10 SMALL BUSINESSES

10 DESIGNERS

10 MAKEOVERS

10 DAYS

MAIN ST MAKEOVER

Portable Feast and Friends 1216 Turner St.

I'm Jenny. I'm an interior designer with IKEA.

I was the decorator assigned to Portable Feast. Prior to the makeover Portable Feast was really quaint, a little old town restaurant.

We felt we could bring it to the next level.

I was cooking at a golf course in a nearby town and decided it was time not to work for somebody else.

The thing that I'm most proud of is being here right now.

Because the restaurant business is very difficult. It's a 24/7 job.

You have to love it or not get in it.

PLANNING THE MAKEOVER November 2007

Hi, Sharon.

Sharon at Portable Feast and Friends is really about the food.

She hasn't had time to look back at what her restaurant looks like.

How could it be organized better?

That's where I think we could give her some help.

I made one summary for each business.

And this is about you.

You already have a good vibe going here. We want to strengthen that by using colors like black, white, oak and galvanized or stainless.

Paint all the molding and doors black.

And I would be so daring as to paint the focal wall black all the way up as well.

Sharon didn't want to seem ungrateful, but she was really hesitant about painting her restaurant black.

Really?

We had to keep up the positive reinforcement.

It's all about context. It's going to be beautiful.

Some people think black is depressing. I don't think so at all.

- It can be very ...

- Sophisticated.

It was about understanding her needs.

At the same time, I wanted to make her restaurant more her.

I can't wait to come back. I have to rush to the next business but Jen is going to stay with you and figure out all the details.

- Good luck. Bye.

- Bye, Mats.

Their needs were pretty much for more organization.

What I'd like is the wires for the credit machine and cash register ...

It needs to be better organized. We can outfit this place with shelves.

We can give you a countertop with storage underneath.

I see you have shelves, but we can fit some shelves with light in them.

We're going to replace your sink with the round one here.

- Stainless steel.

- And a faucet that will look nice.

We'll give you more storage and shelving here.

- Everything's organized.

- That's what you do.

It is.

- The posters ...

- Tell me about them.

These have a lot of sentimental value. They're a history of the restaurant.

- I really need to keep these.

- Absolutely. We'll organize them.

And give life and meaning to them by framing them.

- That would be awesome.

- And showcase them a bit better.

We'll put them here. All framed, and they're going to look really nice.

I'd like to give you a much more functional bus station.

I can't wait till January to see the new look at Portable Feast.

THE MAKEOVER January 2008

Hi. Welcome to Portable Feast. I know it's unrecognizable now but I promise it's for the best. This is the prep area.

We've replaced the flooring. It's all one color. It's a nice black.

We ripped out all the countertops. The cabinetry we'll install here.

It has drawers instead of doors. Everyone in the kitchen starts pushing things to the back, and you can't find what you need.

Things get stuffed in there. With drawers you have an overview.

There's so much more space here. It's so strange.

The last year or two have been challenging for Sharon.

She lost her business partner, and at times she didn't want to move on.

Dan died the first year we were open, and Robert died last year.

So it's a bit difficult to go through these. I can think about the events but the painting is what Robert and Dan and I and Mark did together.

That's a little difficult, but it's kind of cleansing, I guess for me mentally to see the change.

In order to achieve the makeover, we had to juggle a lot of aspects to make sure everything was done not only in the right order but to pull it off in a few days, so Sharon could open back up.

Today is construction day. They're finishing up the painting.

Oh, Jenny. Look!

When they started painting the back wall, she was terrified.

I tried to maintain a positive attitude throughout.

I had to convince her along the way.

She was pacing and almost biting her nails and wanted to keep her cool.

But I could see it. You're going to have to raise your prices.

Ultimately I think it worked.

Do you like it?

It's going to be awesome.

I never ever would have thought of black.

Another area we focused on was the kitchen prep area.

It looks very good.

We put in our rail system.

- The magnetic knife rack.

- Great.

We go over there for our spoons and tongs. Moving them here is great.

Right there would be great.

This goes over the sink for paper towels.

Then we're not spinning in circles.

We helped organize it, and it makes work back there easier for two people.

Before

After

It is emotional. Yeah.

I'm really glad it's changed now.

And that's it. Okay? Bye-bye.

This was an emotional process for Sharon. A real journey for her.

She was definitely a trooper throughout this whole thing.

I hope she's really happy with it.

My God, it's unbelievable. Even the little things you don't think of like the pipe at the top. It makes a huge difference.

The new cabinets going in ... And I love the black.

Everyone was skeptical about it, but it looks beautiful.

It just looks more professional or something.

There are going to be stainless steel shelves over there. I'll show you.

Do you remember where we had the to-go boxes?

It's going to be lit and then stainless underneath it.

- This is so cool.

- I think she's happy.

Another forgotten area in Sharon's restaurant was the bus station where the waiter brings all the dirty dishes.

The existing one was a converted wardrobe.

We had a better solution at IKEA.

It would be more organized, out of the way and more efficient.

This looks great.

The shelves can come off, and you can move this.

It's completely adjustable.

Before

After

From tacky to chic.

Our carpenter is installing the cabinetry.

The plumber will put in the sink and make sure the plumbing is correct.

We're going to put the place back together. It opens tomorrow.

Hi, Jen.

- That wall looks so good.

- The clock and wall art are up.

Great. And the whole counter.

Before

After

- You've got good lighting in here.

- The inner-cabinet lighting.

Show me the goodies behind the counter.

All the drawers and cabinets were installed.

The plumber installed the sink and it works.

After

All of the shelves are installed for glasses and plates.

Before

Great. So the lights in the shelf just give a glow to the stuff up there.

It's easy to reach the switch to turn it off. It's right here.

Such a difference.

You managed to fit in all the ice machines.

Before

- We've got the rail system.

- That unclutters her counter.

She has a place for everything, and everything's within reach.

Beautiful.

A lot of our solutions are going to give Sharon a better life at work.

There's a lot more drawer space, and she can keep things organized and have an overview of whatever she needs.

We've put stainless steel shelves in that are easier to keep.

All this artwork is framed. These were all the posters.

- They were on the wall before.

- Yes.

So now they're still in a public area.

Even if Sharon was hesitant, mostly about the black color now when she sees me, she says, "Thank you, Mats."

I went out this morning when it was still dark and with these lit ... Oh, Jenny.

It's an old building with exposed brick and a lot of woodwork.

Bringing in the black/white and the lighting enhances its natural beauty.

It still feels very comfortable and like Old Town, just better.

Now she loves it, and her guests love it, so all is well.

And they live happily ever after.

IKEA BUSINESS A better life at work