Salon M.O.M. Nadine just had a meeting with our lighting consultant. (We’re using L.A.-based John Brubaker Architectural Lighting Consultants as our lighting firm.) It sounded like she learned a ton — and that we have a lot of work ahead of us. “I had no idea about all of the options and details that go into providing proper lighting, not just for performing our services but also to create an ambiance and make an overall impression,” she says. We also found out more about meeting city efficiency guidelines, which means we have to choose lights based, in part, on wattage.

On the financial side, we’ve decided we want a lease for the furniture (it works out better than the loan we were considering) and a small business loan for working capital. We’re also still working on getting price quotes for everything — like a printer quote for the service menu and manufacturer quotes for smaller items like towels.

Full construction continues at the site. Framing (putting up the actual steel I-beams) is in progress, and the second floor is going up already. It’s exciting to be finishing up the process of selecting every last fixture, like toilets, faucets, and sinks.