual plumbing fixtures (such as sinks, toilets, showers, etc.) are connected and working. Ted told me that the plumbing and electric should be inspected at any time now. Once it is inspected and it passes, they will install the insulation and then the drywall.

Last week, Ted told me that they will begin custom-fitting the façade this week. Sure enough, when I visited this morning, I saw the guys getting it ready. One of the guys was priming the wood and a few others were outside getting it ready for the installation. It looks like it will go up pretty quickly. I will be sure to visit daily so we don’t miss a thing!

On another note- did I mention we are planning a grand opening? Did I mention we will have a store exclusive for our grand opening? Did I mention that we have other exciting exclusive items planned for the store?? Did I mention I can’t share anything else about that just yet?

We have doors!! We have windows!! And we almost have electricity and plumbing. I know I say it all the time, but the store is really coming together quickly! All of the interior wall framing is complete, all windows and doors have been installed, the roof has been repaired and the exterior is primed and ready for paint.

And that brings me to the paint… Robert is testing various exterior colors to determine which will be used on the trim, windows, doors, and façade. He hasn’t decided yet, but when he does, you will be the first to know!!

I saw Ted Musialkiewicz this morning during my visit so I pummeled him with my list of questions. He has been so kind as to answer all of them as simplistically as possible so that a “layperson” (like me) can actually understand. Ted has been doing this for 43 years and I can certainly see why. He is great at what he does and he truly cares about the quality of his company’s work.

Ted explained that they are fabricating the ductwork for the HVAC system. It should be completed and installed by late next week. The plumbing and wiring should also be complete within the next week or two. Once that is complete, the insulation and drywall will be installed. Ted said the insulation and drywall installation will take about 1-2 weeks to complete. Once they finish that, they will do the trim, install the flooring (wood in the main room and throughout upstairs, ceramic tile and some vinyl tile.

I noticed one of the guys drilling holes into the sides of the building and inserting long steel rods with stars. I asked Ted what they were for and he explained that it was just another form of support to “tie the building together.” They are attached to the main support beams and keep the walls from shifting outward. With all of the added support to the building, I think the sinking, drooping, falling, and buckling will never happen again.

Ted said he is still on schedule and believes all of the work may be completed by the middle of October. That means our opening would not happen until late October/early November. I will definitely keep an eye on that! Rumor has it that we might be planning something fun for the grand opening (wink, wink)…

I visited the Company Store yesterday and it looks very different from when I popped in earlier this week. There were at least 10 guys working inside, outside and even on the roof!

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the primer partially applied to the side of the building near the parking lot. The primer alone makes the building look so clean and new! The second thing I noticed was that there were a lot of people working on the roof! Although I couldn’t see much, I did see the tar paper hanging over the sides and men working hard.

The inside of the store was astonishing! The old stairs were removed, all new framing is in place and two windows have been installed and the guys were prepping the third one for installation-today the front display window is going in. The actual window installation looked pretty fast and easy! Once they properly fit the actual window opening, they set the window in place and used a nail gun to secure it.

Once all of the windows are installed and the outside is painted, the building is going to look incredible!!

One my way out, I did get to meet the one and only Ted Musialkiewicz. Try saying that three times fast! Ted is the president of Musialkiewicz Construction Company, the construction company responsible for this incredible transformational renovation. After giving me a lesson on the proper pronunciation of his name (at my request), he explained what they were working on. And in case you are dying to know how to pronounce it, it is pronounced (MU-shal-KEW-itz).

Ted told me about the exterior and interior work they are currently working on. On the exterior, they are repairing and replacing the fascia and soffit. Also, there was a dip in the roof, so they are making the necessary roof repairs. That sinking corner really caused a lot of problems! Ted pointed out the window to one of the guys scraping the old paint off of the building's exterior in preparation for the paint. It looked very tedious to me, but it will be thorough and look A LOT better once it is painted. Inside, Ted explained, the guys are working on framing all of the interior walls. When all of the framing is complete, they will install the insulation in and finally put up the drywall.

Ted told me they will begin installing the windows on Thursday and they should all be in by Friday. The windows have to be in before they can work on the facade. Ted feels confident that the renovations will be complete by mid-October.

As promised, Tom called me when they were pouring the concrete onto the floor. When I pulled up, the concrete mixer was already spinning and pouring wet concrete into a wheelbarrow just outside the back door. It was then taken by the wheelbarrow-load into the “party room” and dropped onto the footings where another person (in knee high boots) schlepped through the concrete while pushing it around to fill in all the spaces in the floor. Once he spread it out, he took a screed machine to help level and smooth the concrete as he went along. It took all of my self-control not to personally “autograph” the wet floor.

After the thrill of watching the concrete was over, I went upstairs to see what was going on as it was pretty noisy up there. One of the guys was ripping up the floor boards to make more repairs. I asked him why and he explained that when they added the support beams and brought the floors below back to what they were structurally supposed to be, there was a “hump” in the floor. The top floor must have sagged at one time and instead of fixing it properly, cedar shakes were placed under the floorboards to level it without really repairing the problem.

While one more repair slows down the progress, they are moving quickly and feel they will be finished by mid-October! I also got the official store name from Robert!! It is the Tonner Company Store! Robert and Joe also let me in on another project they are working on… They wouldn’t give me too much information, but they said customers will have some “interactive fun” at the store. Hmmm, I wonder what that means...

8/15/07

It has been more than a week since I have had the opportunity to visit the company store and “WOW” was all I could say when I walked through the door. I was greeted by the sound of loud music mixed with hammering that came from upstairs. The temporary supports were removed and the steel support structure was put in place - running from the basement all the way to the roof! The old interior wall framework (separating it into smaller rooms) was completely removed, opening it up for some serious future dolly displays!

They are getting ready to pour the concrete in the “party room.” The footings are in place to add strength and durability to the side of the building that dropped a few inches. They made all of the repairs to that side of the building and the fresh concrete will finalize the repairs. According to Tom, the concrete will be poured tomorrow! He promised he would call me before they begin so I can take some photographs as they do it.

Tom said they are just finishing up with the structural framing (which should be complete by the end of today) and then they will frame the interior walls. Once, that is complete, the electrician will run the wiring and we will soon see actual drywall!! Most of the windows have been boarded up to protect the interior until the new windows are installed, but I did manage to see one brand new window!

I think it is safe to say, we will see a lot of change happen very quickly. I will visit a lot more often and write about all of the things I have seen. And of course, I will report on all of the things that happen behind the scenes too!

8/9/07

(CLICK THUMBNAILS FOR LARGER IMAGES)

Dr. Noreen and I just came back from the Company Store.  We are really in the midst of the “down and dirty” renovations; these are the things we won’t see once the building renovations are complete. The contractors have been working so hard adding temporary support walls until the steel support beams arrive, fixing the mortar in the party room, and making the final repairs to the rear corner where the building sank. The basement is so squeaky clean and dry, we can actually store things down there (I was holding my breath on that one, but the contractors ARE miracle workers)!

Dr. Noreen

The next step is deciding where the electric outlets will be located as well as phone lines and any other wiring before the sheetrock goes up. Once the drywall is up, the fun will really begin and the visual transformation will be immediate and noticeable!

In my opinion, the most exciting part is what is happening behind the scenes. We are having fun planning all of the little and not so little details of the store like its name, our grand opening (of course we are planning one!!), and special goodies you will only find in our company store.

Stay tuned as I will have lots more to report soon!

7/23/07

(CLICK THUMBNAILS FOR LARGER IMAGES)

The company store is continuing to change significantly each time I visit. I have to admit; right now, the building looks like it is about to be torn down. The top floor windows have been removed, and most of the exterior paint has been washed away by the power washing. Yellow caution tape seals off the front entrance and various areas inside of the building. This is only temporary; they do have to tear down and remove before they can rebuild and add.

Inside looks pretty much the same (but the structure itself has had some improvements). In the basement, the footings are in place and set in concrete. The floor is clean and dry and that moist, musty smell is virtually gone. The basement is no longer a scene from a horror movie; it actually looks great (well, as great as a basement can look). One of the guys was drilling into the brick near a window for an I-beam (Click here for a definition of an 'I-Beam'). This is to increase the support in the sunken corner that was repaired.

Outside, the sunken corner was completely repaired and the area around the building was filled back in. It was pouring rain when I was looking at the repaired exterior corner and just as Art said; the water was running off the building right into that once damaged corner. Now that they have repaired the damage and added the concrete and other supports, this won’t happen again (even with the rain pounding on it).

The building transformation will be amazing once they finish; the "before" and "after" will be a true testament to everyone’s hard work and thorough planning.

7/13/07

(CLICK THUMBNAILS FOR LARGER IMAGES)

The demolition is really taking off now. I visited Art and Joe expecting to see some change, and I did! A front-end loader and excavator were parked at the sunken corner and were used to dig out around the foundation so they can make the necessary repairs.

I walked in through the back and directly into the future "party" room and noticed the changes immediately. They removed the sheetrock and insulation from the entire ceiling. Beams were exposed and insulation remnants dangled from rusty nails jutting out from the wood. Art said they will strip the beams, replace what needs to be replaced, put in new insulation and put up new sheetrock before taping and painting.

Art showed me the progress in the basement; it looks like a different place! The "skeletons" of what used to be walls were all removed, the debris was gone and I could see a wet, gray cement floor! The floor was wet because they used a special saw that required the blade to be wet at all times.

To reduce the moisture and remove the water from the basement floor, an industrial fan was placed at the bottom of the stairs and a dehumidifier was working in the opposite corner. There were holes in the floor for the concrete footings. The footings will help support the main floor above and reduce the chances of structural deflection.

Art said they are working from the "bottom floor to the top floor." So, once the basement is finished, the main store floor will be next, then finally the top floor (which will be rented office space).

As I walked around, taking in the not-so-subtle changes, I noticed neatly stacked piles of bricks all around me. A few of the brick walls separating the main room from the back room were knocked out and the semi-wall in the middle of the main room was almost gone! Some of the boards were removed from the windows and sections of floorboards were removed. I could see down to the basement through the gaping openings in the floor. Joe yelled up to me encouraging me to face my fears and come down to finally see it. I was a little fearful of it the last few times, so I avoided it.

I made my first trip down the uneven, dirty, cement steps to see exactly what they were doing and it looked like the perfect horror movie setting. It was dark with a string of caged light bulbs barely illuminating the cob webs, dirt, and rotted wood. It was very moist and cool and it had a musky scent. Even Tom said he didn’t want to hang out there for too long. They told me when they finish cleaning, making repairs and renovating, I would hardly recognize it.

Art led me out back because he wanted to show me one of the little things we can’t so easily see. He explained to me how the back corner of the building sank. It sank because there was a heavy piece of equipment that sat in the corner for quite a while and the water from the roof drained at the same corner which just washed away the already weakened foundation. They dug out around the corner along the foundation and will make the necessary repairs.