The day of the inspection was stressful. Because we do not often do the work that requires inspection, we don’t know what to expect. The plumber and electrician were on site because it is primarily their work that is being looked at. The inspector showed up two hours later than we expected, but it is… Continue reading Passing the rough-in inspection and moving on
Author: Brian Davis
The demolition and framing of the space
After nearly 3 years of plannings, architectural drawings, working through the permitting process with the town and mood swings from disappointment to despair, we finally begin the process of turning an empty shell of a building into our vision. The first step is to remove everything we do not need, and there is a lot… Continue reading The demolition and framing of the space
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #8 – Working on the details
At the end of September in 2021, Chris & I go into the half demolished building and set about to exploring what the working area might look like. Using tape on the floor we layout what we imagine the countertop/working space could be. We spend 2.5 hours trying a few iterations and expanding the footprint… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #8 – Working on the details
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #7 – Building a plan
First thing to note: It is at this point in time that I decide I would like to blog about the experience. That means that from this point forward, all posts will occur in real time and all posts before this point are based on recollections. Once we started playing with the idea of a… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #7 – Building a plan
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #6 – Pivot
We decided that if we would put it on the market, we could list it for sale or offer to lease it to a business. Before we took that route, we decided to explore one option: Could we open a cafe in the space? One of the problems that this approach would solve was Brian’s… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #6 – Pivot
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #5 – Giving up
In the midst of the pandemic shutdown, our architect finished the drawings. As the scientific community was gaining understanding of how the virus worked and the governments were slowly adapting their guidance based on the knowledge, the citizens of the world were trying to get on with life. We met the architect on the street,… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #5 – Giving up
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #3 – Second try at a building
As soon as we sold the building in Chattanooga, we decided that we were going to change plans. First, we would look for a building in our home town. Second, the business that would be in the building would be the existing yoga studio. The big limitation when you are looking for a commercial space… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #3 – Second try at a building
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #2 – First failed attempt
Opening a coffee shop is an idea that we have considered off and on for a number of years. The first time that we took an actual step in that direction was when we planned on moving to Chattanooga, TN. We considered leaving the Poconos and spent a fair amount of time considering where we… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #2 – First failed attempt
The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #4 – Finding some experts
As soon as we closed on the building the first thing that we did was contact a surveyor. And then we waited. And waited. And we waited some more. With emails every few weeks asking for an update on the progress and then phone calls asking for information. And then, four months later when we… Continue reading The origins of Jiva Java Cafe #4 – Finding some experts
The orgins of Jiva Java Cafe #1 – What this is
This is a blog. This blog has a few purposes. One of them is to tell the story of how Jiva Java Cafe came to be. I can tell you that the journey from start to the opening of our doors is a long and circuitous one, and a story that I hope you enjoy.… Continue reading The orgins of Jiva Java Cafe #1 – What this is