I own a small business in a post-pandemic economy, and life is difficult. (Disclaimer: I have 4 business partners, I don’t do this alone).
I keep seeing posts on social media from other small business owner friends of mine and I think we are all feeling the weight of the world right now. I can tell you I need help, support, and compassion right now more than I have in the 16 years I have been a business owner. Thank you to all those who are supporting me and offering words of encouragement. Thank you also to all my clients who are allowing me to design for them.
But more about the challenges: Owning an architectural firm means I have to have thick skin, a very high tolerance for stress, and be extremely flexible in schedule, goals, and expectations. I have not found the balance, if there is such a thing, and tend to give more to others and the business than to my own mental and physical wellbeing. Owning a business is hard.
Something changed coming out of the pandemic. Expectations are higher, timelines are shorter, price structures are more volatile, and product shortages are unpredictable. It is beyond stressful to figure out the challenge of balancing meeting our clients expectations, mental health of staff, and providing a safe place for design creativity, with staying economically competitive and quick. Are you done yet? While all these challenges / goals have always been there for small architectural firms, since the pandemic it seems they are all heightened. It is not necessarily directly related to the pandemic, but there was a shift in how our clients think about us and what our employees expect in a workplace since the pandemic. Many days it feels like everything is in a very fragile balance and any small wrong move will break the system. We balance building code compliance with aesthetic beauty with structural product price spikes with changing communication patterns from our clients, consultants, and employees. We are expected to pivot quickly and stay on top of all the changes all the time. Products that used to be readily available are no longer in our market. Builders that used to need work are booked out for a year or so. Software costs skyrocketed from just a few years ago when you could purchase a software package to now having to purchase an annual subscription. The market has shifted where the big firms will frequently compete with smaller firms for local projects. These larger firms have entire teams dedicated to responding to potential client requests while in a small firm we each wear many different hats and have to give time in many different ways and directions.
I am not complaining about owning a business and getting to set my own schedule, write my own mission statement, and set my own path. (Well sort of set my own path and as long as my schedule is work a lot I can set it for sure.) I love what I get to do: solve spatial problems for our clients that enhance their livability, protect the environment through sustainable design practices, and inspire joy through beautiful design work. I just wish it was a little easier to find the clients, deliver the projects efficiently in a more relaxed schedule, and figure out the balance between earning a comfortable living and being affordable. It does feel like I am climbing a steep hill with the sun in my eyes many days.
Does anyone else have some insights on the joys and challenges of owning a small business? Please share, it is good to know that others face similar challenges.
As a firm, we practice design as an act of service. We work closely together with our clients to create projects that are completely custom and unique to their needs. Well-rounded and well-designed projects should aim to better people’s lives by taking in their ideas and input. As designers and architects, we are driven by the passion of using our skills to help people better their environments. Practicing design as an act of service means meeting our clients where they are, working hard to understand their needs, and leading with empathy and patience to help bring their visions to life. These are the projects that have the power to truly connect people and meaningfully better their environment. Here are a few examples of projects we designed with this in mind!
Church Street Townhomes
The Church Street Townhomes project in Christiansburg, Virginia was developed by Habitat for Humanity in New River Valley. Working together with Habitat for Humanity has been a valuable part of us reaching our goal of building strong communities and it is always a pleasure working with an organization that shares our values. The seven conjoined townhomes are fully accessible for people of all abilities and EarthCraft and Energy-Star certified.
Speech and Language Center
The Speech and Language Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia came to us with a very particular problem. The client needed to grow the functional space of the building while only being able to add a few feet to two sides of the building. We worked closely with the client and the builder to expand the space and were able to successfully deliver the right solution for this business to continue to grow and thrive. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Eastern Mennonite School
The Eastern Mennonite School in Harrisonburg, Virginia was a renovation project aimed at converting a three-story office building into an elementary school. The project focused specifically on sustainable practices and creation care, which was important to our non-profit client. We worked together with the teachers, administration, and students at the school to create a space that would enhance the learning environment.
When engaging a client in the design process it is important for us to make sure they feel heard and know we are here to support them and what they want for the future of their space. We encourage all potential, current, and past clients to engage in conversations with us about what they want for themselves, and their communities, and how we can help them get there. Being in constant conversation with the people we serve is important to us, and we also can do community presentations to share our wealth of knowledge and help advance people’s community building. Including the community in the design process is an invaluable learning opportunity and allows for a greater capacity to make meaningful changes with architecture. Using design as an act of service looks like giving tools to people who do not have them and listening to their wants and needs.
Recently Harrisonburg has been getting national press for what we already know about our community: it’s an amazing place to live, work, and play. We love Harrisonburg, we absolutely love Harrisonburg downtown, and we know that you will too. As hype for ESPN College Game Day at JMU covers the town this weekend due to an undefeated JMU Dukes football team (we are also celebrating JMU’s #24 in the country basketball team), we are seeing so much hype for our friendly city. Recently, Southern Living Magazine wrote a love letter about the place where author Tara Massouleh McCay says “she could live.”
The beauty of our city is that we know each other and want to see each other do well, thrive, have fun. We are the Friendly City in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by nature’s beauty and close enough to the bigger cities that we have access to what we don’t have in just a short drive (and still the ability to come back home the same day). If you have not visited our city, whether you are here for football, hiking, food, or just fun – here are some of the places and things you should know about that the national magazines and out of towner reports have not told you. Visit the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market on a Saturday morning, ask David Sutton with Port Farm about his plants, cutting boards, and rolling pins. Mention that you would love to hear more about his Dad and the Chesapeake Western Depot. Go see Nico at Mill Song Bakery and get a lunchbox loaf (maybe get two because it will not last long once you taste it). If you want the bread to disappear even faster, stop by to see Mike at Hott Apiary for some local honey. Pick up some flowers from Mary Jo’s Flowersand give them to someone you love – they will love them.
We have the best Children’s museum,Explore More Discovery Museum, for young innovators, creators, and investigators. You can be a news reporter, car mechanic, doctor, dentist, scientist, actor. veterinarian, farmer, or builder. There is a maker space, airplane, ambulance, and stock market all inside the building. There are scheduled activities, classes, and even a Lego league available. The work that Lisa, Melanie, Marcia, Caroline, Kelly and their team do to make this the best museum possible is inspiring. Visit and see this amazing facility when you are downtown – shop in their store to help support them or just make a donation online to allow them to continue to grow this amazing community resource.
A must visit is to go see Mira at Rocktown Kitchen for lunch. Get the Fried Chicken sandwich (or the wedge salmon salad, or the burger, or the BBQ – everything that Chef Kristo creates is amazing). If you decide that you must return for dinner, you will probably need to reserve a seat while you are there for lunch. Word is out about how good it is to eat there. If Rocktown is too busy or not on your way, stop at Texas Inn for a Cheesy and say hi to Angie or pop across the street to one of Aaron’s places and get some fried mac and cheese at Billy Jack’s or Jack Brown’s for an Elvis (one of the best burgers you will ever experience).
You don’t want to miss Ten Thousand Villages for their amazing creations from around the world and stop in Agora Market to see what Heartworn Vintage has found that will have your vintage heart thumping.
If you have someone that likes stickers, keychains, wall hangings, pens, candles, or jewelry, you have to stop by The Lady Jane to see what Sara has stocked for the holidays. The store is FULL of amazing finds. I always stuff the stockings at Christmas with the awesome things she has procured for the shop. This is also the shop where I find Ros O’Brien’s natured inspired ceramics. Her creations are beautiful and always a popular gift from Christmas ornaments to coffee cups.
As you continue up main street, drop in Oasis Fine Art and Craft to talk with Barbara and the other artists about their creations. You will want to see what Delaney has painted and let your young artists make something in the Kid’s Corner.
Then there is north downtown and all the shops and restaurants you should visit, the amazing team at HDR that works on programs and events for downtown, and of course my favorite place in all of downtown – The Depot. Come visit, see our art gallery, explore our historic artifacts, or get a building designed.
Last Thursday our Harrisonburg team attended the Big Brothers Big Sisters luncheon, “Bigger Together: A Community Celebration of Mentoring.” It was a wonderful time to meet other leaders in the community and hear from Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentors. Speakers shared about their time mentoring youth in the community, and a theme that came through was that mentors were pleasantly surprised to be greatly impacted by the youth that they were paired with. Often, their relationships last past the program with a great respect for each other and a want to continue making meaningful connections.
A central theme of the luncheon was “It Takes Little to Be Big.” This simple fact was a good reminder and impactful to our team members. The speaker emphasized that it’s often not the grandiose or “big” moments that are impactful, but the seemingly small actions. A high-five, laugh together, 15 minutes supporting studying, cheering each other on, providing a listening ear, and the list goes on. Asha reflected, “I am often surprised to be going about my day and have a little voice of something someone said once go through my head. These small things impact me greatly, sometimes in negative ways, but often in positive ways. Or at least they provide me with a laugh. I was glad to be reminded of all the small things that we do that we may never know positively impact each other.”
It is always a pleasure to support such an incredible organization, and we are so grateful for all that they do to bring the community together and support youth. Consider joining the mentorship program or volunteering in other ways. Remember that you don’t have to commit to doing something huge, because sometimes it only takes a little to be big. To read more about the programs through BBBS, visit: https://www.bbbshr.org/programs/.
This summer I taught a class for Massanutten Technical Center Summer Camp in Architecture. This was my third time teaching the course and it was as rewarding as ever.
One of the greatest gifts I have ever been given in life was finding my passion. I love serving others and it feeds my soul. One of the ways I am able to do this is by sharing my knowledge about architecture with others. I do this in blogs, on social media, lectures, and recently through a week long summer camp at Massanutten Technical Center. I had a class of 11 middle school students that signed up (most of them) or were signed up for my course because architecture sounded interesting. This week was a chance to explore a future career option, flex some design muscles, stretch their comfort zone, and get exposed to the built environment in a new way.
The main project I used for this week long course was designing a floorplan. In just 20 hours it is hard to do more than conceptualize a familiar kind of space. We talk about styles of architecture, scale, famous works of architecture, famous architects, color, light, and more. It’s a fun week for me to share something I love – the process of creating design.
The students take on the challenges along the way with a tower building challenge using marshmallows and toothpicks and a bridge challenge using one sheet of paper. We watch a variety of videos on sketching to learn different techniques and talk about how to sculpt space. We investigate room sizes and learn about architectural scales as a way to convey information to others.
Each day has a new challenge and by the end, each student has a floorplan designed for a family they have imagined. Some of the students get to the point of building a 3D version of their floorplan so they can better see the spaces. This allows them to think about a roof and vertical form of their creation.
Taking on this summer camp while keeping up at work is a challenge each time I have done it. However, it is so worth it to see these students grow. Over just a week, I could see them becoming more confident in their abilities to design and think through spatial design problems. If you have the opportunity to share your passion with others, in a summer camp or just a conversation, I encourage you to take the chance to share.
We have been so busy over the last month we failed to post photos from our big party! Here is the press release and some photos from the event.
Gaines Group Architects moves firm headquarters to renovated historic Harrisonburg train station.
The Gaines Group, PLC, Architects is pleased to announce the relocation of its firm headquarters to the historic Chesapeake Western Railroad Depot in the heart of Harrisonburg, Virginia. This milestone marks multiple points of celebration for the firm. Over the last 37 years this business has grown from a one-person operation to a thriving two-location small architectural firm serving communities across four states including Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. In the last 15 years it has experienced a substantial increase in the number and average size of projects and has doubled the size of the firm. This year Raymond Gaines and Charles Hendricks were joined by Paul Tassell, Adrienne Stronge, Deborah Smith, and James Halstead as principals, thus increasing the businesses’ resilience. The firm is celebrating sixnewhires who bring a diverse set of talents to the organization. Providing architectural services for a project base that includes custom residential, multi-family residential, industrial, educational, commercial, renovation, child care, and more has allowed the firm to continue to grow in spite of the COVID pandemic.
Charles attributes the firm’s growth to its focus on design that creates a better future for all. He says, “Our focus is to find ways to build a stronger community for everyone. We do this through our projects, designing sustainable solutions into every project. We use design strategies that are durable, energy-efficient, and healthy that not only benefit our client, but the community as a whole. We also seek out organizations in our communities that we can partner with and support through volunteer efforts to further this goal. From our work on boards and commissions, to giving our time and skills, we want our legacy to be one of caring for others, the environment, and our collective future.“
