Business Or Pleasure

As some of you may know, I was able to go and participate in one of our new store openings happening for Gander Mountain last week! I was Valdosta, Georgia-bound on Monday afternoon (8/20/12) though Friday 8/24/12 - the store's "soft opening" date!

WOW - what an experience!

I had opened a Christopher & Banks outlet store before, but this was a huge change. I really love store openings. Granted, they are a TON of work, and you are dog-tired by the end of the day and the end of the week, but the rewards are SO worth it.

The store had an AWESOME team - I mean stellar. From the neighboring store help that was brought in to assist the new store associates, the new associates, and the Store management team were all amazing and I was so glad to have been able to meet them, get to know them, laugh with them, work alongside them and spend time with them while I was there for my one-week stint.

I wanted to share some of the photos with you of my experience. From the hotel room - one of the nicest ones I have been put-up in for work-related travel to date, to the day we opened the doors of our first store in the state of Georgia!

Enjoy some of my photographic moments!

The true meaning of work and play!

I found this helpful and humorous- the front two pillows were banded with "soft" or "firm" tags on them.

Since when did they stock Bath and Body Works supplies in the hotel bathrooms?! NICE!

  

GROSS! One of the biggest bugs I saw while down in GA - my boss pointed this guy out to me on our classy morning gas-station run.

The spoils of mine from said classy gas station run - this was the second to last day of the adventure - keep me awake juice!!

Message board - message from the store manager to all the helpers and staff at the store - aww.

The Gander sign out front by the road - the logo needs to be tilted back into place, but the graphic display board is working now! (don't ask, I am a little bitter that I was activated tech support for the better part of two days to get this thing functioning.)

In my true southern stereotype, I had to get a photo of the tree with Spanish Moss on it - I do declare, it was a sight to behold!

As I was merchandising the magazine rack up front, I saw this cover and it made me burst out laughing. It still makes me laugh. lol loony dog!

Now, where did all that apparel go? I swear there was some here a minute ago, but I can't see any apparel on the floor, do you?!

My mad magazine merchandisng skillz, yo.

This was at a place we ate on the last night before opening. Though I did not get a steak there, everyone else who had it said it was really good!

On the opening morning of the soft opening 8.24.12. A Gander Mountain is born and released into the world!