The beginnings of a transformation.

We're so, so close. It's wild! Whitney and I can hardly believe that our dream is only days away from becoming a reality. We can't stop smiling. And we hope you can't stop smiling, either, when you come visit. You are coming to visit, right? Speaking of visiting...mark your calendars, friends:

Gus & Ruby Letterpress opening day - August 7th!
206 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 319-1717
Open daily 10AM - 6PM
www.gusandruby.com

A few shots of the progress:

Half-walls for the window seats.

Window seats!

Gus taking some important measurements. He's a real stickler for spatial accuracy.

Just a little inventory to enter into the POS system. No big deal, right? Gulp.

Oh, hello you pretty little chandelier! Won't you look lovely in the window?

T-minus 6 days until the Grand Opening party. T-minus 7 days until we are officially OPEN! It's going to be a long, hard, wonderful 6-days, people. Feel free to call the store at 11PM - we'll be here!

Bring it on!

Sunday Sneak Peek!

Gunmetal gray and Optic Blossoms

Well, well, well; aren't you just the sexiest machine I've seen a long time?

Let there be (sun) light.

Lookin' pretty bad-ass, Gus.

Drooling

Sam, real quick... can you make me these over the weekend? Great, thanks!

{via Design Sponge}

Inspiration!

In lieu of actual shots from our store (since things are so all over the place here) I've decided to show you our 3 inspiration boards for decking this place out. This could get me into trouble since neither Sam nor I kept good tabs on where we screen-grabbed these shots from. If you see one of your own or know who to credit on these please let us know. We created these without ever intending to show them to anyone. I'll do my best. Enjoy!
{Row 1: Mothology, Martha Stewart, Pica Press, unknown}
{Row 2: unknown, Mothology, unknown}
{Row 3: Mothology, unknown, Mothology, Style Me Pretty, Unknown}


{Row 1: Letteria, unknown, Cotton Idea Studio}
{Row 2: unknown, unknown, Letteria}
{Row 3: Elum, Mac & Murphy, Pica Press, unknown}


{Row 1: uknown,unknown, Design Sponge, Urbanic}
{Row 2: Design Sponge,unknown, Mothology, unknown}
{Row 3: unknown, Eames, unknown}

Workin' like a dog

Hi friends. As per usual we apologize for the lack of posts. We know we know. We should be taking before and after shots of everything we're working on and constantly be blogging about our progress. But then how would we get anything done? We just left the store after an evening of priming. A bit of paint tomorrow along with 100 other items. We promise we will post some shots soon. Perhaps a pic of our sunny yellow office? Or a shot of our gorgeous (engagement ring gorgeous) new 20" iMac? Or a snapshot of Gus passed out under Sam's desk? In the meantime feast your eyes on our amazing photo shoot from a few weeks ago with our fave photographer ever, Emilie Sommer of Emilie, Inc. She rocks. Almost as much as our iMac rocks. And that's saying something.


{Samantha and Whitney}



{Ruby and Gus. Seriously, what is he doing here?}



{A couple of losers)

View more of our fun shoot and all of Emilie's amazing work (including a ton of beautiful New England weddings) right here.

Packing professionals

Our unweildy flat cart. Ikea said the cart could only hold 346 lbs. We beg to differ - try closer to 800 lbs! Woot woot! Total rebels.

A cart full of picture ledges, lights, legs, industrial rods and other general miscellany. Including a curious porcelain milk jug!

It's official, we're pretty much packing professionals. Packing the Jeep like a puzzle and cramming items into every available space? No sweat. Tying a 200 LB table to the roof using tie-downs and bungee cords? Easy. All done by two small-ish gals wearing flip flops and without any outside help? You betcha!

After a hugely successful Ikea trip exactly one week ago, Whitney and I have been working away in the store.

Here's what's happened so far:
1. Office was spackled, sanded, primed and painted. We now have a cheery cheery workspace in the back of the store.
2. Giant mirrors embedded in the walls were taken down (which was a frightening process - complete with a construction worker's gouged and bloody arm. yikes!)
3. Walls were demo'd and new sheet-rock put up.
4. Desks and some shelving was assembled and installed.
5. Fabric was chosen for window seats, bathroom curtains and sink curtain.
6. Internet and phone service was installed and is active.

Here's what still needs to happen:
1. Everything else!

EEEP! No worries, though. We're getting there, slowly but surely. It's like Christmas every afternoon when UPS and FedEx show up. Whit and I clamor for the scissors to open packages of amazing goodies. I tell you - it's taken a lot of willpower for us not to just hoard these products ourselves.

Have I mentioned that we are working with the absolute most wonderful vendors and artists around? I am truly blown away by the work these fab people are putting out. Major kudos to all of them. Can't wait to show photos of the goodies and highlight our amazing vendors once the store is ready for her close up.

Hugs for the weekend!
Great job packin' the car like pros! A+ for tying the table to the roof all by ourselves!

Leanne and Bruce

Love these two! They are so adorable and full of energy and enthusiasm. Plus, they are super laid back about their upcoming wedding and that always amazes me. They are getting married in less than a month at Phillips Exeter Academy, a classic New England private school in Exeter, New Hampshire. We had a ball working with them to create this modern invitation suite using their bold color palette and unique vision. They will be married at the school's chapel and a formal reception will follow in the science building. We are currently working on their escort cards and ceremony program. Since Sam will have the joy of attending this beautiful wedding we will do a follow-up post with plenty of event photos! Best wishes, Leanne and Bruce!

Things are happening

{Not this, sadly. But isn't it cool? Check out this "before & after" over at Design Sponge. Can someone do this for us?}


Hi friends. Sorry it's been so long since we've blogged. And even longer since we've blogged about something fun and pretty. We have been busy little bees every hour of every day. The windows of our space are papered, inventory has been ordered, the bathroom has been primed (thank you, Lauren! You're a doll!!!) and we are off to Ikea... again. This time we will be buying more than a vase and mini-easel. We will be driving home with a full car. Promise. In the meantime, head on over to gusandruby.com and enter your email address so that we can send you a pretty, fun and super exciting announcement about the opening of our store!!!

The Land of Design, Particle Board and Swedish Meatballs

IKEA.

Monday afternoon, Whitney, our consultant (my mother) and I packed up and drove to Ikea in Stoughton, MA. We went on a fact-finding mission for the Gus & Ruby store. We were looking for shelving units, tables, lighting, pretty much everything.

We started out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but after 2 hours of wandering through the Ikea maze we were dazed and confused to say the least. A plate of swedish meatballs, some delicious chicken fingers (redundant, I know) and french fries and we were back on track to tackle "the marketplace."

Whit and I felt good about the few semi-decisions we made - we're pretty sure we've decided on shelving and a few display tables. But, in true Whiz & Ham fashion, we left the mega-store without any pieces of significance and, instead, several armfuls of knick-knacks and detail items (like stem vases and patterened tins for the studio!). There is a small chance we need serious help here.