Til Leie!

So, it seems like this is it! We're very excited!! After a couple of months of looking for shop spaces, we are going to rent the very first place we saw! Typical.

Renting (or "almost renting" as I have not yet actually signed the contract!) has been a funny experience. First of all, everybody, and I mean everybody, was on vacation for the entire months of June & July. I received neither return emails nor phone calls from any of the places that I was interested in: zero. Then, lo & behold, on the first Monday in August there was a flood of responses. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of vacations & vacationing, but jeeze we're talking a looong time for whole real estate offices to just disappear from the radar. Anyway . . .

Jim & I saw this place way back in June. It is on the number 19 tram line that we ride a lot. The tram goes from the corner of our street to the other side of town. Along the way it passes all manner of interesting places we like to visit. We noticed the shop because, as the tram enters Riddervolds platz, there is a gradual bend in the tracks that momentarily puts tram passengers on a collision course with our shop to be! One moment you're sitting, tooling along on the tram, and the next, up pops the shop! And that's when it's empty: just imagine when it is full of georgous gifts from Mexico! But for me the "Til Leie" sign was just as interesting. For Rent!

We went back a few days later and talked to the next door neighbours at a nice shop. They stock many lovely things for the urban dweller: all super expensive and cute. It is a popular store. (yea!) The shop employee was very positive and said that we could talk to the owners once they got back from vacation. Luckily it was the first place we saw because in between that day and the day that the owners got back, I managed to see every (other) available space in Oslo under 50 sq meters. Whew!


After 3 weeks of no word, Jim and I had grudgingly concluded that the owners of the shop space were just trying to get rid of us but didn't know tell us "please go away now!". So, as we thought of the shop on Riddervolds Plass as "gone", I found another place that was much cheaper (although not nearly as well situated). We were considering this new spot when . . . the e-mail came!

Our Shabby contacts been on vacation, but now they were back & all looked good. They said they would propose me to the owner of the building as the new tenant. That was the 29th of July and I have been waiting for the contract since then! Jim is wondering how to say "poco a poco" in Norwegian!!

But things seem to be progressing nicely now. We love the space. it is tiny but beautiful! One day I might even be able to post pictures of the inside!!