Lady Gaga and The Chandelier

Dishes and Designs blog just posted about the Bubbles Chandelier here and the inspiration and creation behind the floating masterpiece here.

And while I'm linking to other sites - the buzz in the laundry industry is:
Lady Gaga recently took over a NY Second Avenue laundromat for a Vanity Fair photo shoot.

Of course said laundromat only boasts Dexter machines (who knew Lady Gaga and I had similar taste?) ...
and since the Vanity Fair shoot, we too have had lots of visitors come in and take copy-cat pictures by our machines.


Kind of cool, I guess.
Though, I should mention, as I was looking up images of Lady Gaga from the Annie Leibovitz shoot, my computer filter function blocked me from accessing most of the sites.

A final point:
Don't you think Bubbles looks way more glamorous than this upscale NY joint?

Metal Trim

How did we get these great looking metal baseboards?

Here's how.
First, go to an industrial metal warehouse like this one.
Try not to think of all those scary Hollywood movies of Ukrainian mafia and torture, because if it does exist ...
this is probably the place it's all happening at.

Once the metal is purchased, and you have safely exited the premises with all extremities attached, find another abandoned looking building where they actually cut the metal. Mind your step, because there is a bit of a moat around this structure ... so good luck traversing (with all that metal) the wood and metal scraps to get to the door. If the first place didn't scare you just a bit - this one is sure to give you the creeps ... and if anything were to happen here ... we're pretty sure there would be no evidence, or remains, to find.

Great - now we're good to go. Have the metal, got it cut, head back to the store to have the baseboards installed ... just another work errand to check off the list for the day. 

Maybe there are some benefits to a desk job.

1,500 glass bubbles

Very soon, this lighting feature will be graced with over a thousand hand-blown glass bubbles.
Allyson conceptualized this dramatic chandelier and drew-up the plans to create it. Check out more of her inspiration and creative whiz here.
We call it our "Bubble Chandelier," and it's going to be stunning.
The glass bubbles were blown custom made in various sizes, and some with a different color hue of glass ... the more silver balls will be at the top of the netting.  To attach the glass balls we have hooks and fishing line.  The line is cut to various lengths, then special knots are tied at each end.  Sounds like a laborious process, right? We think so too - and wondered who would want to tie 3,000 special knots. 

Well, it just so happens that over the last couple months we have hired some wonderful employees. One of the ladies who will work in the laundromat once we are up and running volunteered for the task. That's right, volunteered! Refused payment. She said she was so excited to be able to work at Bubbles, and doesn't have a lot going on until it opens, that she is happy to help in any way. That is exactly the type of employee we want to see - Thank you!

Attaching some of the lower-hanging glass-bubbles ... we've always said this is a family business.

The glass-bubbles were delivered in these boxes. Apparently no one thought we would actually take inventory, but it turns out we were shorted a few. The glacier was a bit embarrassed, and is blowing more glass ball for us to complete the order.  So many little details to oversea. 

Devil's in the Details

While it's true, 'the devil's in the details,' detail work can be fun (and a bit more easy than government approvals and documents).  The glass reception area and decor are nearly complete ... Our blue and grey couches arrived ... The wall heaters are installed ... And the custom door to the industrial iron-room was put in place - now we just need to drywall the edges.

We had a brief issue with the piping connection from the washing-machines to the water-line. 

The threads on the American machines did not match any of the connections in Ukraine. We knew this ahead of time, of course, and sent Abilit (the construction people) all the specifics regarding thread-count, sizes, and every possible dimension imaginable. Plus, we sent the crew to Poland to take scrupulous notes on how everything was installed at a similar laundromat that uses Dexter products. 

Needless to say, Abilit forgot this detail, and said it would take THREE weeks and hundreds of dollars to special order parts from America. Oh, the grey-hairs this construction team has caused. We, of course, did what any resourceful, forward-thinking person would do ... found a reputable welder in Lviv to custom make the parts. Done in a day - cost $12 American dollars, and the problem is solved.

reflections

We upgraded our Dexter dryers to have a reflective plate 

so when you open the dryer it's like looking in a mirror - sort of.

We've repeated the reflective concept in other aesthetic aspects of the store ...

 We'll give you a little tour - here's the front door and sign with our address and store hours:

When you walk in the beautiful new glass entry, there is an etched glass Bubbles sign and a glass bubble Bubbles chandelier:
 
You then walk through (left) another beautiful glass door and into the actual store. Here is a photo of the almost complete glass counter - there will be another glass Bubbles sign on the grey-stone behind:

The smaller counter on the left will be our smelling bar - where clients can smell the various types of fabric softener and choose what they want their clothes to smell like.
To the right of the counter will be a scale for customers to weigh their clothes for drop off, or to choose the right size washer to clean their own clothes.
Things are definitely coming together.

Getting Closer

And things are looking good in here!

The skeleton for the cover and folding areas around the washing machines is being built. It's really a neat contraption that Benj designed. Once it's complete I'll post pictures of the finished product - complete with removable top and front to get to the pipes for maintenance. 

On a more decorative note, the "bubble" mirrors above the dryers were hung today.

There is a pop singer in Kyiv who's agent heard about our store and the bubble chandelier we're making, and they called to see if they could video her singing in the store in front of the chandelier. Sure! We don't know how this information spreads, but we'll take it.

Every year our business has to be re-tested to make sure we're up to fire code ... different than the fire permissions and certifications. So, yesterday the guy shows up to check all the plugs, outlets, and wiring. Good news, we pass inspection. Bad news is, he's only one of three people who have to sign off on the inspection. He informs us that one signature will require a large bribe, and the other guy is out of town for the next 10 working days. Ugh. But then he catches a vision of how ridiculous all these hoops are that people have to maneuver in, around, and through to open a business in Ukraine ... and he VOLUNTEERS to sign for all three names! Bam! Job done, just like that - he stamps it - and we walk it over to the government agency so they can file it away until next year. No waiting 10 days, no bribes ... it's taken care of.

On a final note for the day, I'd like you to meet our friend 'the Babuska'! And we really are friends. She stops by almost everyday, let's us know she's keeping a close eye on our building and bushes, making sure no one takes anything they aren't supposed to, and asks us for bread money - which we give her. 

 All is well that ends well ... and we really are getting closer!

LIGHTS, camera, action!

We have power and the lights are on! While we've had governmental power permission for weeks, it wasn't until Monday that the electricians were willing to connect our power. Then, of course, when the wires were to be connected on Monday, issues came up, and it wasn't until Thursday that everything was up and running ... but it is up and running! One of the hold-ups was that the little beady things on either side of this meter can only be removed by a city electrician - and if it's tampered with, there are fines, and fees. However, it takes weeks to get a city electrician during working hours, so we hired one to come by after working hours and get the job done - "When in Rome," right?

Another problem was the way Abilit (our main construction firm) wrote up our electrical project - suggesting we need 3 x's the amount of power that we really do need (an absurd amount!) so as to stall government approval, and have us pay them more, so they could use their "contacts" to get the project through ... see the corruption here? Anyway, problem averted, we have our own "contacts" and Bubbles will triumph. This is the folding room for hotel contract orders - lights, lights, beautiful lights in every room!


As far as other construction progress goes - the door frames are in, doors painted, and waiting to be hung.

 

The metal baseboards are mostly up and we'll remove the protective cover soon. The lip connecting the windowsill and drywall is installed. And the outside facade is coming along - more of a sky-blue than dark. So far the Ukrainian response to the blue has been overwhelmingly positive.

Update

We are now a month and a day past opening ... and getting closer.
The fire department installed the emergency exit signs and detectors.
Interior painting is finished.
The lights are getting closer to being complete.
We've re-plastered the outside facade because it was not done correctly the first time.

Our honest bush thief has returned yet another bush.
And we continue to try to navigate with and around the web of complications Abilit has created.
Power should be turned on today (fingers crosses) and we are getting closer with gas permissions.

On a final note, we had a dream last night ... we were on a balcony of a home on a mountain. We tried to get off the balcony, walked around and around as it winded down the mountain ... until we realized there was a tiger at the end. So we went back the way we came only to discover there was a bear on the other side. As they both approached we realized there was no way off ... except to wake-up. So, that's what we did - we woke up. Any interpretations?

Paint it Up!

Each week we create a list of tasks to be accomplished within the seven days ... one of last weeks was to have the interior painting complete. Well, unfortunately, clean-up from the re-sanding of the cement foundations lasted a few days longer than anticipated and painting didn't begin until Friday.
To find cardboard to protect the floor from drips (remember our floor is a piece of art all in itself!) we went to an abandoned train car area where people sell (or buy) cardboard boxes. For about 12 cents, you can buy a kilo of broken-down cardboard.
Since we don't have pictures of this Ukrainian experience, you'll have to use your imagination ... you walk through an abandoned field, littered with garbage, to a three story brick structure - not quite sound enough to be called a building - where you then make the business transaction.
While we were there a man and woman came with 13 rolls of old wall-paper ... Soviet era old. The couple looked emaciated from drug addiction - and could barely carry on a conversation with the head-rolls and twitches. They said they'd sell us the wall-paper for 80 cents a yard to use as floor covering. We weren't interested - and they lowered the price - 80 cents total!
"He needs some whiskey," the woman explained. "Six - rhp (or 80 cents) will get him what he needs."
So we bought the wall-paper.
When we returned to Bubbles we told the workers we changed our minds, and instead of painting the walls, we wanted them to put up wall-paper.
They were visibly up-set - so much time and effort into texturing, sanding, and stabilizing the drywall just to put up wall-paper!?
They were very pleased to hear we were kidding. For now our 80 cent Soviet wall-paper covers the floors, and the interior painting continues ... a top the "to-be-completed" list for this week.

What was lost, is now found

 Two of our stolen bushes have been returned. We have two more we're still waiting on.

Remember the Babushka who took swept the cement into her purse ... well, we're pretty sure our bushes also grace her garden ... perhaps in recently constructed cement planters.  We put up a sign reminding people it's illegal to steal, and that there is an outdoor video surveillance camera.  She stops by the store regularly, and during a recent visit she tentatively asked how long the video surveillance cameras have been working. "A few weeks." The consternation showed in her eyes. "Do you know who took those bushes then?" she inquired. "Yes we do," we said, though previously we didn't know ... it was like Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale-Heart. Her eyes widened. Then she put her fingers to her lips and with glistening eyes, said "shhhhh."

Speaking of the bushes, we overheard a conversation as a middle-aged couple walked by and saw the sign reminding people that taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing. The woman remarked how terrible it was that people steel bushes. The man scoffed. "Why would you plant so many? No one needs that many bushes! Of course people take them." After 2o years of independence the former communistic and socialistic values ingrained by USSR government have not worn free from many. Never the less, couldn't a socialist/communist argue that allowing the bushes to stay put in a public place actually allows for more people to enjoy them - rather than in a private individual garden? So, essentially from both ethical viewpoints, the bushes should remain where we planted them.

Update

Construction progress as of August 13, 2011.

After many weeks of putting in ALL new pipes in the basement of the building, the water company has given us the green-light.

Our beautiful pipes, water tanks water storage containers  heaters  and such, all in place and ready for business. 

Still to do: a few more pipes, and filters. Check.

The machines made the long journey, cleared customs, passed certifications, and are finally in place.  

We still need to build the center box between the washers to cover the pipe - but the ceiling "box" above is ready for the assembly of the most amazing glass-bubble chandelier ever known.

I'm mildly in lust with these machines ... they look sharp. Here's an assignment - find a local laundromat with Dexter machines and check them out. You'll see why we went through the effort of importing them. They're stunning. Not to mention they're eco-friendly, energy efficient, and have the best warranty/service history of any other industrial machinery on the market. They are wonderful.

All our electrical work is in place, and ready to go.

The custom double-glass-door entry way was finished today. 

All the folding room, office, industrial iron room, bathrooms (yes, two - since employees and customers can't share), and every other required room is dry-walled, puttied, sanded, and ready to paint.

We're close ... really close. But there are still a few more long days of construction, finishing touches, decor and arranging, clean-up, and governmental permissions before we open shop.
It's going to be GREAT!

Bubbles Interior - August 13, 2011