Cranky Yellow is packing up and heading to this new store front location on our street. 2847 Cherokee Street to be precise (goodbye forever 2122)! We’ve already boxed so many things up. We’re hittin’ the road: even if it is just a few blocks. If everything goes as planned we will be open again in February with at least 3.5 times the merchandise. It’s going to bleach your socks!

I snagged the picture above from cherokeestreetphotos.com. Here’s the amazing history blurb about the building:

This store and dwelling was constructed for Henry W. Kaiser in 1896 for the cost of $2,957. The appearance of the façade has changed very little since its construction. The elaborate metal cornices, made of cast iron or tin, would have been chosen from a catalog and sized to fit the building. The large cast iron and turned wooden posts create an opening for a large display widow. Above the window are large transom windows bounded by smaller panes of colored glass. Before the advent of the incandescent light and neon signage, stores utilized these decorative elements to capture a potential customer’s attention. These elements also gave individuality to the uniform design of stores.

Henry Kaiser operated a hardware store in this location until 1919. The following year, Kroger Grocery and Baking Company rented the store front from the Kaiser Family. This was the fourth Kroger store located on Cherokee St. Nascent chain stores, such as Kroger, were accused of driving small merchants out of business. The store was viewed as a menace, changing the commerce of communities and commercial districts. In 1928, owner Bernard Kroger sold his entire stock for $28 million and stepped down as President of the Kroger Company. Kroger Grocery discontinued operations at this location during same year. The Kaiser Family continued to reside in the second-story residence until 1958.

It’s pretty final now. Cranky Yellow is moving into a bigger/nicer/newly renovated store front in the next month or so. I’m freaking out and absolutely can’t wait! The space is so beautiful and it is what I have been dreaming of for so long!

We are going to still be on Cherokee street! We will be having a blast with our new neighbors APOP Records and Firecracker Press.

HOORAY! HOORAY! I’M SO EXCITED! WHOOOOOOT!

I can’t wait to start packing. It’s going to be so much work to expand, but I think it is well worth it.

I drew this really horrible floor plan on some sticky notes. We’re going to have over 4 times the space… which means we will be getting a TON of new stuff in. There are some really special surprises in the works too. I’ll keep you posted! YAY!

Student Life, the paper of Wash-U, wrote an article about Wounded Bird and Cranky Yellow. I updated the press page to reflect the article. The Student Life paper a better source of news than some places.

I just found this photo set on flickr from about year ago when Mia Park came to visit us. It’s so strange to see shop photos from back then. The place was so empty. I can’t believe how much it has filled up. That’s Angelo and myself, looking one year younger, with our long boy/girl/boy/girl hair. What a hoot the last year has been. So much has happened, both good and bad. I must say the place has really started to grow up! I’m feeling unusually nostalgic tonight, so please feel free to disregard this mushy moment as a selfish-sentimental-squirt.

So yeah…Angelo keeps saying that we don’t have room for more stock, and he’s been saying it since we opened our doors (over a year ago). Little does he know we’re preparing for a huge push to get new shit under our cranky wings. Explosion part 2: Here we come!

I’d love some peppermint tea served in a bowl.

Last night was another endless set-up-fest. I’m pretty sure it’s the last night we will be working until 4:00am. I’m looking forward to going to sleep at 10:00 tonight. That’s all. I’m off to organize/clean/answer email.

Thanks Emily for the photo. Our camera is broken. Ugh.

In the evenings, during the little free time I have, I’ve been working on painting the new Cranky Yellow sign. I’m so grateful Rudy’s husband was willing to cut out the blobbing shape. It’s cut from a found door (dumpstering rocks) and it is surprisingly heavy. Many layers of primer, paint and sketching:

Dinah was so eager to get in there and model the progress. It’s hard to get a grasp of the size of the sign because Dinah is such a gigantic hog. I pushed her out of the way and kept painting. I’m going to keep painting, smearing, scratching, and aging the sign until it looks like a grungy old antique… this is how far I am now:

TaDa! Almost done. I just have the bottom line of text to finish. It will say something like: D.I.Y. Art - Music - Books - Apparel - Junk. It will be hanging on the outside of the building as soon as it is finished. I couldn’t contain myself, I had to haul it outside and get a glimpse of what it will look like. I’m pretty excited.

The nights are dropping earlier here, so during the last hour or so we’re open, I haul a lamp outside to shine on the sign. I can’t wait until it is hanging, and we get the light installed above it. Hip-Hooray!

Cate tagged me to tell 6 quirky yet boring facts about Cranky Yellow. I spent a little time this morning compiling this photographic essay. Enjoy!

1. No matter how hard we clean the Cranky Shop/Gallery it just keeps shedding layers and layers of grime. There are still some pesky hard-to-reach places with a settlement of old-building detritus. To be honest, I’m actually a little fond of it!

2. We often find little discarded notes of wisdom on the street. It’s amazing how the city just exhales these snippets of philosophy. They all find a happy home pinned somewhere in the shop.

3. We offer 100% cotton, reusable towels in our gallery bathroom. After you dry your hands, just toss it in the basket and we will do the dirty work of washing it.

4. The Crammed Organisms book we published was first proofed on regular computer paper using our desktop printer. It took 3 full color cartridges to get the whole thing printed out. Each page has little arrows, marks, doodles and notes of things that need to be edited.

5. People ALWAYS leave their personal electronic belongings in the store. I like to picture the building as a HUGE pick-pocket. It really is amazing the amount of cell-phones, ipods and cameras that find their way nestled into hiding here. Don’t worry though: when we find any misplaced item, we keep them safely behind the desk for the owner to pick up.

6. When we have to leave the shop for a while we create a little note to stick on the door explaining our whereabouts. Over time we’ve started a collection of past notes on the sideboard of the door. I think it’s pretty hilarious because it looks exactly like some pretentious art I’ve seen in (nearby) Saint Louis Galleries.

Goodbye Depleted Uranium Extravaganza. I nicely packed it all up today to make sure the gallery space was cleared out for the next show (which opens tomorrow Friday the 3rd).

Hello Freezerburn! Mister Ben stopped in today to drop off some of the work that we will be installing tomorrow. His hair was bright neon orange… AWESOME! I’m really super excited. The stuff looks great! If you come by the opening you’ll be treated to colorful zines, comics, intricate posters and some random prints/collages. It’s great so be sure to make a little time in your schedule to see it!

Now I’m off to set up my old-fashion radio to tune into the Vice-Presidential debates; which are happening right here in Saint Louis! Just think: Sarah Palin will be making a complete fool of herself just a few miles from where I’m sitting! How exciting!