Tuesday, September 2, 2014

20 Years Ago

September 2, 1994. 3 1/2 months after the City of Columbia Zoning Commission told us we had to move or close.  Here are a few of the many highlights of our lives and circumstances during this period:

The Mouse House was finishing the final negotiations to buy/finance our present Park Street home and business. Assuming a favorable rezoning ruling, this would allow us to legally live and work in the same building (which occurred in November, 1994!).  Running and managing an ever growing framing business with employees in our illegal Confederate Avenue location needed to come to an end.  We were already selling framed antiquarian prints and offering limited custom framing at Terrace Oaks Antique Mall in Charleston; framing for most of the Charleston King Street antique dealers; working for our best corporate/personal client, Leonard Long as well as Kiawah Development Partners; attempting to raise our two little boys and exposed them to the arts; making numerous out of town trips in search of antiquarian prints to resale, etc. I was one year past any chance that I would ever return to the scientific and academic world that I knew during my 13 years of college and three years of professional work.  Whew and Wow!

September 2, 2014.  Terrace Oaks is a nice and distant memory (by choice).  Nearly all of the King Street antique dealers have died or retired (we miss SOME of them). KDP was sold and we choice not to continue our relationship with the new corporation. Leonard has retired and enjoying life.  (We hear from him occasionally.)  There are no employees or children (at least one kid likes us!).  We have a small but loyal custom framing clientele.  Best of all, Susan's art is making amazing strides and accomplishments.

We are coming up to our twentieth anniversary of Mouse House at Park Street.  We will be celebrating this milestone in some soon to be named exciting way.  We are also going to use the untapped social media market to brand and advertise the New Mouse House and all we have to offer in the coming months.  Stay tuned.