This weekend would have been the last possible moment for me to get in and start setting up for my second location. Drove by the location yesterday and while a flurry of activity has taken place on the outside, the inside still looks barely framed, without walls, etc.

The interesting thing about this whole thing to me has been the landlord's time line. When I first checked out the place in mid-July, he talked about being ready in September. I laughed, thinking he was joking. I'm not a developer, but I know the old saws; renovation will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expect. (Or is it one third? Whatever, longer and costlier for sure.)

See, my original idea was to go in on the first of the year. He wanted me to to in on the first of October. We settled on the first of November.

By the time he finally got a lease to me, a month had passed, and it was clear to me that even the first of November was optimistic. One of the appeals of the idea was that I would have plenty of time; I wasn't looking to be a stress puppy. For instance, my wife still hasn't got her full quota of bookshelves, and I would have needed even more of them. So I wanted plenty of time to absorb all the misadventures and miscalculations.

I asked for a December 1 starting date on my rent, BUT with the understanding that I'd want to open a couple of days before Thanksgiving. Once he insisted on me renting before the first of the year, I became enamoured of the idea of setting up in time to scoop up some Christmas booty.

He presented me with a November 1 starting date.

So that's the confusion for me. How can I, who have none of the inside info on permits and contractors, etc. realize clearly that there was no way it was going to happen, and the landlord, who supposedly wants a viable client, not see?

It turned out to be a moot point, really, because he stuck in that nasty 6 month buyout for 3k clause, which I would've been crazy to accept.

But if he had offered me the December 1 date, I would have at least inquired if the buyout clause was negotiable. Who knows.

So the clock is ticking. When will it be fully finished? When will it be fully leased?

It will be ironic if it turns out to be later than Jan.1, 2008.



Speaking of Developers. If I was the guy who bid 3.5 million for the land on the corner of Greenwood and Wall, and I saw that my competitor had offered 1.4 million, and the Bend Urban Renewal Agency told me that the price of the land wasn't the most important factor, wouldn't I just lower my offer by, oh, 1 and a half million dollars or so? And if I was the cheaper guy, wouldn't I up my offer by half a million or so? Aren't we, the taxpayers of Bend, likely to end up with a bid around 2 million instead of 3.5 ?

Good job.