Oregon Duck Store - Bend, Oregon

"VIP" opening was on Saturday, June 30th.  Talk about an eventful day: a strong thundershower with a huge downpour and a crackle of thunder left the party - and much of Bend - without power.  Wondrously, the power finally came back on, and we got to see the space lit up, as well as the cash wrap table.

There was some value-engineering in this one, which was unfortunate. I'm still getting a lot of positive feedback on the Clackamas Town Center Duck Store, so we were hoping there wouldn't be any cuts in the budget.

We had some close calls with some bad decisions being made without us being in the loop - because we're in Portland and it's a 3 1/2 drive to visit. Having a local architect work on a project where they're not invested in the design, can be difficult. I've been on both ends of the deal, so I know what's going on in the minds of people from each side of the table.

Additionally, there were battles that had to be fought with subcontractors who either felt they could BS their way into shortcuts or were truly ignorant.

Some minor decisions still were made without us being in the loop -- I think we were deliberately left out of the last month of the project, as things were wrapped up in a whirlwind to get everything completed on time.  Still, most people won't notice the small details.

The whole picture nonetheless came together as imagined, within the many constraints, and people seem to like it a lot.  That's the gratification one always hopes to find at the end of the tunnel, right?