Today is the first day of LEO. It is also my birthday! On this day, thirty years ago, I remember (very clearly) spending half the day on my hands and knees, belt-sanding the edges of the wooden floors at 413 Bleecker Street, my first shop in Greenwich Village. I remember that I only worked 8 hours that day. Since it was my birthday, I took it (a little) easy on myself. Most days—seven days a week—were quite long and truly exhausting. I was working alone (I could afford little help) and I really wanted to open-up the shop before the season of LEO had come to an end. I didn't hit that early goal; I opened on Tuesday 29 August, one week after LEO. But the store did come-to-life during my sun sign. And I made some important progress on my birthday.
Refinishing the floors was a difficult, smelly and bone-rattling experience. Most of the floor could be stripped with a standing belt sander. But, first, I had to "cut-in" to the edges, sand the corners, and work around any other "annoying projections" one encounters on a Nineteenth Century floor. My efforts were an act of love. I really got to know my space intimately. And it was cheap!
Before opening a store, I barely recognized the correct end of a screwdriver. But, as a new shop owner—with more ideas than money—I was forced to acquaint myself with the tasks (and tools) required to keep my shop looking good and running well. Necessity is the mother of invention. And now I have the tool boxes full of equipment to prove that point. I also learned an important life lesson: every new task, before you've ever done it, will be a new, mysterious, and (possibly) daunting experience. But, once you've done it, it becomes a part of your skill set (or at least you know whether you should attempt it again yourself in the future).
The cast iron bookends, shown above, capture a regal LEO—a proud portrait, paws stretching forward. They were sculpted and cast in the Twenties. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
To my fellow LEOs, Happy Birthday!
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.