Finally, a facelift.

This is what the shop looked like when Mt. Tom's and I moved in. I still have a scar on one of my fingers from a scraper blade mishap while painstakingly (literally) removing those darn 'Sunrise Sweeties' letters. Hard to believe that was almost five years ago. Wow. I remember wanting to paint the facade of the shop way back then, but due to the eighteen hundred other start-up tasks of that year, it just didn't happen. I've thought about it here and there ever since.

A few months ago, I was across the street at the Sunoco station, talking Red Sox with my buddy Jack, the head gas honcho over there, and we got to talking to a woman sitting in her car as it was being gassed up. She commented that my shop didn't look like an ice cream shop. 'Ice cream shops should be bright and colorful and cheery', she explained. I remember getting a bit defensive, leaning on 'it's a really old historical building and my landlord would never let me, etc. etc.' She went on to tell me the front needed to be more inviting and eye-catching. I remember thinking, 'what could be more eye-catching than two giant windows with hundreds of candy jars glistening inside!'

But I guess the seed was planted.

And now, finally, months and years later, this morning, with lots of help and the right tools from Bre, and one chilly Monday morning, the job got done. We even fixed the spots where all the wood was falling off. A nice improvement I'd say.

Here we are. Ta da...

Not quite done yet. Still have the top parts that my eight foot ladder couldn't reach, but I must say, it's looking more ice cream shopp-ey already.

Don't you think?