Knocked down wall to enlarge office and taking out tiles. Flooring will be NYCitySlab wood. Couldn't possibly have anything else.
Day 3 - Continued
The opening up of the space is great. We'll have more room for all our equipment, which many of you know is quite large. Go big, or leave it alone!
The Resaw Has Found a Home
The Resaw we purchased a few months ago, which we were bummed to find would not fit through the front door, has finally found a home in our new 13' ceiling workshop.
Day 2 - Operation Demo
Yesterday the wooden floors came up.
Today, the concrete walls come down.
We're moving at quite a clip as we need to move in, set up and continue working.
Unloading a fraction of the machinery we have.
Two in place.
Amazing
These guys, including Alex, who follows us on Instagram, and offered his services for the day (what a guy!!), work super fast.
Demo Day
New space, new configurations.
And so it begins.
Our New Home
180B Buena Vista Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701
What a great feeling! Now the fun really starts.
Keep On Keepin' On
Thanks to everyone for their messages of encouragement and support - both of which we still need. We continue to move forward and today marks a new beginning for us.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/nyregion/fire-robert-rising-black-lumberjack.html
Beam-apalooza
Have recently been getting some really interesting yellow pine from Williamsburg. These are from a building near the old Domino Sugar refinery.
What can we create for you?
Red Wood Comin' Through
Got another delivery of red wood water tank wood. Beautiful and light, will make some great furnishings.
What can we make for you?
The Work Never Stops
While we're actively looking for a new place to hang up our tools, we still have to honor all our commitments. Trying not to miss a step, we've found temporary shelter at the yard.
Voilà, a greenhouse is very versatile.
Safeguarded from the elements, it is warm and most important, dry.
Turkey Trotting
Amidst all the trials and tribulations we've been experiencing lately, there is joy to be found, especially in nature.
A flock of wild turkeys at the yard
Bent But Not Broken
While we recently posted information on the devastating fire at 222 Lake Avenue on our social media, we have not fully addressed the situation in this blog. What follows is our account of what has transpired in the last several days.
On Monday, January 30, at 4:00 AM, a 4-alarm fire broke out on the third floor of 222 Lake Avenue, Yonkers, NY which is where our workshop is located. Eighty firefighters from 18 companies battled the fire. The fire, which completely destroyed the third and fourth floors in the northwest side of the building, burned for several hours. Gratefully, no deaths or major injuries were reported, although some firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
Our shop, located on the ground floor, had no direct fire damage, but we have plenty of water damage, which can be just as harmful. Trouble comes in threes and we have not been spared - the building was hit with 1200 gallons a minute of water for several hours, all of which rained down on the lower floors.
On Tuesday we were briefly escorted into our workshop by the Yonkers Fire Department. It was dark, cold and water was dripping from everywhere. At that point there was about four inches of water in the shop. In our shock, we grabbed nothing to take with us. All we remember doing was picking up what we could from the floor and setting it on higher ground. We were totally disoriented. The fire department could not say when we'd be able to get in to start cleaning up. Needless to say we were absolutely dismayed. Outside the building were a whole slew of people - other tenants, police, firefighters, fire chief, building adjuster, City of Yonkers personnel, department of buildings inspector, industrial cleaning crews, engineers, media, etc. We started contacting people about our situation. Clients, insurance brokers, utilities, mom, dad, friends, everyone we could think of that had any association with us. We immediately put feelers out for new space as it was evident that none of us would be able to return to 222 Lake Avenue. Looking for space can be particularly stressful when you are under enormous pressure like we are. No space to work in = no revenue.
While trying to sort ourselves out and naively thinking that 4 inches of water would be pumped out rather quickly, we found out on Wednesday that plumbers, who may have been testing the sprinkler system that did not work during the fire, broke a valve that literally opened the floodgates. Our shop was now in about 4 feet of water and they had not been able to shut off the water. It seems that buildings as old as 222, which was built in 1890, originally had their own water lines that were not connected to the Yonkers lines, so the big guns had to be called in to dig a hole to get to the water line to shut it off.
Thursday dawned and we optimistically returned to the burned out building just as we had done everyday. We were heartened to see water coming out of the building, thinking we were finally being pumped out. Alas, it was not to be. Water was being drained all right, but from the first floor. The water that had been flooding our space had not been shut off. Not much info available on when we might be able to assess our damage. The fire department was trying to allay our fears but things were looking pretty grim. In the meantime, we had been to see several spaces, most of which would not work for us. Too small, too big, too expensive, not in an industrial zone, too short a lease, too expensive to be brought up to code, etc. Advertised spaces that seemed promising were usually taken when we called. Every "space available" sign we came upon we called. Every night we're exhausted. One or the other is dismayed. Sometimes we both are. But everyday we wake up, thank the man upstairs for another day and start all over again.
Friday began with our usual optimism and this time we were not totally disappointed. The water that had by now been pouring in our workshop had been stopped. But we still did not know when we'd be allowed in our workshop and neither did the fire department. Our enthusiasm on Friday was dampened on Monday when we found out that over the weekend pipes froze and burst and another foot of water poured into the shop. By this time we have been asking ourselves, "will this misery ever end????"
During all this sturm und drang, we're still open for business. We're working out of our home, Starbucks, our yard, wherever we happen to be when that call or email comes in about a project. We're fully committed to completing all the projects that were on our docket prior to the fire. To that end, we have set up a makeshift shop where we have our yard. Not all of our tools and equipment are at hand but we're managing. Conditions are a little rough but we come from a tough stock and will make do until we find a new shop to hang our tools.
Yesterday morning we were told that there would be no access to the building until an engineer deems it safe to go in. While it was certainly frustrating to us, we understand that after a fire like that in such an old building, safety has to be the number one issue. We went to the fire department to get the fire report and pleaded with them to let us go in to get some of our materials and tools. They gave us exactly a half hour and escorted us and even helped us move some things out. We are eternally grateful to the Yonkers Fire Department for their help. They will again assist us when the time comes for us to get all our paraphernalia out of that space.
We are also so grateful to all the people who have contacted us to help - friends, family, neighbors, clients. We're especially humbled and touched by all the strangers who have reached out to us after seeing our Instagram and FB posts. People have offered a day of help when moving out our stuff, which we will need to take them up on. Others have been offering us legal, real estate and insurance advise, all of which we are heeding. Most important, people who have suffered the same fate have been reaching out to us about their experiences and their advice on how best to move upward and onwards. All are welcome!
We feel encouraged and empowered and looking to build a better and more productive work environment.
Adversity introduces a man to himself.
-Albert Einstein
Blacklumberjack
NYCitySlab LLC
The shop
That 6 am call, that says your shop is on fire.
Redwood--redwood--redwood
Just recieved another delivery of redwood. 15 skids of reclaimed water tank redwood.
Loaded
"...A Day That Will Live in Infamy..."
Today, December 7, marks the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry in World War II. We remember all who fought and those who keep fighting for a just world.
Shopping Spree!!
Now I understand my beloved's excitement when it comes to sales...
While I did blow the budget, I managed to get some fantastic deals.
Check out these beauties.
On This Day in Yonkers History
December 19, 1922
Ground was formally broken for the Charles E. Gorton High School in North Yonkers. Mayor Walter Taussig, using a spade, and Dr. B.W. Stilwell, a pickaxe, turned up the first clods of earth.
The high school was named after Charles E. Gorton, Yonker's second Schools Superintendent. Gorton High School is the oldest campus in Yonkers.
Source: Yonkers Rising, 12/16/2016
It Almost Takes A Village
There are times when you need to call on your neighbors to help. Our next door neighbors purchased a gorgeous black Walnut slab from us and used our machinery to straighten and flatten it.
On this Day in Yonkers History
December 12, 1906
The Yonkers Post office posted signs that read "Mail your Christmas presents early - have mercy on your letter carrier."
Source: Yonkers Rising, 12/09/2016