Last fall on walks back and forth to C-Town to buy groceries, I was keeping my eye on a renovation of four-bay car garage. In December, the day after we found out we would have to move, I noticed a “For Rent” sign go up in the window and called the broker. There was also an apartment for rent in the same building, hoping to rent both to replace the kind of space we were used to having, but way out of our price range. Russell's response was, “Let’s just take the garage” and my response was, “No way am I living in a garage!” His argument was that it would allow us a place to live as well as the opportunity to use part of the ground floor space to host a myriad of events from art shows to pop-up shops. A month later, we signed the lease on the garage.

With help from friends and family, Russell and I were able to mobilize out of the old and into the new. Revising plans, daily trips to Home Depot, building walls and installing doors, orchestrating thousands of details, moving and hauling so much stuff in the icy cold of February. Now, all moved in, Post-it notes are popping up on what to do for spring. The voice inside my head keeps reminding me to be playful, set the stage for fun, warm-weather happenings to fill the new space. On a quiet street, between Fortunato Brothers Café and Pasticceria and the Devoe Street Baptist Church, with the north light filling the garage door size windows, come see, touch and feel; Salon Russell Janis is ready.