The day before, Gwith had a locksmith come to the location who quickly saw the “For Lease” sign and asked him, “Are you sure this is your spot? There’s still a for lease sign in the window.” Gwith looked at the sign, turned to him and said, “Is it? Not anymore!” and ripped it from the window. I’m a little jealous I wasn’t there for that moment but unfortunately I have had the flu all week and wasn’t able to go.
I was on my way to recovery yesterday and decided to go the space with Gwith to meet Ashour and take some photos. I’ve never seen something built from the ground up before so I’m excited to watch this entire process unfold. Once we were there, we walked through with Ashour and he drew up the chalk lines for each of the walls. Gwith and I both had some fun posing in the “rooms”. We also picked up the “For Lease” sign and tore it in half together.
After our meeting, we got the chance to meet the CEO and Vice President of The Counter, as they were stopping by next door. Gwith and I are firm believers in making positive relationships with the local businesses. Besides, we’re really not competing for their customers (our restaurant will not be offering burgers and french fries). Not to mention that ever since we got this property, we seem to be eating at their restaurant, A LOT. What can I say though, I’ve always been a fan of The Counter! My mom and I used to dine there regularly in Colorado and we even filmed our TV show pilot, “Little Blossom” at the Park Meadows location (when it still existed). I have to admit: it’s incredibly peculiar to me how many of my career milestones all connect to The Counter in some way! Even at my last job, we dined at the Studio City location regularly and a past co-worker was/is best friends with the CEO. It seems incredibly fitting that our first restaurant would be located right next door to them!
Once we left our location, we headed to the Chamber of Commerce. It was great hearing about what they can do for us. I, of course, was most ecstatic about the ribbon cutting ceremony when we open. I mean, honestly, who doesn’t want to do that??
Back at the office (aka our home), Gwith has been coming up with recipe and menu ideas, while I’ve been working endlessly on our social media. It’s amazing that we just announced Aroha on Wednesday and we already have 187 likes. We are incredibly lucky to have so many amazing and supportive friends and family members! We also got a shout out in the Kiwis in LA newsletter!
We’ve known about this and been preparing for the restaurant for months but it didn’t feel real until this week! I’d like to thank everyone for letting us include you in our journey! Sharing this experience with all of you has made it even more meaningful.
