June 12, 2018 This will be a great surprise to you, but here is the news we have been striving to share for months: we have found a good site for our studio! Location is smack in the middle of Lakewood, with good parking, power supply, water, heat, lights, restrooms, and no stairs. There is less space than we had hoped to begin, but we could have a long-term lease. While I am pretty darn excited about this property, there is one reason why I have not signed a contract, and that reason is money. My great hope is that the Old Manitou Team – that would be you – will be willing to make a firm commitment to sign up and pay for studio space for a minimum of six months. Without you, we cannot reach our goal, as I am unable to make this kind of financial outlay by myself any longer. Right now, time is our enemy – we will need to act quickly to make this work, as the property owner is anxious to rent his space. Over time we should gain more paying studio users, and get a non-profit status, two things that would put the studio on a more sound financial footing. Right now we need to generate funds to secure the space and make the changes that would transform our part of this building into our very own studio. We have all the equipment; we only need to get the space. To start, each of you, the original stakeholders, would be responsible for a payment of $125.00 per month for an initial period of six months. This would be a contractual obligation for each of us – as we begin all members of the team would pay and there would be no employees. Once established, we can add teaching and maintenance staff. If possible, I would like to establish the studio as a partnership, with the stakeholders as members, eventually changing into a not-for-profit partnership. Please contact both me and Jen, as quickly as you can. Please contact both of us, as I must be out of town for the next few weeks. I earnestly hope that we can count on your loyalty and support as we have in the past. Looking forward to a new studio and a new home for Empty Bowls, Retha Hayward