Framing for the Washrooms

We're into the second week of renovation and things are looking good.  The framing for the washrooms are up, plumbing and electrical are in for that area.  The place will have 4 washrooms, two rooms with two toilets and two separate washrooms for employees since I think we will have more than 5 staff members on the floor. The place itself is over 3,500 sq on the main floor alone (2 major rooms and a backroom). Castle will have a maximum capacity of 100 people and it's no small project.

Before

After Framing 

      It's only going to get crazier.  Sometime next week-  two AC units need to be installed , a water tank, and two furnaces need to go in.  There's going to be so much duct work to be done and there is a little confusion on where it's suppose to go according to the architects plan.  I sometimes have doubt if it was worth it to have the ceiling exposed but  I feel like the extra ceiling space would make the place nicer despite all the madness on the ceiling.  Some covers for the pipes, paint and 28 new drop down track lights will make the place brighter (compared to the old boxed lights that use to be there).

This is what the back room looks like. 

CRFA show

I was lucky enough this year to go to the CRFA show to get connected with my local vendors and the big distributors.  The place was so big that I barely had enough time to talk to everyone.  Every owner that was mutual interested  had their info. scanned so a follow up would happen later in the week.  

There were tons of cakes, bars, beer, sandwiches, cheese and breads to try. I have never been surrounded by so much food and beverages yet feel so unsatisfied.  There was food everywhere but I couldn't just sit and eat properly.  I had to sample a few bites here and there.

This has to be the "oh my good it's so good I want to die for" cake.  It  was gluten free but it had to have nuts in it  It was better than the flour-less cake at the Distillery District that Allen got for us (sorry Allen).  If i had to describe it ... it has a chocolatey crumbly base, with creamy mocha, and it tasted like reeses with more goodness on top. Out of the 50 samples I had, this had to be the best.

    

Logos

Brand Decks 

Rook & Co. is helping with our brand. Consistency is sometimes good. Here is the initial brand deck that the designers were pushing for.  It's super colorful and a little more sporty than I imaged.

 

       For me, the main logo is too complicated so I may be opting for something else.  I <3 the supporting icons for the drinks though.   I may be choosing one of the other logos they came up with, like this one...

or this one...

and this one...

Tell me which is your favourite, it might be the one you see on the storefront.

Changes and Windows

Changes

It seems like Spadina and College is going through a lot of changes.  There are building permits posted everywhere.  Gentrification is happening fast and most projects will be done by summer 2013.
         Some of the changes that have occurred :
- El Macombo changed new owners and they re-invested in making the place look nicer.
-I think a giant Shoppers is going in the corner.
-There were even protests against a Loblaws building their 20,000 square foot on the second floor last week!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/02/17/toronto-friends-of-kensington-protest.html
-New condos are building built left and right.

I'm just happy that Castle is also going to be a part of all this change too.

Windows
          On another note, someone threw a brick at our storefront.  It totally sucks when stuff like this happens but I think you can always turn a bad situation into an opportunity if you look hard enough.   We took this opportunity to rebuild the store front.  We moved the store front closer to the street.  We also moved the entrance to the other side and installed double doors.  The windows are now twice as thick  and everything looks so much prettier than what it was before.  I feel like the lil indie entrepreur that could.  I just pray that El Macombo doesn't leave their truck of bricks in front of our store again, it's just asking for trouble.

 I will update the before and after pictures later this month.
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Castle Cafe 

The journey to make Castle (Board Game Cafe) possible so far has just been non-stop chaos   I started last summer  and now it's mid February 2013.  Everything was delayed as soon as there was a zoning issue and a license lapse since last winter.  The biggest delay would be that the 6-8 weeks to get a business license ending up taking 3 months and during that time.  The building permits were also on hold.

The good news is that, the final building permits have been approved by the city this week.  We have officially started on the renovations.  Currently, there is nothing there.  There is no washrooms, no plumbing, no flooring, the ceiling is not done and don't even want to talk about electrical.  It"s just going to be one crazy project and I hope that it is worth.

Cafe's Layout.

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Day 4 - Westminster Church , Green Park

          I would like to introduce to you a little bunny. She's is adorable for a black bunny.   She is an adult bunny and she's sooooooo tiny!   

          Due to poor genetics, she has no front teeth :(  When she licks my finger I kinda wonder if she likes me or it's a sign that she is actually trying to bite me.  

          Today, Susan's mummy created some Hungarian treats called “túró” It's basically a cottage cheese dumpling that has been baked or fried with butter and served with sour cream or icing sugar.  They are so delicious.

          I went to Westminster Cathedral in the morning.  It is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales.   It's located in the city.  It is rather different looking from most churches but I think it still looks nice.  It has bricks that contrast each other.  

          The contrasting bricks or bands are Portland stones.  The exterior of the church kinda reminds me of a gingerbread house with lots of piped icing.

 

          No photography was allowed inside :'( which is a shame.  I think this church as very unique and is still worth seeing though.  It is larger than how it looks.  There are various sectioned areas 4-5 rooms to the right and 4-5 rooms to the left for prayer.  There are many mosaic pictures and a room with treasures to look at.  

 Why must everyone looks so darn serious?

           It's a few hours pass noon in front of Buckingham Palace.  The flag is up!  And if the flag is up, it means that the queen is home.   I wonder what she is doing today.

This place oddly isn't so crowded today which means...I can take a break from walking and sit around the fountains before I head to Green Park.

Ta-da. The entrance gates to Green Park.  Isn't it so grand?

Green Park is quite big ...

 and has lovely trails for pedestrians.

          I was able to find the monument for the Canadian troops that fought to defend England in WW2 in this park.   The monument was a fountain with maple leaves on the surface where the water falls.  I think it's cute that all the children try to touch the leaves but they won't move!

  "From Danger Shared Our Friendship"

Day 3: Camden Town

          I went to Camden Town today.  There are hundreds of shops here but it’s really popular for its market place.   It is here when you can find true London spirit. You can waste hours exploring the area from Camden Lock Market , Buck Street, Stables Market, and the indoor market known as the Electric Ballroom or just have awesome quick eats at the food market.   This place is so lovely.  It has this vibrant and young feel to it. 

         There was one really unique shop called Cyberdog.  We waited outside for a wee bit in a lineup and when we went downstairs it was dark, the place had it's own DJ blaring music and the place sold clubbing clothes.  Most of the clothes that look futuristic (think of the Jetsons) and they glow!

  

Susan got some Colossal donuts from this kiosk.

 Now that's what a call a donut!!! Mmmm.... donuts.

We ate along the river, sitting on one of these motorcycle halves of seats that were everywhere. 

I had a crepe at one of the stalls.

           It’s not the usual sugar and lemon but it’s darn tasty!  Pears and cinnamon can be great too.   A lot of people were getting savory crepes and it’s called a “country crepe” here with ham,eggs and cheese O_O omg, it’s practically a meal.  Then we wandered around the shopping area.  I don’t know why but I was really hoping to hear people bargain for stuff and say “quid” like on those British antique shows.  Noone says quid :'( only pounds I guess. 

There were some houses nearby that lined the streets.  

  They were just as quirky and vibrant as the market place. 

I think these row houses are quite cute.