The Making of Bondgård - Allendale Cheese Shop

Bergen Record Article, 7/29/08

2008-07-29T15:09:00.002-04:00

Elise Ung wrote a great article, accompanied by some great photos, for today's Bergen Record about the cheese shop. It was highlighted at the top of the Better Living Section, and was featured on the back page of the same section.

You can see it online here:

or read it below...

Allendale shop purveys local farmstead cheeses

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday July 29, 2008, EDT 6:30 AM

Michael Mahle always wanted to own a cheese shop. He even had visions of what it would look like. And Bondgard, the shop in Allendale he opened last month, is exactly that vision (if you switch around a marble counter and a refrigerator).

You won't find 300 types of cheeses at Bondgard. Instead, Mahle is emphasizing quality over quantity, with a focus on local farmstead cheese - mostly from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Vermont, a collection "that people don't necessarily have a chance to get anywhere else." He plans to offer 50 to 75 cheeses from places like Bobolink Dairy in Vernon, Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley and Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, Conn.

"These are the ones we tried and tested and think are good, and we think you will, too," said Mahle, 33. (He'll also carry popular imported cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Manchego, for those who come in looking for them.)

Mahle is an Allendale native who recently moved back after several years living in Manhattan. He attended the Institute of Culinary Education and was later a communications manager for the Zagat Survey. But cheese was always his passion; he liked exploring the differences and nuances of different kinds. "You can never get bored, there are so many exciting cheeses out there."

Bondgard - the name is Swedish for "farm" or "farmstead" - is in a former television repair shop that Mahle restored, even taking out layers of wallpaper and plaster to display some lovely exposed brick in the front. The shop also sells sandwiches on Balthazar bread, cupcakes and other baked goods by Allendale caterer Carin Marino (Mahle's mother-in-law), coffee and other cheese accompaniments like honey and crackers.

Mahle also plans to offer private catering. And each Friday, anyone can show up between 6 and 9 p.m. with their own wine or beer and for $15, the staff will lay out samples of several different kinds of cheese, meat and bread.

Bondgard blog: cheeseshopblog.blogspot.com

SmartMoney.com Article

2008-07-28T15:11:00.002-04:00

The cheese shop and I have been featured in an article today by Diana Ransom called Location, Location, Location on SmartMoney.com. Click the link above or read the text below. Thanks Diana!

TO MICHAEL MAHLE, picking the right location for his newly opened artisanal cheese shop, Bondgard, ranks up there with creating an air-tight business plan and landing seed funding. In fact, it's so important that he spent over a year debating about where to set up shop.

Since Mahle lives in the New York City area, numerous avenues were open to him. However, after canvassing business-brokerage web sites and analyzing the demographics of various towns, he finally settled on his hometown of Allendale, an affluent community in Northern New Jersey. "I needed an area where the population would accept a cheese shop," says Mahle, "and this place was perfect." Allendale's residents, he says, "tend to be more worldly and willing to pay a premium for quality."

Even though Mahle chose to park his business in a familiar setting, he's certain that the time he spent gathering information will pay dividends as he develops marketing campaigns and considers branching out to other locations in the future.

To be sure, it's optimal for a business owner to have a firsthand knowledge about a location, as it lowers the chance of setting up shop in an unexpectedly bad spot. However, even if you live down the street, there are a number of factors to consider before signing a multiyear lease. Here are a few:

Know Your Customer

Michael Mahle chose to locate his cheese shop, Bondgard, in Allendale, N.J., for its well-traveled, cheese-loving residents.

Your first task is to figure out who your customers will be, suggests Dorothy Finell, author of "The Specialty Shop," a book about creating a profitable retail business. Think about who your products or services appeal to...women? parents of small children? golf enthusiasts? Consider ages, too, says Finell, who adds that knowing specifically who you're targeting can help you both pinpoint the best locations and weed out the bad ones. "You can't even plunk the best of businesses in an area that's not conducive to the clientele that you're looking for," she says. "That's business suicide."

If you have an area in mind, make sure the area's demographics chime with your intended customer. You can usually research an area's average cost of living and median home income at local chambers of commerce, city hall or just by asking existing business owners. Check out demographic web sites such as ePodunk and ZIPskinny. Additionally, Yahoo's and AOL's real estate sites offer demographic information as well.

Timing Is Everything

Once you figure out whom to reach, Martin Lehman, a counselor in New York for SCORE, an affiliate of the Small Business Administration, recommends thinking about how and, more importantly, when your potential customer might consume your products or services. For instance, a prospective deli owner might prize a spot near an office park, while a restaurateur specializing in brunch would likely prefer a more residential setting.

Speaking from experience, Lehman cautions that areas that appear busy with pedestrian traffic might be deceptive. As a former owner of several women's apparel stores, Lehman once set up shop near a number of hot lunchtime restaurants, showcasing clothing in his store's big windows. However, he soon found that the crowds that came to the area only wanted sandwiches — and when they left, foot traffic was scarce. "I could have put a rack outside with a dollar bill hanging on it, and it would still be there," he says.

But Proximity Is Paramount

Proximity to complementary or similar businesses is also a huge determinate of success for many types of businesses, says Finell. For example, she says, "you don't want a tattoo parlor next to an antique shop." Instead, look for like-minded businesses. For instance, she says, "the type of person who would be shopping for antiques might also be interested in a linen shop." Or, she says, some businesses thrive when they're surrounded by competitors, which tend to share the same target audience. A fast-food franchise, for example, might consider locating near other fast-food businesses.

Additionally, for small businesses that rely heavily on foot traffic "being near a bus line, a subway line or parking is usually an absolute must," says Finell. Customers of these businesses (say, a retail shop or gift store) often make impulse-driven purchases — so location is more important than marketing, she says.

Customers who have convenience in mind also want to be able to enter and exit an establishment with ease, especially if they're driving, says Jon Schallert, a marketing and business location consultant in Longmont, Colo. For example, he says, being located on an extremely busy street won't help unless the turns in and out are easy and parking is available.

The Search Begins

After you have a better idea of what you're looking for, start your search. Mahle from Bondgard used business-broker web sites Vested Business Brokers and BusinessesforSale.com to search for potential store locations, although he ultimately landed his current location after spotting a for-rent sign in the window. Researching a location this way can help you get to know an area and learn about comparable prices that similar businesses pay, which can help you negotiate rent with landlords.

Business brokers can be helpful to use, as they generally provide demographic information and possibly the history of a certain location, according to Schallert. For instance, if you're planning on opening a bookstore, and the previous tenant also ran a bookstore, you'll want to know that, he says. After all, if the location didn't work for another business, it might not work for you.

Bergen Record Tidbit

2008-07-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

The Bergen Record's Food Editor Elisa Ung came to the shop last week, and a photographer followed a few days later. We'll be featured in an upcoming article but there are already some photos up on Bergen Record's website and in Sunday's Better Living section of the paper, was a mention about the cheese shop. You can read it here.

The text of the tidbit is here:

TODAY

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day: What's it about? We're not really sure, except it appears to be about sacrificing cheese so you can catch mice. Forget it. Instead, head to the region's newest cheese shop, Bondgard, whose shelves are lined with New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Connecticut cheeses, as well as artisan breads and homemade desserts. 85 W. Allendale Ave., Allendale; 201-825-0185; bondgard.com.

July 5, 2008

2008-07-09T16:19:00.010-04:00

July 3, 2008 - Family and Friends event

2008-07-09T15:21:00.016-04:00

July 4, 2008

2008-07-04T15:56:00.000-04:00

July 2, 2008

2008-07-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

The cases are up and almost ready for use...

June 27, 2008

2008-06-27T20:22:00.006-04:00

We had some more progress today. The first major shipment of cheese, cured meats and crackers and stuff came in. Chris from Balthazar Bakery came by today with some bread samples and some that we will dry out and use as display. A good day.

Antiques

2008-06-27T20:14:00.004-04:00

I'm not really an antique guy per se, but some things were appropriate for the shop. The first image is of antique milk bottle caps from Pine Tree Dairy which is long gone. Now in its place, since the 50s/60s, is Northern Highlands Regional High School - where both my wife Danna and I graduated from. Also in the shop are some antique cheese graters, cow bells and milk bottles from the 20s, 30s, and other decades and some other things
from here and there.

June 26

2008-06-27T20:08:00.007-04:00

Here are some pics of the progress on June 26.

Important Papers

2008-06-27T19:54:00.003-04:00

There are certain things you need to operate a foodservice business. And any business for that matter. Here are four of the six remaining items. The two I have yet to get are the Final Inspection notice and the Certificate of Occupation or "CO". I hope to get both of those by Wednesday of next week so that I can be open in time for the 4th of July.

Clockwise starting with the blue one: Milk/Dairy license, which is technically only needed if you are selling milk, which I plan to do to some degree, and I figure, better safe than sorry.

Next is my Authorization by the State to collect/charge tax. The bottom right one is my Certification of Satisfaction from the State Health Department. And lastly, my Allendale Business License.

Getting Closer

2008-06-24T08:14:00.007-04:00

A lot is going on these days. For starters, I got the marble counter top installed yesterday. I also unloaded most of the boxes from my basement and started stocking the shelves and moving the extra materials (shopping bags, plastic cups, etc.) to the store's basement. And some of the decor is going up and the AC and refrigerators have been turned on. Here are some of the latest photos...

Sunday Blessing

2008-06-22T18:53:00.002-04:00

My dad is a religious sort...Catholic at that. And so it was his request that we have his priest from Presentation Church in Upper Saddle River, perform a blessing of the shop.

So Father Bob Stagg came over today and read a blessing in addition to expressing excitement about the shop. I appreciated him coming over and my dad for suggesting it. I was surprised that this was the first retail shop he'd ever blessed in his decades of being a priest. He said he blesses houses once in a while and that he blessed an insurance agency about a year and a half ago, but that was about it.

Anyway, above is a photo of my dad and Father Stagg in the shop.

Light Fixtures

2008-06-20T23:07:00.005-04:00

Most of the light fixtures went up today. Mark and Christian from J.C. Electric worked a long day getting most of these up and running as well as installing the smoke detectors and fixing some outlets, drilling and installing an outlet in the floor for the large cheese case and putting the covers on the other outlets. They'll finish up the recessed lighting on Monday.

These photos show them in the middle of the install. It all looks much better now. More photos to come.

Refrigeration

2008-06-19T22:59:00.008-04:00

Wow. Today was a really crazy day. I'll get into more tomorrow, but here are some photos.

Plumbing - Sinks and Toilet

2008-06-18T18:08:00.004-04:00

Plumbing has been wrapped up. I've got a working toilet, working bathroom sink, working 3-compartment sink and hand wash sink. Again, props go to Brian Drewe's and his crew for getting the job done on time and with the great personalities and professionalism.

Field Trip!

2008-06-18T17:53:00.012-04:00

I took my shop's assistant manager Megan and two assistants Brenda and Sam on a field trip today. Scheduled stops included Bobolink Dairy in Vernon, NJ and The Cheese Works, one of my distributors of cheese, crackers, honey, chocolates and other items, in Ringwood, NJ.

First up was Bobolink where we got to meet Nina and several girls who work on the farm as well as learn some things about their cheese making process, the farm itself and of course sampling some of the goods including their cheddar (which is remarkable) and a cheese they call Frolic, which is subtle and refined. Both great cheeses. We also bought a loaf of their duck fat and garlic ciabatta which was beyond phenomenal. Truly excellent.

Afterwards we stopped at a little Italian Ice shop on the side of the road and then afterwards to the Pennings farm to pick up some fresh strawberries. Yum!

After that, we headed over to The Cheese Works where we got to meet the terrific Joyce Kahn, my sales rep, who had a table/room full of items to try. She went through the process of cutting up some cheeses and really trying to get a gauge on what my tastes were and how best to accomodate the needs of the shop. She was great and we all came away with a real love for both Joyce and the products the company has to offer.

Here are some photos of our day...

Cabinets

2008-06-17T18:55:00.006-04:00

Pete Hatchey installed my cabinets today. I think it looks great and will really look good once the major equipment is in.

In case you haven't noticed, there is a color scheme at play. The color of the cabinets match the red in the logo, the green table in the front is also similar to the green in the logo and the wall color (Benjamin Moore's "Sparkling Wine/Spumante #949) is similar to that of the logo. The flooring matches the brown to a degree, as does the mirror.

Anyway, here are some pics...

Flooring is Finished

2008-06-17T09:03:00.007-04:00

Flooring has been installed and it looks great. Here are some more pics...

Flooring Pt. 3

2008-06-16T14:12:00.003-04:00

Installation of the hardwood flooring is underway. It will be finished today, just in time for the heavy equipment delivery on Wednesday.

Before and After

2008-06-14T23:10:00.005-04:00

I wanted to wait until the shop was completed but couldn't wait any longer. Here's a quick before and after:

Painting

2008-06-14T22:52:00.011-04:00

I know my limitations and/or things I don't do well. Preparing taxes, electrical work, car issues, algebra equations and decorative painting all fit into that category. So I have professionals do them.

But over the years I've learned enough to at least understand what it is those professionals do. I still leave it to them, but participate where I can. Specifically in this case with painting.

My father-in-law is excellent at cutting - or doing trim work with paint. I am terrible at this - so fortunately he was on board to help out. And he did a truly fantastic job. I can use a roller fairly well so handled those duties.

Here's a step by step of our Friday and Saturday. I did the ceiling (ceiling white) on Friday. We worked the walls (Spumante - Benjamin Moore) in two shifts on Saturday, sandwiching in a visit from my birthmother Joyce and bringing her back to the city.

Subflooring

2008-06-14T22:49:00.001-04:00

The subfloor - basically plywood, went in on Friday in anticipation of the scheduled installation of the hardwood floors. I'm so stoked!

And as you can see, the spackling of the dry wall is complete. Time to paint!

More Doors

2008-06-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

Pete and George installed the remaining two doors today - one to the bathroom and one to the basement/cellar. Looking good.

Air Conditioning

2008-06-12T21:38:00.004-04:00

The air conditioning is going to be turned on for the first time tomorrow, which is terrific news. To commemorate, here is a photos of one of the ducts and below is the return.

Inventory

2008-06-11T11:54:00.009-04:00

Below is a photo of a ton of stuff that's taking up room in my basement. And this is nothing, you should see my in-law's garage! And the basement of the shop!

Okay, so why do this? There is a method to my madness. For starters, my basement needed some reorganizing. Secondly, this was to make sure I had everything I've ordered so far (that wasn't on back order). Thirdly, I needed to see it all to visualize where its going to go - space considerations, sizing stuff up, etc. Also, there are two other reasons that are strictly business: a) it's for insurance purposes and b) its to show the SBA/my bank that gave me the loan, where I'm spending their money.

So since the heat died down dramatically and the weather is perfect out, and because I have the IKEA folks putting together my filing cabinets - the timing was right.

Cleanliness is next to godliness. What you see here from left to right are mops, brooms, a bucket (three slim jim buckets are already at the shop), a mop bucket system, a motion activated hand towel dispenser, steramine tabs, glass cleaner and to the top right, storage buckets/pans that really don't have anything to do with cleaning products - they just made it in the shot. And on the bottom is a rubber mat to prevent slipping. I have seven of these, which will fit perfectly behind the counters and around the sink.

Believe it or not, these are just some of the cutting instruments I'll have. The parmigiano reggiano cutter, the cheese grater for truly fresh-grated parmigiano, and others are on their way. To the right, foil sheets for gooey blue cheeses and sanitary gloves.

Sandwich board - for sidewalk marketing:

Gift trays and baskets. The perfect gift to bring to a dinner party - a tray of cheeses and crackers. Here are some of the vehicles that will be used for that. Really nice, high quality baskets from the United Basket company out on Long Island. My sales rep Mel is an awesome guy. To the right is a 10 lb box of raffia.

Here are some decor items that visitors to the store will later recognize.

I could show more stuff , but that's bit boring - even for me. Now I'm off to the shop again.

Door with Glass

2008-06-11T11:52:00.002-04:00

Here are two more shots of the door/transom. This time with the glass installed.

Roxy

2008-06-09T13:21:00.002-04:00

It is really hot out there again today. Here's my dog Roxy taking a break from chasing the ducks in the stream/river behind our house.

Doors

2008-06-09T13:18:00.005-04:00

I got a front door and transom today!

It's so nice to see after the really awful door that was there originally!

Here are some pics of them installing it:

Flooring

2008-06-09T13:10:00.007-04:00

Sunday was the hottest day of the year...and just so happened to be the day I decided I needed to rip up the remaining flooring. Ugh.

It had to be done today though, because Monday was going to be busy in the shop, and I needed it all cleared out so that others could do what they needed to get done.

On hand today was my brother-in-law Tim. Between the two of us, we probably lost 6 lbs of water weight during the five hours or so it took to rip up the floor. It was grueling work, probably the most labor intensive work I've done to date. And very rewarding. And I saved about $1400 by doing it myself. I was thrilled to have Tim with me and owe him a lot for helping out.

Here are some pics:

Flooring

2008-06-05T20:31:00.002-04:00

The flooring has been an issue since the beginning but is now getting better. The previous owners put layer on top of layer of junky material (vinyl, carpet, foam, linoleum, etc.) in the center of the room that needs to be ripped out before we can put the new floor down. I started ripping out the old floor last weekend and will continue this weekend. The top part of this picture shows the real wood flooring that has to be decades old, but is still in good shape. The bottom part of the picture shows the stuff I've been removing...

HVAC

2008-06-05T20:30:00.001-04:00

Here's the new and improved, and much smaller, heating/cooling unit. Nice. This will be functional by tomorrow.

Sheet Rock Pt. 3

2008-06-05T20:26:00.003-04:00

Sheet rock is mostly all up. Pete and George have started to spackle and getting it to look like real walls. Here's the latest...

Friendly Reminder re: Facebook

2008-06-05T11:53:00.006-04:00

For those new to the blog, Bondgård - Allendale Cheese Shop has a Facebook profile, so please feel free to click the logo below and become a "friend" of the shop.

Balthazar Bread Tasting Pt. 2

2008-06-04T21:43:00.002-04:00

My sales rep Chris from Balthazar came up to Allendale again today with a whole bunch more bread to sample. We picked some winners and look forward to offering them at the shop. Due to inclement weather, we had the meeting at my in-law's house (kitchen) - which was perfect for the tasting. Here are some more of the breads we got to try:

Sheet Rock Pt. 2

2008-06-04T21:41:00.003-04:00

The shop is starting to look like a shop! Once the duct work for the HVAC was complete, Pete Hatchey and George were able to move on the sheet rock. And they really got some headway today. Here's a look:

Electrical Pt. 3

2008-06-04T21:38:00.004-04:00

J.C. Electric was back in the shop today as well. Mark and his buddy put an outlet in for the hot water heater and installed the fan and light in the bathroom.

HVAC

2008-06-04T21:30:00.007-04:00

The fine folks at Van Natta Mechanical are putting in my new furnace and air conditioning. They got started today bright and early and made quite a bit of headway. The old furnace has been removed from the basement and the ductwork is already in place. We'll have two floor vents, two ceiling vents and a return toward the back of the store. Ideally, we'd have the vents in the walls, but there is very little wall space to work with. They should be done by tomorrow with the install of the new furnace and remaining duct work.

old furnace is gone

new duct work in basement

Business Cards Pt. 2

2008-05-31T00:53:00.002-04:00

Here are the final versions of the business cards. The first is my personal business card, and the one below is the generic card that will double as a "frequent flier" card. For every sandwich you buy, you'll get a stamp on the back of the card. Once you have purchased 10 sandwiches, and thus have 10 stamps, you get a free sandwich. Pretty good deal I think.

Storefront Sign

2008-05-31T00:41:00.003-04:00

Here's what the sign will look like. 85 is the street address. I have to credit my father-in-law, Leo Marino, for designing it. This will sort of (this is using an older version of the sign design) look like this:

Sheet Rock

2008-05-30T11:47:00.003-04:00

The sheet rock that will make up the walls and ceiling has been ordered and is ready for installation - as soon as the HVAC stuff is completed. Should be done no later than a week from today. Then its on the to painting, putting up the lighting fixtures and then ripping up/installing new flooring. New doors will follow soon after or around that time as well. Nice.

Passed Two Inspections

2008-05-30T11:39:00.002-04:00

Great news. The building and plumbing inspections passed with no issues whatsoever. Now we can get the HVAC in next week as well as put up the sheet rock. Things will really start to move now.

Inspection Update

2008-05-28T13:23:00.002-04:00

The town's building inspector will be stopping by on Friday to check out the building/construction and plumbing work that's been done so far.

If all of that gets approved, the sheet rock can go up. That's a big deal, and my shop will then enter "vanilla box" mode.

After the walls go up (the HVAC duct work will go up before then), we'll paint them. Then we'll install the lighting fixtures. Then, once that's done...it's onto the floors.

Things are looking okay. Hopefully we'll stay on target. My only concern, and the only thing we are behind on, is the HVAC stuff. And that hasn't been my fault...

Verizon

2008-05-28T11:20:00.002-04:00

So, the phone number is secured, and I have Verizon to thank for that. But that's about it.

I'll put it out there - I don't like Verizon.

I've gone ahead with them for the shop because, honestly, I don't want to have to deal with two different phone service companies -- we use Verizon at home as well and have had terrible service from them since day one.

Here's the latest cause for dismay: I ordered the phone and internet service. Verizon then said that I would need to be at the shop on Friday to be there for the technicians between 8:30 and 11:30. No one shows up, so I call - get bounced around 2 departments and am then told that they have until 12:30 to show up. I say forget it (I had to pick up Sue Ann, Doug, Molly and Danna in the city) and reschedule for Tuesday - same window of time. Again, no one is showing up so I call the Hotline number they gave me to see where the technicians are on their route.

The nice (finally!) Customer Service rep apologizes and says that there was no need for me to be at the shop because the "turning on of the service" could be done from the central command center. You've got to be kidding me!

So there we have it. Jerked around by Verizon yet again. Let's hope the Internet connection setup they've just confirmed with me on June 4th actually happens.

Phone Number Secured

2008-05-28T11:16:00.002-04:00

I now have a phone number for the shop.

Plug it into your cell phones if you'd like:

201-825-0185

I like the phone number much more than I probably should, for several reasons:

1. It's fairly easy to remember
2. It's an "825" number - which to me is old-school Allendale and gives it a little bit of street cred/legitimacy
3. The numbers have a lot of curves (2, 0, 8, 5) which goes really well with the shop's curvy logo
4. The last two digits (85) is the address of the shop, helping further with the branding, perhaps, of the shop.

Like I said, maybe I'm reading into more than I should, but there you have it.

BusinessWeek TV Interview

2008-05-25T18:38:00.003-04:00

Here's the video that ran today, Sunday, May 25. I think it turned out well.

Archaelogical Dig Pt. 2

2008-05-25T18:02:00.009-04:00

Sure enough, there was brick underneath that mess. Doug and I went to town on the walls, ripping out all of the plaster and quickcrete, exposing some really attractive, rustic masonry. Our friend Mike also stopped by to swing a hammer for a little bit. Thanks guys.

Here are some photos of our day.

Welcome

2008-05-25T08:12:00.003-04:00

Later this morning - if all goes as planned - I'll be on BusinessWeek TV as part of a greater story about how new businesses are using blogs to pre-market their business. Fingers crossed that I come across as competent and that they edit me in a positive way.

Anyhow, for those who are visiting for the first time as a result of this television appearance, welcome.

If you have any questions specific to the project or shop, please feel free to email me at allendalecheeseshop@gmail.com.

If you are a business who'd like to either suggest a product or somehow get involved in my business, please feel free to use the above mentioned email as well.

Thank you for visiting, and be sure to bookmark the shop's official website: www.bondgard.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all when the shop finally opens - hopefully by the last week in June or early July.

Michael

Thanks!

2008-05-25T07:20:00.001-04:00

I'd just like to take a moment to throw out the names and contact information of several people or businesses that have really helped me out so far. If you are looking for dependable, efficient and overall pleasant people to work with on the development of your business, I highly recommend getting in touch with the following people.

J.C. Electric - contact: Jerry Crean - 201-512-0352

Drewes' Plumbing - contact: Brian or Pat Drewes - 201-934-6449

Plan B Consulting - contact: Brian Buckley - 212-772-6861

J.E.G. Designs (website dev.) - contact: John Gicewicz - www.jegdesign.com

Peter Hachey Construction - contact: Peter Hachey - 201-264-2261

Apple Store (Tice's Corner) - contact: Andrew Sommerfeld - Business Partner - 201-782-1750

Ashbahian Architecture - contact: Tom Ashbahian - 201-825-1220

Honig & Honig (lawyer) - contact: Steve Honig, Esq. - 201 - 652-5100

Home Depot (Mahwah, NJ) - 201-818-9754
Kitchen Department - Ruth Allen
Kitchen Appliances - Vinnie
Flooring Department - Joyce

Commerce Bank - (Small Business Administration Loans) - contact: Rahbar Ameri - 201-574-3998

Archaelogical Dig

2008-05-22T18:48:00.000-04:00

As you can see, there are two awfully wallpapered walls perpendicular to the front window. At the bottom, you can see that there's brick. If you look at the top, you can also see brick. So it's logical to assume that there is brick covered underneath all of that cheap plaster, quickcrete and ugly wallpaper. At least that's my hope. I'll be spending Memorial Day chipping away at that wall with some tools Peter Hachey lent me in hopes of uncovering a little brick treasure. I think it will add the right look to the shop. We'll see.

Bathroom Pt. 2

2008-05-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

Peter Hachey (201-264-2261) got some work done on the bathroom on Friday. The new window is in place, a drop ceiling was installed and the floor was put in place. We've got ourselves a bathroom! Almost. Just a bit more to do there - one of which is getting the rough plumbing approved
which will hopefully happen this upcoming week.

Here's a pic of the latest improvements.

Another change has to do with the vanity. The one I purchased previously was very nice but it was a) too expensive, b) wouldn't be to code. Or rather, the space needed for the toilet bowl would be compromised and therefore not to code and c) was a bit too big. So we went simpler with a Glacier Bay 2-piece unit plus faucet set. The result - 100 bucks at Home Depot and a remarkable savings for my budget.

BusinessWeek TV

2008-05-21T12:14:00.002-04:00

Great news!!!

The interview I had with Alex Cohen, producer of BusinessWeek TV, is going to air this Sunday, May 25, at 11:30am on Channel 7 (ABC).

According to BusinessWeek TV's website, it is...

A weekly personal finance television program about money. Earning it. Investing it. Spending it. Broadcast from the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square.

It goes on to say about itself...

Our nationally syndicated TV program, BusinessWeek TV, is an extension of BusinessWeek's award-winning editorial coverage. Each season broadcasts 52 original episodes (30 minutes per show), delivering actionable insight into personal finance and lifestyle topics - from real estate and investing to tech trends and travel. It's about Money. Earning it. Investing it. Spending it.

The program is cleared in 86% of the U.S. on powerhouse stations such as WABC/New York, KABC/LA, WLS/Chicago, and WPVI/Philadelphia, and airs in 158 markets. Now in its seventh season, BusinessWeek TV continues to draw a loyal audience, including BusinessWeek magazine readers, BusinessWeek.com users, and other consumers seeking to make smarter decisions in their personal and financial lives.

Fantastic. I hope you'll tune it.

Vendors: Balthazar Bakery

2008-05-21T12:01:00.002-04:00

What's not to love about Balthazar, the restaurant or bakery. Okay, besides waiting to get a table for brunch. Keith McNally is a genius and so it was a no brainer to go with Balthazar Bakery as my bread source.

A lot of people have suggested Rockland Bakery, which is excellent, but for cost/ordering purposes as well as keeping with my concept, I've decided to stick with Balthazar.

My sales rep. Chris, met me and my father-in-law today with two large bags of samples to check out, taste and discuss. Foccacias, ciabattas, baguettes (oh my).

I've already determined a few haves and have nots, and am excited to see other samples. I don't want to give away any secrets just yet, so I'll keep the types of bread I plan on using for sandwiches and to sell retail to myself for now.

Above is a fraction of the types of bread she brought for us today.

Institute of Culinary Education

2008-05-20T22:16:00.006-04:00

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to talk about building a food-service related business at my Alma Mater, the Institute of Culinary Education (I.C.E).

My former professor, Brian Buckley, is greatly responsible for any success I will have with this business. His class really made this concept come to life and made the planning of it possible - and what was great was that he was serious and well-learned about he was telling us, but never lost sight of the fact that the restaurant/food-service industry is inherently fun - and so its no surprise that his classes were generally fun.

Brian is also a restaurant consultant via his business, Plan B Consulting. Aspiring restaurateurs, culinary students or those who need a "plan B" can reach Brian at buckley717@aol.com or by phone at 212-772-6861.

Anyway, Brian asked me to come in and talk to his Culinary Management class, of whom will be graduating in the next few weeks. I basically pointed out some of things that hit home with me from my I.C.E. experience, how it has played out in the real world, and then focused on SBA loans and budgeting as a priority.

The people in the class all had great concepts and I think some will really take off. I wish them all the luck in the world.

Here's a pic of the class

and here's a pic with me and Brian.

Plumbing

2008-05-20T15:19:00.008-04:00

The plumbing is coming along nicely. Hats off again to Brian Drewes and John for doing a really great job so far in getting my plumbing both up to code and up to brand new status.

This is the back left wall. The white tubes are vents and the red (hot) and blue (cold) tubes are the water lines. Copper tubing is so prohibitively expensive these days that it is rarely used anymore - I suppose for projects such as this. I'm sure high-end homes and the like will still go for copper, but not here, which is fine by me. The set on the left is for the handwash sink. The set to the right of that is for one faucet connection for the 3-compartment sink (corner variety). The next one over is for the bathroom sink and the last one on the right is for the other faucet for the 3-compartment sink.

Here's the bathroom again. Still looks lousy, but it's a work in progress. As you can see, plumbing has been installed in here as well. It's neat to see the blue and red tubes - reminds me of the Bodies exhibit - or any health text book that shows the direction of blood to/from the heart. Cool.
I'm lucky to have the basement space because otherwise, I'd have no room to have a laundry/janitorial sink upstairs, which both the Health Department and common sense tell me I need. Fortunately there is a little nook in the back of the basement that's right below the bathroom and sinks upstairs. Brian put in the hot water heater (since the shop didn't have one) and gave me a good deal on it because he'd already had one in the shop. Same for the handwash sink. Which is ideal. Jerry Crean and his guys will have to come in to add some more outlets to power up the hot water heater. It's a 15 gallon one that is just the right size for the space and for my daily needs.Here's another angle:

Here's a shot looking back toward the front of the shop, in the basement.

Lastly, here's my water meter. It's important to have one of these - otherwise, you could get overcharged by your landlord for water that isn't being used by you if there are multiple tenants in the building. And, in some cases, its a benefit. If you look closely, one of the tenants is getting free water (no meter). There are three water lines and only two meters. Hmmmm...

American Express Plum Card

2008-05-20T08:38:00.000-04:00

A while back I applied for the newest addition to the American Express card family, the Plum Card for small businesses. So far so good. I got an initial credit for more than $60K, which is interest-free as long as you pay within 2 months - which is a nice allotment of time because of the way my business is going to be structured. Alternatively, if I pay the balance within two weeks, I get 1% back on purchases made. Not bad I suppose, though my main benefit is the length of time I get to pay back the balance. If it offered a points-reward system, I'd be even happier. Because I'll need to travel on occasion to California for cheese festivals and stuff, I'll rely on points to help pay for the trips. So I've applied for another credit card that will help me in this regard. I suggest AMEX reconsider the points plan for their Plum card.

Electrical Inspection - We Passed!

2008-05-18T16:43:00.003-04:00

Good news came on Friday, and it wasn't just the break in the weather. The town's building inspector came in to check out the rough electrical work done on the shop and we passed with flying colors. They only requested we put in one more outlet above the window. A simple enough fix that will get done this week.

Thanks Jerry Crean, Mark and the rest of the J.C. Electric team that got the job done right.

M.

Flooring Pt. 2

2008-05-15T09:57:00.002-04:00

I just got done meeting with the flooring guy from Home Depot. He measured the space and is going to put together an estimate for the removal of the crappy linoleum/wood combo mess that partially covers the original wood flooring. After that's done (once the drywall is up), they'll put down a plywood base, give it a day to settle and then put the new wood flooring on top of that.

I'll order the wood today so that its ready to go for install (it can take a few weeks to get). I'll save about $65 by having the wood delivered to Home Depot, and then picking it up myself. That's a tank of gas!

May 14, 2008

2008-05-14T18:45:00.007-04:00

Here's what the store looked like today. It's more of a mess now than it was on Friday, but that's simply because of the demo done on the bathroom, which is still on the floor. That will be cleaned up on Friday since Pete will be spending most of the day getting it done.

As you can see, the raw electrical work is in place. J.C. Electric did a fantastic job. I've even got my own brand new circuit board in the basement. They've also gone ahead and submitted an inspection request. I hope the inspectors will be free next week (wishful thinking!).

SBA Loans Pt. 4b - The Closing

2008-05-14T18:29:00.003-04:00

It's official! I have secured a loan supported by the Small Business Administration. What seemed like half a year really only took about 2 months. It might have happened even quicker if I was working full-time during most of that time. Even the Commerce Bank, Rahbar Ameri, and the lawyer representing the Bank/SBA, Jane Paftnos, found it to be an exceptional turnaround. In the end, I think putting everything together in a book and labeled clearly helped the process move around. I need to credit my years of P.R. experience for that...its something that many P.R. people are put to task - in the form of clipping reports, event planning and the like. Anyway, I now have some money to make this shop a reality, which will no doubt speed the process along.

SBA Loans Pt. 4 - The Closing

2008-05-14T09:17:00.003-04:00

The Closing is this morning and I'm running out the door now to sign my life (actually, my in-law's house) away.

Fortunately I got everything the Bank, SBA and lawyers needed on Monday to secure this closing date. Let's hope it all works out fine.

Air Conditioning

2008-05-14T09:12:00.003-04:00

I have three bidders lined up for the install of my air conditioning unit. IronBo, Van Natta and another guy. Van Natta is the Bergen County industry standard, so to speak. But IronBo might be competitive in price, so we'll see. I'll be meeting with Matt from IronBo this afternoon, another guy named Mario from the place whose name I forget, and the guy from Van Natta on Thursday.

I might be looking at an internal air conditioning unit that won't need duct work. Apparently Mitsubishi puts out good ones that are relatively quiet. We'll see what they say...

Bathroom

2008-05-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

I hired Pete Hatchey, the guy who is also doing the demolition and drywall installation to work on the bathroom. He demo'ed it on Monday and it looks pretty rough. He's going to put in a drop ceiling and install the new toilet and vanity and retile the floor.

In trying to stay "green", I paid a little more for a toilet, the Pegasus "Cottage" that meets the EPA's WaterSense standards. It's a one-piece toilet that has a flush rating of 5 (the nice Kohler that I wanted only had a flush rating of 2.5). I purchased all of this at Home Depot for a very reasonable price.

Here's what it looks like:

For the vanity and sink, I chose this little number:
That, and the white (with black "dot") tile should give it a nice, clean and simple look. Bathrooms are often an overlooked space in retail shops, but you never know who might need to use it someday. The return on this investment might not be that great, but if word gets out that I have a "clean, nice or otherwise inviting" bathroom, so much the better.

Flooring

2008-05-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

I ordered hardwood floors on Friday. Home Depot had a sale on one of three wood floor options that I actually liked and thought would fit the concept of the shop. So I locked in the price and scheduled a measuring (free during the month of May - saving me $100). It's called Manchurian Walnut and has a bit of that rustic look to it. It will be a close match to the large wall mirror I'm putting up behind the counter. It looks like this:

I just got word that the Cabinets will be ready for delivery on June 6, which is pretty good timing.

Cabinets

2008-05-09T09:14:00.000-04:00

I ordered the cabinets yesterday. I went with Home Depot as my source, and as a fan of Jimmy Johnson (sponsored by Lowe's) it was tough to do. But the reality is that the nearest Lowe's is a lot farther away than the nearest Home Depot, and I need this done conveniently.

I pre-planned the cabinetry several months ago with Home Depot Kitchen Designer, Ruth Allen, a very nice Caribbean lady who worked me through the process. I was thrilled when I saw her without a customer yesterday, and was able to change some specs (it was still saved on her computer) and subsequently order the cabinets - which might take up to five weeks to deliver/install. The good news is that I will have them after most of the major work has been done, the bad news is that I'd liked to have had them a little sooner. But in the grand scheme of things, I think it will work out just right.

I've decided to go with Home Depot for the flooring as well - for four reasons. 1. Convenience
2. Free measuring/estimates this month and 3. I qualified for a 12-month, no payments, no interest Home Depot credit card (with $7,500 credit line) which I signed up for. I also got $200 for signing up. This card will free up some cash for other essentials and possible uh-ohs that will likely come along the way. And lastly, 4. I saw a specific hardwood flooring that I really liked for a great price. Had to go for it.

Construction: Electrical

2008-05-09T09:12:00.003-04:00

The initial electrical work is done including the set up for an alarm system and smoke detectors. J.C. Electric, specifically Mark and his crew, have done an outstanding job. I'm happy to have them on board with this.

SBA Loans Pt. 3

2008-05-09T07:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I put together all of the documents needed to close the loan with the exception of Danna's Life Insurance Policy which State Farm is taking their sweet time underwriting. I must say - I'm a little disappointed in the turn around time.

I made three copies of everything I have and dropped one off to my lawyer and FedEx'ed another to the Bank's lawyer. She should have it this morning and will then review to see where we stand. The SBA rep of Commerce Bank already has a copy and I've been sending her stuff along the way. We're getting there. At this rate, I hope to close on Wednesday of next week. That would be perfect...but we'll see.

Messages in Unexpected Places

2008-05-07T22:41:00.004-04:00

Opening up a business and essentially flying without a net can drain one's energy. So today I made a little time to meet up with Joyce and did a tour of Darwin's Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. Joyce, for those not in the know, is my birthmother - who I met almost exactly a year ago for the first time. Afterwards, I went to get my haircut at Blackstones in the East Village. As I was walking back to the car, a drunk guy approached me and asked if I knew who or where the owners of these pedicab-like bicycles might be because he wanted to take one of them for a spin. I had no idea, but chatted the guy up a bit. Or rather, he chatted me up a bit. Then I took notice of the writing on the bikes: Become Your Dream, Live Your Dream, and things of that nature. A helpful reminder. I needed that. And so I got a good shot of this guy sitting in the passenger seat. These photos are from my cell phone, so don't expect much.

Change of Scenery

2008-05-07T20:22:00.005-04:00

I like my new office digs considerably better than what I had. Natural light via a dozen windows versus fluorescent bulbs, privacy versus an open bullpen of sorts and in general, more quiet.

I've also got some helpful distractions - namely my dog Roxy - who for some reason knows not to bother me when I'm in the office. Good dog.

Here's what I had:

Here's what I now have:

And as nice as it is regularly seeing woodpeckers, blue jays, orioles, cardinals, robins, the occasional goldfinch and the families of mallards and wood ducks - there are some downsides. I witnessed a nasty raven swoop down and pick up a baby rabbit today. Pretty graphic and, truth be told, unnerved me for the rest of the day.

Mac Convert

2008-05-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

For a PR guy who is used to Windows, the idea of switching over to a Mac was a difficult one.

We have an iBook G4 at home - and frankly, I find it annoying to use. Or rather, I used to. Over the years, I've grown accustomed to their nuances and since most of my writing and such was done at the office, it really didn't affect my day-to-day chores.

So when I was looking for a new laptop to manage my business - I decided to check out both PCs and Macs in the interest of keeping my options open.

My choices came down to this:

Buy a PC laptop and then separately buy a customized PC-based POS system

or

Buy a MacBook Pro and use the laptop as my POS system by virtue of the Mac software called Checkout.

And the winner was...the MacBook Pro. It has pretty much everything I need and what it doesn't have (yet), like the cash drawer, bar code scanner, credit card slider, receipt printer - was easily gotten thanks to www.checkoutapp.com - the website that lists all of the recommended and compatible hardware to get your business up and running.

I had the Mac Geniuses put it all together for me and it is now installed with Microsoft Office, Checkout and Quickbooks among many other standard items and some other things I got for myself.

I downloaded Firefox today on the new rig - which I find to be much more user-friendly than Safari for web browsing.

Here's to hoping it works as smoothly as the ordering and development process has been so far. And the business consultant at the Mac store was great too. Really helpful in keeping me focused on what I need now and what I might need later. Great customer service - and the store is only a few minutes away in case I ever need anything.

I ordered the hardware today from a guy named Scott at (name of distributor) and can expect to receive it within the next few days.

Surprise Surprise

2008-05-07T11:27:00.002-04:00

I had the makeshift "ledge" in the front window removed so that I could have added, even floor space. But, as surprises are expected, we learned that the ledge was hollow and that it was covering up years of junk. Just goes to show how badly the space was maintained by the former occupants. Also, that meant that there was no wood floor going all the way to the window/front wall. So the construction/demo guy went ahead and built a new floor making it flush with the rest of the current floor. They've also evened out a dip in the floor - bringing it up a full 1/2 inch, which will help support one of the refrigerated cabinets in addition to making the floor more level. Good stuff.

Demo/Construction Update

2008-05-07T11:22:00.002-04:00

Things are moving along. We've had the electricians in the last few days ripping out all of the old knob and tube wiring and replacing it with the most up to date stuff. A new box is being installed in the basement, recepticles and other fixtures are getting put in. All in all, its starting to look good. Pictures are on their way. I had a bit of a problem - I accidentally smashed my digital camera...so I've been borrowing my in-law's and have yet to download the photos. I've ordered a new camera and should have it tonight.

Demolition continues

2008-05-03T16:06:00.002-04:00

It's very exciting to see all of the junk being removed and moreso seeing what's underneath it all. A brick chimney is now exposed and the original beams and woodwork are visible as well.

I'm happy to report that, to my eye, I seen no termite damage nor any major water damage. Also, no mold or electrical fire damage - though some of the foam insulation was slightly charred from the heating ducts that ran up against them. Those ducts, or I guess, vents, are now ripped out and the outdated knob and tube wiring will all be removed in the coming days.

The space is on its way to being a bare skeleton, and a few days away from getting new guts (electrical and plumbing).

Pictures will be uploaded soon.

Demolition Begins Today!

2008-04-30T12:44:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately I'm stuck at my day job and won't be able to witness the complete demo of the space this afternoon, but I'll be there tonight to take pictures.

If my permits come through for plumbing and electrical work today - or tomorrow - I'll be able to get Jerry and Brian in there and start working immediately. This is terrific timing and pretty much on schedule.

Very excited!

M.

Small Business Week - Eco-Friendly Practices

2008-04-25T09:40:00.002-04:00

USA Today has a great little article today by Rhonda Abrams about how eco-friendly practices in small business can be financially beneficial as well as considerate to the earth and our communities.

It notes that this week is Small Business Week (who knew?) - which I hope is positive foreshadowing for me.

She goes on to list four ways small companies can/should incorporate positive environmental activities in one's business. Let's see how my business will stack up against these:

1. Improve your internal operations
Ms. Abrams suggests turning off electronic devices and utilities overnight. I agree. My laptop, which will track sales and the like will come home with me at night and will receive the rest it hopefully will deserve. As for lighting, in addition to turning off most lights at night, I plan to use long-lasting/energy-efficient bulbs. We've designed the electrical circuitry to have independent zones which will allow for changes in lighting depending on time of day and for during the hours that the store will be closed.

2. Differentiate yourself from the competition by emphasizing your green practices
When it comes to cleaning products, I plan to treat my business as I do our home. We pay a little more for the green, environmentally-safe cleaning products, specifically those made by Seventh Generation, Method and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products.

3. Sell a "green" product or service
The products I will be selling, whether they be cheeses, chocolate bars, produce or crackers are, as often as possible, organic, sustainably produced or procured, of the free-trade variety and in many cases, artisan made. A high percentage of the cheeses I will be selling are made right here in the USA, so air freight and the like will be limited. There are so many excellent farmstead, artisanal cheeses here in the states that I'd be silly to snub. That said, there are some European standards that I simply cannot avoid: Parmigiano Reggiano, Emmenthaler, Roquefort and Epoisses to name a few. Also, I am looking into environmentally-sound, biodegradable take-out containers, cups for iced-tea/lemonade, straws and other things that will go with our sandwiches and things.

4. Invent something
I personally think that this is a cop-out for a conclusion to the article. So I'll remark on something said elsewhere in the article having to do with commuting to work. My wife, who previously drove to Secaucus every day for work will soon be commuting via train to Manhattan (new job for her too) and I will have the luxury of being able to ride my bike or walk to work every day, though I will take exception on rainy, sleety and otherwise unpleasant days. So that's something.

You can read the article here.

SBA Loans Pt. 2

2008-04-25T09:36:00.001-04:00

I'm almost done with getting the SBA all of the information they need to set up a closing date. The last remaining document is Danna's Original Life Insurance policy and a notorized Assignment of Life Insurance As Collateral document. Danna just got done with her physical for the policy, and so I should have that all wrapped up by early next week.

There are still a few items I'll need to bring to the closing, which at this point looks like it will be May 9th. It's a bit later than I'd hoped for, but still within a safe time frame for my business. Fingers crossed.

BusinessWeek Interview

2008-04-24T10:56:00.002-04:00

I'm being filmed as I type this for a feature story on BusinessWeek TV about how businesses are using blogs to promote their businesses. The producer, Alex Cohen, is doing a story on how businesses are using blogs. I actually don't know what to write right now (so that's why I because the pressure of typing with a camera about a foot away from me is a bit daunting but...what can you do.

The show will air on ABC on an upcoming Sunday morning at 11:30am on a date to be determined. I'll be sure to post a link to the web archived version of the story.

For the photo shoot, I selected three cheeses that I will most likely, if not definitely, be serving at the shop. Specifically: Red Hawk from Cowgirl Creamery out in northern California (their distrubting operation, Tomales Bay Foods, is going to be one of my main cheese distributors - specializing in US-based artisanal cheeses from small producers), Constant Bliss from Jasper Hill Farms and a blue cheese from Blue Hill in Marion, Massachussetts.

I'm thrilled at the opportunity to get this media coverage - hopefully it will drive more people to the blog and, eventually, to the shop once its open...which is about 7 or 8 weeks away(?).

Up next, I have to go to the Borough Hall to get a life insurance document notorized so that I can finally close up the needed documents for my SBA loan. Once that's taken care of, I'll be on my way.

Oh, it looks like the Pizza place next door is starting to take shape. They've got the drywall up as well as the lighting and what not. Also some new equipment. I'm hoping they'll be interested in serving some specialty pizzas using cheese from my shop.

Bondgard.com

2008-04-24T06:49:00.002-04:00

The website, www.bondgard.com, is now up and running. Well, the only thing on there is the ad that will run in (201) Magazine and a brief description of the business.

I needed to get something up as quickly as possible because we put a sign in the window (again, the same ad) that has the URL on it.

Check back in a week or two and we should have some more information up there.

I should mention that my friend Jon Gicewicz of J.E.G. Design, Inc. up in Vermont is the guy who will be behind the website, and who was kind enough to get this started on 2 hours notice. Seriously. 2 hours notice. He even stayed up to email me at 1:30 in the morning to tell me that it's up and running. He's a great guy, as is his twin brother Mike, and deserves your business. Please visit his website to see the pages he's created for his clients.

Advertising

2008-04-23T10:06:00.004-04:00

The following image is the first advertisement we've (Leo Marino and I) created for the shop. The actual ad will be about 5"square, or the equivalent of 1/3 of a page. It will run in the June 2008 issue of (201) Magazine, Bergen County's premier glossy magazine that is distributed, for free, to pretty much everyone in Bergen County.

SBA Loans

2008-04-18T11:57:00.002-04:00

I know this much - there are many ways to open up a business. Three of which begin by:

1) Having enough money of your own to invest in it
2) Borrowing money from friends/family/investors
3) Taking out a bank loan with or without the Small Business Administration backing you up

Number one doesn't pertain to me. We invested a little of our own money and will continue to as we move along in the process, but after buying a home a year ago, leasing a new car earlier this year and with a new baby on the way, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot left to go toward the business.

Numbers two and three, with some twists, are the route I've taken. My father, who paid for my undergraduate education as well as my Culinary education deserves to be in the "Making it Happen" category. Because without him, none of this would be possible. And he was also very helpful in investing in the start-up capital needed to secure a bank loan - and for me to get the ball rolling on other aspects of the business - legal stuff as well as other stuff. His incentive is that he loves cheese as much as me, so, he's got that going for him. And I guess because I'm his only son with his first grandchild on the way.

I've not requested financial assistance from any other friend or family member - probably because I have a severe dislike of owing people anything, especially money. Though I will rely on the help of friends and family for other tasks - some pleasant (taste-testing sandwiches and cheeses) and others notsomuch (painting, hanging lights, watching my dog when I'm tied up with work, etc.).

Instead, I'm anticipating a loan from Commerce Bank which will be backed (80%) by the SBA. The purpose of getting an SBA backed loan is two-fold. 1) It helps get the loan. The Bank sees it as a safety measure - especially in these trying times. 2) It helps keep the interest rate reasonable. And with the recent cuts, I'm looking pretty good.

But getting an SBA loan isn't simply a matter of applying for a loan, putting up something for collateral and getting handed a check. It's pretty much a two-step process made up by lots of little steps.

I won't go into too much detail, but the basic requirements are thus:

Step 1 - Getting approved
Includes: Accurate business plan with all of the information you could possibly be expected to know or estimate include financial forecasts, amount of employee tax you'll need to pay, amount of taxes and insurances you'll need to pay, amount of working capital you'll need and on and on and on. Now, this is the easy part.

The tricky part is, at least for me, the collateral. I needed to have at least the total amount of the loan in backed collateral. I tried to use our home, car, dog and future child as collateral but came up short because of the amount of owed money on my mortgage compared to the current equity in my home. Argh. I honestly thought I was done for. I couldn't ask my father for more than he's already given me, and he wasn't jumping at the idea either (despite having two homes and more that could easily cover it) - so I hemmed and hawed for a day or two - okay, I freaked out a little. Then I got a grip, put together a few business plans and a proposal letter to some potential family members/friends who could possibly put up the collateral. My in-laws came to the rescue and after an SBA-sanctioned property assessment, got approved as my collateral for the loan.

Step 2 - Closing
About two weeks or so ago, I received a letter from the my SBA Closing Coordinator - actually, it was a laundry list of things I needed to send them to show that I was serious about my intent and that I had some safety nets (for the Bank) in case this doesn't work out for one reason or another. They want their money back, end of story. The list was 22 items long and included independent life insurance policies for me and my wife to the value of the loan, Filed Certificate of Formation, Filed Fictitious Name Certificate (for the business, not me), Evidence of Worker's Compensation Insurance, Improvement Contracts, Filed Collateral of Life Insurance among others.

Some posed Catch 22's like "Certificate of Occupancy". How the heck was I supposed to get that before I got the money to make improvements to the space? I lost sleep over that. And so to prevent another night of twisting and turning, I called the SBA Closing Coordinator and got some things straightened out. The Catch 22's ended up being things that I could present to the SBA post-closing and other items were things that the SBA would bring to the closing (i.e., Fully executed Landlord Non-Interference Agreement, etc.).

The problem with getting all of these things isn't that it's difficult to do or get. It's that it takes time. I currently commute three hours total, forth and back to work, everyday. I'm at the office from 9:30 to 6:00pm. Thus, this leaves very little time for me to get anything done. Sick days, personal days and vacation days can only go so far - especially when not wanting to look suspicious/like you are interviewing for a job.

To conclude this very (too?) long post, I will say that I overnighted a well-organized binder of this information to the SBA Closing Coordinator last night for arrival today. I'm hoping that I submitted everything correctly and in full - at least enough to schedule a closing date. With my last day at work (paycheck) two weeks away, I'll need to get that money to keep things moving with a safety net of sorts. Good thing we will get a decent tax refund this year to hold us over if need be. Fingers crossed.

Pre-Demolition Pt. 2

2008-04-17T00:30:00.010-04:00

These photos were taken on April 15 at around 7:15pm. The junk that was left by the previous tenants as well as the faux-wood paneling has been removed. The demo should begin soon - as the contractor has already submitted his permit applications and is ready to roll. There's a lot to do, but the space is fairly small and my build-out isn't going to involve new walls or heavy-duty design elements. That said, a lot of work needs to be done from the bones on up.

This is facing west, with the road traveling roughly north and south. As you can see, W. Allendale Ave. is made up of a bunch of little shops. And this is only a fraction of the stores on the street. On the far left is Masa, a terrific Japanese restaurant. Next to that is the start of my landlord's property, the red brick building known as 83-89 W. Allendale Ave. 83 W. Allendale Ave., the first on the left in the red brick building, was Laura's Cafe, and is currently transforming into a pizza place. The space with the large window is the future home of my cheese, sandwich and specialty food shop. To the right of me is my landlord Ed's State Farm Agency. To the right of him is a dog grooming operation. The empty space to the right of the dog groomers was where Allendale Pizza and Paradise Video once stood but after a "questionable" fire in the video store (the dude drove a brown Ferrari 328...yes, brown). Another little tidbit - the insurance agency was once a Chinese restaurant. I think it was called Great Wall. My space was once either a pizzeria or bakery. Note: the apartments above the stores have all been recently renovated from top to bottom, and are available. Call Ed for more info (

The entrance to my shop is beyond that terrible white woodwork. That will be knocked out, leaving an open foyer of sorts - should be very welcoming once that's all finished.

What you see here is the view of the back wall. To the left in the back is a bathroom. It's terrible, I know. We'll get there.

Facing north, or moving clockwise, you can see the remnants of a chimney behind the wall with those two circles in the middle. The vent system you see to the right of that we will removed. Just off the photo to the right is the entrance to the basement.

This is the wall between the basement door and the front door. A very nice armoir with great edible treats will go up against this as well as a refrigerated cabinet for drinks.

No we are facing out to the street from the back of the shop. A terrific view, smack dab in the middle of Allendale.

Across the street are several stores including Beantown, a great little coffee shop, a dress shop, Robert's Haircutters (I used to go to him as a little kid), a very homey florist shop, a kid's collectible and toy shop called Jumbleiah, owned by my old neighbor's the Tenbekjians, a real estate agent and another insurance agency.
This is the south wall which will be where the action will occur - with the display case and carerra marble countertop and more.

That's it for now. Let's get this moving!

Pre-Demolition

2008-04-17T00:06:00.007-04:00

Looking back when the space first was up for rent - you can see how the shop looked before Tom and Ed (the landlords) cleaned it up a bit. I had no way of knowing what was up behind the walls and such until this junk was removed. Since the previous tenants didn't take care of their mess, Tom and Ed were stuck with the mess. The result wasn't much prettier, but gave me confidence in the ability to make the space into a terrific cheese shop.

Here's what it looked like in February

Making it Happen: The Electrician

2008-04-16T23:57:00.001-04:00

Because I'll need refrigeration for storing the cheeses and charcuterie and enough power to perfectly grill up a sandwich with a panini press, I've hired Jerry Crean of J.C. Electric. Jerry's expertise over the last several decades can be seen in commercial businesses throughout the county and beyond. He's also done work for Northern Highlands and the like. I'm excited that Jerry is on the team that will make this business come to life - or should I say light?

J.C. Electric, Inc.
65 Ramapo Valley Road
STE 12
Mahwah, NJ
(201)-825-3697

Facebook Profile

2008-04-16T14:34:00.006-04:00

Bondgård - Allendale Cheese Shop now has a Facebook Profile!

Unfortunately I couldn't fit the whole name in, so it's Bondgård - Allendale Cheeseshop. Now when you see that, you'll know why.

Do you have a Facebook profile? If so, please consider adding the shop as a "friend".

Click the Facebook logo to go directly to the shop's profile page.

Retail Dairy License

2008-04-16T12:31:00.002-04:00

So as part of doing business, you need certain licenses in addition to the state-sanctioned business license. I'm not 100% sure if I need a Dairy License, but for $25, it's better to be safe than sorry. And besides, it goes to the Dept. of Agriculture, which at this point could use all the money it can get with Corzine attempting to dismantle it. I found the license online by Googling "NJ Business Licenses" and figured it was the prudent measure to take. Printed out the form, filled it out and mailed it to Trenton. So I should be soon able to sell milk from my store.

Health Inspector/License

2008-04-16T12:22:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be meeting with the Borough of Allendale's health inspector at my shop. It's scary to show someone - who's got your business in the balance - a beat up place that currently looks anything but a place to serve/sell food.

I'm sure it's all preliminary stuff like where the food prep area will be and that the requisite 3-compartment sink and handwash sink are in the right places. Also, the clean-up/janitorial sink will be in the basement - so she'll need to see that and the plans for where that will be set up (and the pump required to move the water upwards).

I'll probably need to bring my ServSafe Certificate with me. I earned that through my Culinary Management program at the Institute of Culinary Education (I.C.E) - and fortunately is valid for five years. I got it about two and a half years ago.

Permits Pt. 1 (because Pt. 2 or more is inevitable I'm sure)

2008-04-16T12:10:00.003-04:00

Permits - they're necessary to do anything just about anywhere and for a first-time business owner - the process is slightly daunting at first.

But my first round of permit-getting is done. I've submitted the electrical and plumbing specs, two copies of the architectual plans (and an isometric drawing from the plumber) this morning - signing my name as "agent" or contractor. I thank my electrician and plumber for turning around the paperwork overnight.

As for the demolition and sheetrocking, my contractor has already submitted his permit application and should get started on that soon.

But now it's a waiting game. I hope it doesn't take too long. I'd really like to get this shop open by mid to late June.

Logo and Design Work

2008-04-15T17:13:00.004-04:00

Here's the logo and draft of the business card. The logo was created by Leo Marino of Marino & Company with some idea-giving by yours truly. The guy's got mad talent and happens to be my father-in-law. The idea behind the logo is that it:

...needed to be clean/modern - much like other Scandinavian companies you may have heard of (Bodum, Bo Concept and...Bondgård, apparently anything starting with a Bo)

and

...needed to be representative of the store's wares. So in this case the yellowish color represents the cheese, the red represents wine (that we won't be selling, but that I'm sure you'll be drinking with the cheese you can get at my shop) and the green represents the produce we'll be serving as well as the grass that the cows, sheep and goats eat, making it possible to produce the milk needed to make the cheese I'll be serving.

Bergen Record Article - 4/14/08

2008-04-15T16:31:00.006-04:00

I had the great fortune of being included in a cover story by Elise Young in the Bergen Record yesterday (4/14). The article is about the rising support against Gov. Corzine's hasty and misdirected decision to cut down the N.J. Department of Agriculture - making The Garden State the only state other than Alaska (um, not much need for it up there) and Rhode Island (smallest state anyone?) to not have one. It's the Garden State people! Gov. Corzine's proposal to get rid of the Dept. of Agriculture is a grave mistake and will negatively effect all residents of New Jersey, not just the farmers.

Click the images to enlarge the photos. Thanks to Aldo Martinez, Jr. for taking the most flattering photos ever taken of me. Note the state of the shop. Let's call this exhibit A as we progress in the build-out of the shop.

Making it Happen: The Architect

2008-04-15T14:46:00.006-04:00

The former tenants of 85 W. Allendale Avenue, a TV Repair Shop, left the place in a pretty tired condition. So I will need the help of some terrific craftsman to turn the shop into a great addition to the main street of Allendale. Making it Happen is a section that will spotlight the people I've hired to make the shop operational.

In order to get permits, and to give the contractors a sense of what my expectations are of the shop, I created a layman's draft of the floorplan - with elevations of each wall of the space.

While its helpful in planning what equipment I'll need, where certain things will be stored and the basic flow of business within the shop - I needed a professional architect to draw up legitimate plans.

Fortunately one of my landlords is an architect and was kind enough to draft me up 5 copies of plans. His name is Tom Ashbahian and does very good work. I can't thank him enough for his expediency in getting the plans done for me and being cool about the whole thing.

Tom Ashbahian
Architect, Engineer, Planner
39 Spring Street
Ramsey, NJ 07446
201-825-1220
tashbahian@verizon.net

What is Bondgård?

2008-04-15T14:34:00.002-04:00

Bondgård is the Swedish word for farm or farmstead.

I chose Bondgård for the name of my shop for two main reasons.

1) I wanted to emphasize the nature of the products the shop will be offering...farm-made products. If you taste a slice of factory-made cheese and then a piece of real, farmstead, artisanal (made with one's hands) cheese - you'll notice a remarkable difference. I personally think cheeses made on a farm from the milk of real animals that are taken care of by real farmers tastes better. I hope you'll agree.

2) I wanted to pay a bit of homage to my mother's Scandinavian heritage. Unfortunately the word for farm in Danish (my mom was a Dane) is "agerjord", which I didn't think was as marketable or pronounceable.

A Dream Realized

2008-04-15T14:10:00.002-04:00

While living in Manhattan, Danna and I were interviewed by the Village Voice. In this interview, circa 2004, I proudly stated that my dream was to open up a cheese and wine shop. I'm on my way...with the cheese shop at least.

About Me

2008-04-15T13:44:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone,

My name is Michael Mahle and I'm the guy behind the soon-to-open Bondgård - Allendale Cheese Shop. I grew up in Allendale, first on Waibel Drive then over on Ethel Ave. where I made my way through the Allendale school system up until graduation at Northern Highlands in 1993.

After going out west for college (Northern Arizona University) I moved back home to start my career in public relations in Manhattan. I met the love of my life, Danna, another graduate of Highlands, and got married. We moved to Hawthorne and then Manhattan for several years.

While living in the city and working at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, I took night classes at the Institute of Culinary Education (I.C.E), getting my degree in Culinary Management, earning my ServSafe Certificate and also participating in an internship at Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleecker Street where I got to learn much of what I know about cheese.

Soon after I.C.E, I began working at Zagat Survey as Manager of Corporate Communications. In promoting their guide books, I was able to meet several cheese shop owners and several other influential people in the related food and food service industry.

Danna and I purchased a home in Allendale and moved in April 2007. We're thrilled to be back home! And so with this experience and a love for all things cheese, I've decided to open up shop myself.

Now that you know a bit about me, I hope to learn some things about you. So please stop by when the shop opens its doors, or, in the mean time, participate in my polls or email me to let me know what you think about cheese, the idea of having a shop in Allendale that supports real farms (local, domestic and abroad) and other artisans of fine foods.

Thanks,

Michael Mahle
allendalecheeseshop@gmail.com