Yesterday was the much-anticipated (by us, anyway) Grand Opening of our latest creative/business venture, Haywire Letterpress.

In attempting to reconstruct a narrative for your benefit, I realize that it was one of those blur days where everything moves a little too fast, where you have to choose between getting things done and remembering the details.

But let me back up for a second. Before we could officially open our doors to the public, there was the matter of providing them with snacks. And so, on Friday afternoon, I went to Trader Joe’s to fill up munchies.

And to Chipotle, to fill up on napkins.  

And then there was the matter of getting set up. The Haywire opening was downstairs, but upstairs, we put together a mini bookstore for showing off our Idiots’ and Bobbledy wares.

Friday saw a late night of dusting, arranging, and other associated industry.

Saturday saw a gorgeous morning perfect for the opening of doors that had been shut for so long.

It was the first time the barn had been open to the public in nearly four years. So we put out a sign to remind everyone that we were still there.

In case you are wondering, the jewelry in question is a collection of gorgeous, hand-made pendants, bracelets, and bookmarks hand-made by our dear friend Robin Rice out of vintage glass that has been tumbled in holy water from sites around the world. The aforementioned craze of the day kept me from taking a photo of her stuff, but I will remedy that oversight today.

In any case, the doors opened at 10:00.

A few minutes later, we had our first Haywire sale.

That it happened to be a stack of “Oh Shit!” cards made the moment all the more satisfying (and our prospects for long-term success feel that much more likely).

Lots of people came, in a steady stream, all day long. We thought we would have moments to catch our breath.

We were wrong.

There was lots of interest in the press itself. Which was not surprising. It is a gorgeous old living anachronism.

In addition to browsing the stuff we’ve already printed, visitors get the chance to operate the press themselves and print their own, limited edition Chestertown broadside.

While we gave tours, answered questions, and made change downstairs, the kids kept themselves busy with electronics and unconsciousness in the hayloft.

It was a very good opening day.

We could have gone promptly to sleep at the stroke of 5:00pm, but tired as we grownups were, the kids had other ideas. So we drove out to visit our friends for a bonfire in the woods. It would have been nice had I taken at least one photo to share with you.

Home again, we collapsed into the deepest type of sleep, from which I have only just recently rallied. We’d like to stay in bed all day, but this is not going to happen. The doors open again at 10:00am for more of the same.

So come join us, please. Some snacks remain, as does plenty of inventory (though I must warn you that the stockpile of “Oh Shit!” cards has been significantly diminished.)