It was now time to gather in Tulsa….
Bringing the group to Tulsa would be a large expense for their little company. Renting motel rooms, eating out, vehicles and transportation would strain their finances in short order. Every effort must be made to conserve and be efficient.
Twyla had been there several weeks preparing for their arrival. Because her responsibility is acquiring, permitting and building green garden gates, she would be there permanently for the next year. Nick would also move to Tulsa, consulting with Twyla in the building and equipment needed, setting up the operational guidelines and later helping to hire the employees. Both Sammy and Sarah would commute to and from Tulsa as needed. Lists had been drawn up for the needs of the group; medical, dental, eye care, vehicle repairs, shopping locations, economical grocery outlets, entertainment, and child care if their families were in Tulsa occasionally
Twyla leased for one year, a four bedroom vacant house in a quiet residential neighborhood near Tulsa International Airport and a major freeway leading in and out of the city. The house had been for sale for a period of time. However, because of the large amount of properties listed at the time, the owners agreed to pull it off the market and lease it for 12 months. It was a short distance by airport taxi as the group would be traveling back and forth. The house had a full two car garage, a large kitchen, three full baths and a half bath. She arranged for a lawn maintenance company to take care of the yard and plants on a weekly basis. She installed televisions in each bedroom and the living room with satellite feeds. She had broadband Internet installed and provided several desktop computers.
The house had a large den that was configured and outfitted into a meeting room, complete with a desktop telephone for conference calls as they meet. Another unexpected surprise was that the house had a small lap pool and hot tub! Nick and Twyla would manage all the operational needs of the house. The four would cook and eat together, plan together, and socialize together during the next long 12 months incubating and birthing their baby, green garden gates.
The group chose vehicles for their use in Tulsa. Two vehicles were purchased so the group could have access to transportation at any time. Both were white, used Plymouth Voyager minivans, with less than 75,000 miles. Twyla bought them for 3500.00 each and She had installed trailer hitches. They would be the type of vehicles for use in all of the stores. They were able to carry a number of passengers, they can haul items and inventory and a trailer could be rented when larger items were needed for the operation of the stores. The gas mileage was reasonable, the price was right, the insurance was moderate, the maintenance was simple, and they were pre-owned; fitting into their model of a sustainable, re-use business.
Both vehicles would announce green garden gates to Tulsa. Twyla hired a design company to create a bold statement on the Plymouths, “Hello Tulsa, Here We Come” “greengardengates” “The gardener’s store”. Together with the website address, the letters were clearly visible wherever they traveled for the next year. The address of the store and other information would be added later. Once the store was operational, one minivan would be left and the other would be driven to the next prospective site.
Since the house was unfurnished, a plan was devised outfit it. All of the furniture would be purchased at second hand stores or rented if some items were not available. Following their extended stay in Tulsa some of the furniture would be returned or donated for the tax deduction. Purchased kitchen items, bedding, mattresses, miscellaneous household items and retained furniture would be moved with the Voyager, rented trailer and another rented truck to the next site. After the store opens or if the lease expires, arrangements would be made for the group to stay at a moderately priced motel near the store at a flat rate.
The house was ready. The beds were made, the food was on the shelves. The Voyagers were painted and shiny as Twyla waiting outside the terminal for Sarah, Sammy and Nick.
Part of Twyla’s assignment over the past several months in Tulsa was to become a part of the gardening community in the city and surrounding suburbs. The group wanted to “build the buzz” early, long before the first shovel was in the ground. A series of advertisements would be routinely placed in the newspapers and on the websites to chronicle the building of green garden gates.. A number of representatives of the different gardening clubs were invited to join Twyla at the airport to welcome them and later attend a reception at the house.
The first newspaper ad was placed with the welcoming photo.
Hello Tulsa!
Here We Come!
greengardengates
No comments:
Post a Comment