After many months of planning, researching, phone calls, meetings, signing my name in blood, waiting, waiting more, hanging out, and networking....it is official...the Veterinary
Institute of Paducah has secured funding to open in a temporary location just off Park Avenue on Park Plaza road, adjacent to K.C.'s Bar and the USPS Annex, and just behind Aloha Pools and Spas!!! I could not be more excited to start the Veterinary Institute of Paducah in a temporary location while we all wait on the endless phases of the planning and construction processes for the permanent home of VIP on Bleich Road. The lease at the temporary location starts May 1st, and although I maybe too optimistic, I am hoping to be officially open for business on August 1st. As this is my first time doing any of this, that timeline maybe too ambitious, we will just have to see. With that being said, the opening date of August 1st is quite tentative as I'm sure to encounter many roadblocks as I blaze this unfamiliar trail.
The space VIP has leased is currently the home of Heart and Soul Interiors. They sell quality cabinetry, countertops, and flooring but have outgrown their shoes and are moving to a larger location off exit 16 in Reidland. I am currently coordinating with them on the transition to VIP's tenancy and getting them moved out and VIP moved in.
Since this location is a 100% temporary space for VIP, here are few details on the plans for temporary location. Currently, the majority of the space is a large, open showroom with all different kinds of flooring samples installed on the floor throughout the entire room...and all of those flooring samples are staying put!!! So, you may notice quite the gauche contrast between different flooring materials in the exam rooms or in the waiting area, but it is what it is. I chose to see it as an elevated, eclectic design choice...LOL. Beyond the mosaic-esque quality of the flooring, the space itself is pretty standard. The biggest preparation task will be designing and building some walls for the exam rooms. That shouldn't be too hard or time consuming, but it just has to get done!!! ATTENTION: Please don't judge me too harshly on the quality of the walls or wall coverings (most likely cheap paneling)---the goal is to put as little funding into the re-build of the temporary space as possible so those funds can be used in the permanent location. These new walls will likely be bare bones, and just enough to provide some privacy. My hope is that you're coming for the quality medicine and not the quality of the walls!!! However, just know the minimalist feel of the temporary location will NOT be the same vibe in VIP's permanent home.
With all of that being said, besides the superficial concessions being made the best news is that when VIP does open, we will be a full-service, small animal hospital. VIP will offer routine veterinary services like medical exams, wellness exams, sick exams, hospitalization services, comprehensive in-house bloodwork, and access to an outside laboratory for more in-depth or specific tests. We will also be able to provide digital x-rays, digital dental x-rays, dental cleanings and exams, all routine spay/neuter surgery, soft-tissue surgery, and some limited orthopedic surgery and services. Between May 1st and August 1st, I am currently considering seeing patients for certain situations but that will be decided on a case-by-case basis and along with timing. I still have to work at Lakeside, the emergency veterinary hospital in Carbondale, IL during these next few months as well (and possibly longer) because personal bills and business bills still have to be paid!!!
I plan on getting an official phone number for the office soon, but until then, if you have my cellphone number or my Facebook, that will be the best way to get in contact with me. If you don't, just send a message through the website contact form and I will respond as time allows.
In closing up this blog post, I can't get over the feeling that this whole endeavor doesn't seem real!!! I want to TRULY thank everyone that has reached out to me over the past six months with words of encouragement, confidence, and support. I'm certain this paragraph at the end of a blog post cannot adequately convey my gratitude and appreciation to each of you. The literal hundreds of texts, messages, and calls I have received that were (and continue to be) filled with sincerity and your trust in me were slightly overwhelming initially but that feeling has since morphed into a feeling that this may actually all work out for the best! Again, I thank each and everyone of you so, so much. I can't wait to see you and your furry family members walk through the doors!!! Cheers to you all!
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