When I started this blog not so long ago, I envisioned flighty little posts about flowers and plants, the odd crafty project here and there with some foody things thrown in.  I did not anticipate posting many weighty things, and I’m sorry if that’s not what you signed up for.  I know how that feels.  But when the weighty stuff starts to take over, you have to release the pressure somehow, and this is my way.

As I write this, we have yet to hear anything official about the offer we submitted yesterday for the building the bar is in, only that the landlords’ first response was “not to respond”.   Their broker says they have two offers $100K higher than ours.  Since our offer was based on market rents and recent sales, I feel we offered a  reasonable and fair price, and it was as much as we could afford.  They may actually have those two offers, or they may be playing games with us.  In any case, it’s a waiting game now.

In the meantime, we’re back to the beginning – looking for alternate space and wondering what the hell we will do if we can’t find any.  More weighty stuff.  But what keeps us going is the amazing, never-ending stream of people, some complete strangers, who continue to wish us well and even more incredibly offer us money toward the down payment, WITHOUT even being asked.  Just when I am so beat down I am ready to quit, to turn my back and walk away, I get an incredible letter from a fellow restaurant owner I’ve never even met.  Or an email from a regular offering money and friends who only ask how much and when can they give it to us.  Or The Geek gets an email from a long lost friend reminding him of the community we’ve created along with some of the best people on earth.  A Facebook page started by a long-ago Roanoke fan that now has 1,400 FREAKING fans that post the most amazing stuff.

Those are the things that keep us going, that make me keep checking Craigslist and the Commercial listings for spaces and bars for sale, that make me drive around writing down phone numbers from lease signs.  My quitting cannot be the reason we fail.   All that love you’re sending our way? That’s what we’re made of.  It makes the weight a little lighter.Thanks for helping us bear it.

xoxo