Leah, Mat and Marc Visit San Miguel

What do you get when you send 3 gringos to San Miguel for 3 days? Before I answer that questions let me add a few more ingredients. Throw in lots of rain, a little sprig of missing luggage and 6 table spoons of brownies. Toss lightly with Chuck and Susan. Next let simmer for 2 hours in a live seminar. Brush on a few architects and designers the day after and wrap tightly in a radio show.
The result is a spicy yet sweet flavor that leaves an aftertaste in your mouth. A little chewy inside with a crisp outer layer.












Marc getting his cafe fix at a popular local spot on Calle Correo.















Inside view of Iglesia Parroquia. Majestic!














Nina, Mathew,Roger and Marc. Ole' Ole' restaurant on Calle Loreto. Leah was taking the picture.














Outside Vivoli on Hernandez Macias. Mat with his box of books.

Fiesta Counter Cultures Cabo

Above,Ernie from the boat Co. with Roger of Counter Cultures and Arq. Jesus.

Below Alejandro from BH with Gabriela from Counter Cultures.

Monica from Cabo Furniture hanging with Carolyn from the Gringo Gazette.

Yurko and Vanessa from Cemex with Ramon of Aldi Kitchens and Cristina from Diarq.

Rafael of World Mark Resort and Oscar from Quetzal.

Here's Wayne and Yahel from Playa Grande. This was thier first wedding anniversary! After the party they headed over to Tropicana for Cuban night! Wayne and I discovered we went to the same University in Texas. Small world.























Arq. Benjamin from MCA with his brother hanging out with Arq. Angel from Querencia.

Ingenieros Carlos and Alejandro from BH

Construccion y Mantenimiento.

Interior Designer Leah and Arq. Ana Paula from Del Mar Development getting the scoop on Sun Valley Bronze from Marc.

The Master

Here's a picture of Luis and I waiting for our flight back to Mexico. This guy is the inivator. He's been hammering out copper since he was 5 years old. That's 45 years of experience. He has brought Mexican Copper work to a new level. He's business minded as well and runs a tight operation. Luis and I go back 7 years. I remember when he was sleeping on pallets above his dirt floor work area. It's amazing to see someone so talented get to really make it. Sitting in the airport I remembered when Antonina and I were driving to the shop once a month to pick and pack orders. Back then I did all the packing with little help. It would take us 2 to 3 days to get all the order together. While there it Margarita and Luis were always so kind lending us thier bedroom, feeding us breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'll never forget sitting around the large rectangle table in the kitchen for comida. It was a real honor to be let into their family.
Luis was so relaxed at the airport. Always with a smile. It reminded me why we got into this buisness in the first place. Tonina and I loved to find great product produced by true craftsman. So Much has changed. I'm rarely in the factory anymore and Luis hasn't hammered in a while. I guess that's progress. I can't remember the last time I even packed a sink. It's not bad in fact not having to load a trailer or make the midnight run to the border is a relief. I've had stitches in my nose when a crate fell on my face and ran my 1 ton van into a wall in the Saltillo canyon totaling the van. Some how I still managed to get the order up to the border. Change. It's been satisfing seeing Luis be able to come to Chicago and visit all his clients at the show. While at the airport he spoke of coming to San Miguel and coming to Los Cabos. He seemed excitied about traveling and experiencing new things. I'm excitied for him.
I can't wait to show him around Los Cabos and San Miguel!

TARGET is a must stop while in the USA

Okay I´m not the only one who believes that while in the states a Target stop is a must! Here´s Ann Dolan from San Miguel de Allende. We ran into each other while at the downtown Target in Chicago! If you live in the states full time you can´t fully apreciate why someone visiting Chicago would go shopping at Target http://www.target.com/ The only draw back was figuring out how to fit my purchases into my luggage.

Kevin was really excited to see the carts ride down the escalator! Sometimes it´s the little things. Later that night I over heard Tonya talking to her son and explaining how the escalator cart worked. Just don´t try to make it to the street with a cart. there´s some kind of magic force field that blocks the wheels of the cart from going up to the door. Kevin was pushing and pushing and almost made it to the door before giving up.

Cold Chicago

COLD. In one word that´s how I´d describe Chicago.

It rained every day I was there except on Monday the day I flew out. I don´t know how those guys in Chicago do it. I spoke with some locals and they said I must be suffering coming up from Mexico. Of course I said yes and asked how they deal with it? The husband immediately asnwered ,¨we stay in doors and have lots of sex¨. I guess that´s the plus side to living in cold weather.

Fernando Mendez´s latest project

Gabriela and I got to vist the new spec. home that Sr. Mendez and Assoc. are building. This is a great home with perfect views of the beach at Palmilla. Fernando has taken great care in the details.







The ceiling looks good in the photo but doesn´t feel so good when standing inside the room. It´s not square and feels a bit busy and confusing. Too much going on. Fernando asked our opinion and we gave it honestly. I was a little hesitant to say something that might come off as negative. It turns out Fernando already has plans to change it. Dry wall will cover it all creating a softer uniform valted ceiling. It´s nice to be asked to give an opinion on a job and it´s even better when you get it right.


We we´re studing the measurements for the counter top. These are the holes where a single post faucet and vessel mounted sink will be installed. I´ve seen this set up many times in construction but I´ve never seen it so precise and clean. He actually used the specs for the faucet and sink to determine where the holes should be. Of course this is the correct way but in my experience I haven´t seen it so well planned out. Usually the prespective is an after thought and that´s what it ends up looking like. I´ll come back and take some more photos when it´s all finished just to demonstrate how good planning ends in good design.


I love the great room! Super High celings give a catherdral, close to god feeling.

Hacienda Fucillo in Querencia

Here´s Gabriela in Hacienda Fucillo. Next to her is the wine bar. We went over there together to help solve some problems they are having. One problem they have is with Sub Zero. It´s a strange thing but the spring loaded hinge on top of the fridge broke in half. It´s not damaged in any other way. I guess it was just a defective part. as seen in the photo it broke at the thinest part of the hindge. I already called it in to our distributor and Sub Zero will warranty the part. That good news. The tough thing is Arq. Gustavo wants to deliver the home yesterday. This is one of those things that no one could have forseen because until the door was opened on the wine cooler you wouldn´t know.

Here´s the second issue. The outside door trim for Accurate needs a plate without a cylinder. This is no big deal. We have the trim in stock and can just change it on the job site. The inside is a butterfly( mariposa) thumb turn. It´s good to go out and see when these issues arise because it´s impossible for everyone to identify the correct model #´s needed. This way we save time and can make sure the mistake doesn´t happen again.

I love these wooden pocket doors. It really opens the room to the outside living space making one large area.

Back in Cabo

I'm back in Cabo now and here things are humming! The showroom looks nice and full and clients are coming in everyday now. The weather is still nice which I'm surprised. I thought it would be hot already although I'm not disappointed that I was wrong. This month makes a year since we signed the lease agreement for Plaza El Faro. We didn't open until the first of June 2007. Looking at the new pictures I added to the earlier blog titled Los Cabos Surcusal makes me a bit nostalgic. I can't believe all the changes in one year.

Friday afternoon Break

Sometimes we just need to close the store and do something fun! On Friday afternoon at the end of the weekly grind we went out for some fun on the karts. Just locking the store door in the middle of the afternoon and flipping the sign over to ,Be Back @ 5pm, was powerful. Hey we had more important things to do at the moment. When we got to the track another family was just finishing up with thier races. A couple of young girls were not enjoying the ride and I think they would have preferred
to be next door in Liverpool shopping. We joked about the father saying that he must be thinking,"I wish I had a couple of sons"! Soon enough they finished and we were on. Matteo got a special size cart so he could reach the petals. As Luis, Mario and I scouted out the 8 big carts trying to determine which one would be the fastest. I let Mario and Luis choose first then I took my que from the owner,"Oye Azul"! With our brain buckets on our heads we rolled out onto the track. Wow! I thought this ones got some speed! Immediatley I was making laps around Mario,Luis and Matteo. Trying to avoid Matteo was difficult. He's stratagy for winning was to run everyone else off the track! " Matteo this isn't bumper cars", I yelled thru my Helment. The next time I came around the track I saw Matteo spun out in a cloud of dust with tires all over the track. He looked okay so I kept my foot down on the gas. Next I see Mario just sitting as if he ran out of gas or was giving up. Later he tells me his chain broke off. He got into another cart and things got going again. Luis had a problem with his kart as well. Check out the photo. Later Matteo wipes out again and at this point I'm thinking this is his M.O.. He looked a little upset so I stopped to give the fatherly encourgement. Again back out on the track we we're all humming along. When it came time to stop Matteo had a hard time coming into the pit. He must have taken 4 extra laps before flying into the pits. " Break! Break! Break!" We all yelled as Matteo nearly cut several other kids off at the knees who we're waiting to get into the karts. Yea that was fun and it was hard to drive the Fiat straight and slow after that. We ended up for lunch at Fernando's Urugrayan Grill. We felt like formula 1 drivers coming in for grilled meat and beers after a gruling 6 hour race. We felt like a team. I felt great about the future as I talked about the expansion plans for Counter Cultures. Looking at Mario and Luis both with smiles and joking with each other made it all worth it. I'm sure next time we will fight over the Faster blue kart. If your going out to the track the 2 black ones and the blue one are the fastest. Stay off the green. It's 50 pesos for 10 minutes. Vale la pena!

Working the floor at The Restaurant

Now I have my double life. In the day I oversee my two Counter Cultures businesses in San Miguel and Los Cabos as well as the export biz to the USA. By Night I have become this other person. I transform into a cross between Martha Stewart and Donald Trump. Here in the Restaurant I feel like I've made a visit back home. At first I was nervous, will I remember how to serve a guest? Will I remember anything about wines? I'd ask myself quick what are the 5 mother sauces? What are the Nobel grapes??? What's the rules about reservations that all fine dining restaurants should follow? Relax, relax, relax, it's like riding a bike. I remembered everything and was sent back in time to all the guest I've waited on from the cheap drunk who stiffed me to guest like Gene Hackman who always tiped 25% even on the $325.00 bottle of wine. I recall all the wine I sold, all the Nazi New York style chefs I've had the displeasure of meeting. There I was in my element being Jose Manuel's right hand man. Proving myself thru Technique, style and grace. When you're on the floor in a restaurant it's like Counter Cultures only 1 month reduced into one night! Fine tuning the skills of selling, service and mastering the art of table turning is much like Counter Cultures. Asking the right questions at the table is the same as asking the right questions in my showrooms. You have to read your clients. This is true in both businesses. You want to sell the Goat and beet salad and the hand held shower. Make sure for every table you get a wine pairing with the food and a Satin Nickle trip lever with every toilet! Watch how long it's taking for your entrees to get to the table and when the truck should arrive with the faucets. A month condensed into 5 hours of service. 4 to 6 weeks now becomes 12 to 15 minutes. Watching your covers and check averages and make sure you have the client base with the correct sales average." We need to sell more trout" the chef says and I say get rid of those old sinks that are in the showroom. Push the trout and push the faucets you have in stock. Make sure your clients sign the check and merchandise received form. At the end of the shift review the how many bottles of wine and bathtubs were sold. That's so and so,sit them by the fountain and give them a special discount on hardware.
The employees in a restaurant are like the people at Counter Cultures. Brenda is the back waiter getting clients quotes ready and making sure the checks are picked up and paid. Alfonso, Mario and Luis are the expediter/food runners controling the flow of incoming orders for guest while making sure the client gets the salmon cooked medium and the door handle has a 2 3/4" backset. Gabriela and Chris are the waiters greeting the guest explaining the special lamb tonight and the benefits of a Thermostaic Valve. The Chefs create the Roasted Chicked to order and the factory makes the custom copper sink.
So this week I'll spend 3 days at the restaurant equal to 3 months at Counter Cultures. I guess this is why people in the restaurant business tend to drink as much in one night as a retail sales person drinks in 1 month.
Here's a link to a blog about The Restaurant http://www.blakesmexico.blogspot.com/

The architects and designers of San Miguel

For such a small town we really have a nice mix of architects and designers to fill most any style.

The list is too long to write here and I fear I might miss someone.

I'll focus on 3 at a time over the next month.

This one represents 3 clients for countercultures.

http://www.juancarlosvaldes.com/espanol.htm

- Juan Carlos Valdez

Architect Juan Carlos Valdes has constructed and redesigned more than 200 houses in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.
You are invited to know his work and to take a tour by several of the spaces that he has conceived, constructed or redesigned.His work has contributed to that peculiar San Miguel de Allende architecture atmosphere, in addition to the conservation of beautiful large houses full of history.

http://www.fincahome.com/- Rachel Horn

Rachel Horn is a respected interior designer whose projects have been published in various national shelter magazines, including Southern Accents, Architectural Digest, and Phoenix Home & Garden, to name a few. It was Rachel Horn who coined the term San Miguel Style to describe the new fusion of design influences in this historic region of Mexico. Thomas Horn has over a decade of experience in the production aspects of the business. For much of that time, he has worked specifically with leather, which is one of the cornerstones of the Finca home furniture line. Both Thomas & Rachel actively contribute to new product design. Together, Thomas & Rachel founded Horn & Horn Design in the 1990's. H&H was a full service custom furniture provider to the design industry until they decided to begin selling a complete line of furniture to the trade. The company Finca home was born in 2003 with the opening of their first storefront in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Currently the company is rapidly expanding, with retail and wholesale showrooms in several major cities in the US. More showrooms are currently in planning, in both Mexico and the USA.

http://www.dolandevelopment.com/ - Jim Dolan

Founded in 1996 by Jim Dolan, Dolan Development employs over 200 employees and subcontractors. This team of dedicated professionals is the key to the success and rapid growth of the company.

Los Cabos Surcusal

Wow! where to begin.
For nearly the past year I have spent more time in Los Cabos than in San Miguel de Allende. Getting a new store opened is more work than one can imagine especially when you choose a location that is Minimum 5 hour travel time by air and 2 days by car. I know it seems how can it be 2 days by car and 5 hours by plane. The problem is the large body of water between mainland Mexico and the Baja. A ferry is an overnight trip. The ferry from Mazatlan is more like a refugee boat than a cruise ship.
Opening a new location is a challenge in itself. Add on top of that several other barriers and it's impossible for the average person. Not knowing anyone in town to call for store remodel, fixing a leaky faucet is trial and error. I spent the better part of the day driving around looking for someone to weld a repiso. Finally I ended up at a auto shop and what I got back was less than level. You know those old Mexican pickup trucks that when your driving behind seem to be sitting crooked on the frame. I think this is where those guys go for repairs. Then try hiring a staff. I ran an ad in the Cabo Mil radio station. That was expensive and wasteful. In Cabo there is a shortage of workers. 8 businesses are fighting over the same 3 people. Therefore two things happened in Cabo. Anyone with experience is worth about 3 times as in the mainland and everyone else works a job until they get too drunk one night of want to go surfing all day knowing the next morning they can be either back at the old job or have a new one by noon.
This is great for employees but not for the employer. I've had potential employees in hard negotiations over salaries. This is like swallowing a spoonful of sand when my wife and I cleaned out our savings accounts and charged up a few cards. I haven't seen a dime from Cabo. I'm eating canned tuna and worried about the light bill and some young punk comes in and tells me he won't work for less than 2K a month! Being without my family is also a strain. After being gone so long I realize my daughter who just turned 2 years in December doesn't speak any English.Her Spanish and Italian are great! Believe me it's a strange feeling when I need to communicate to my own child in Spanish. That's when I knew I just haven't been around enough. Ahh Los Cabos Paradise right. I tell you it felt more like purgatory in the summer. All in all the obras for the house construction working under extreme conditions. It was 38c and guys are tossing bricks all day or digging ditches by hand. I have a lot of respect for them. Like my dad always said,"get a desk job use your mind not your back". My father worked hard labor all his life. He will tell you it wasn't all that hard but climbing ladders and hanging pipe for sprinklers is hard work. I guess all that reminding paid off. There is somethings he couldn't prepare me for. When your working with your hands or doing something that doesn't have that much responsibility you are more relaxed. Physical stress is big but you rest easy at night. The thing he didn't know is the mental stress and battles a person in my position deals with daily. How could be know, for my father when Friday afternoon came it was over and not much thought was put on Monday morning.
Fast forward to Los Cabos. After 3 months in Cabo we made our first real sale. On the 4th month I hired a real sales person. A real sales person is someone who says "YES". Most people think if there selling toilets they have to know every detail about the toilet industry. They may feel a need to read a biography about Henry Crapper the inventor of the closed coupled toilet. Yea I read it but a real sales person knows the magic in selling is being with the clients. Making calls, sending emails and building relationships. Once we started closing a few deals it seemed we became a beacon in the night. For the next few months we did nothing but order parts and pieces for the mistakes of sales persons from other stores. We knew this would pay off and all the builders are becoming loyal to us.
Now it's March and things have really broken loose this year. We have secured relationships with 4 major developers and many other small firms. We have added more people in the office and it's helped a lot. No more 7am to 10pm days. I look back on the last year from when I signed the lease in Los Cabos and see that it's all going well. We're farther ahead than I imagined and still have room for growth. I'll still be away from my family often but I don't have to eat canned tuna or worry so much about the light bill and when I'm ready to come home for a couple of weeks I can do it knowing things in Cabo will go on without me. If you ask me would I do it all over again? The answer is YES!