It was back in the late 80′s when I received a packet of information about the ISSA show that was to be held in Los Angeles, Ca. Our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com has good deals on Birko balance, Birko motion, Birko sport, and Blue heeled arch supports. They had pricing and other info for hotel rooms in L.A. and I noticed they had a good deal for a Jr. suite at the Hotel Figeroa. It was quite a bit less than the marqee hotel names in L.A. so I booked a jr. suite. When we arrived in L.A. we took a transport to the Hotel Figeroa in downtown L.A.
We were quite surprised when we arrived at the hotel to find that it was very old and had a musty odor in the lobby. We decided it was the smell of old age. The Hotel Figeroa is a moroccan themed boutique hotel that
opened in 1925 as a Y.M.C.A. and was converted into a hotel during the depression back in the 1930′s. The hotel has been visited by many famous celebrities over the years for special events and shows that were held there. After checking in we took the ancient elevator to the floor where our room was located. At first we thought we might have made a mistake staying there, but we soon came to enjoy this aging hotel out of the past. My wife and I are not overly picky and like to save money and the Hotel Figeroa was an interesting place to stay. When we attended the ISSA show one of our suppliers reps. wanted us to move to a big band name hotel but we decided to stay put. Our room had a king sized bed in it but the mattress had a slope in it and we kind of rolled into the center of the bed. I told a cab driver about the bed problem and he said over the years large groups of oriental people stayed at the Hotel Figeroa and they slept as many people as they could get on the bed. While visiting in L.A. we took a bus tour of Beverly Hills that was very interesting. The retail stores we passed were very inviting but expensive. We stopped at the farmer’s market and the Labrea Tar Pits. We were too late to see the museum at the Lebrea Tar Pits as it was closed but we saw the tar bubbling out of the ground. Many animal bones have been recovered at this site. We noticed the traffic wasn’t too bad during the day in L.A. but when rush hour came it was a mad house. We attended a wonderful party put on by a supplier at the main ballroom on the Queen Mary docked south of L.A. at Long Beach, Ca. The Spruce Goose that was built by Howard Hughes was docked nearby and we got to see it. I wished we had more time to see things in L.A. but we ran out of time and soon we were back at LAX getting on our plane for our flight back to Omaha, NE. We offer Free Shipping for Dansko shoes, Dansko Professional, Rockport World Tour Classic, Birkenstock Tokyo, Ryka Studio, Rockport Margin, Sole rockers by Alegria, Children’s Orthotics, Rockport Encounter, and Ultimate Protein at www.lionfootweardirect.com.

We live about 45 miles from the casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa. People that need more support for their feet should check out www.lionfootweardirect.com for low prices on Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports. In the 80′s I had a salesman that was selling cleaning supplies to the new dog track, Bluffs Run, in Council Bluffs. I was making a call with our salesman on the director of maintenance at Bluffs Run and he was talking about how a casino might be added in the future and could be built next to the dog track. At that time I said that I never thought it would happen. The state of Iowa always seemed opposed to casino gambling and I just didn’t think it would happen, but, was I ever wrong! Before you knew it they were building the casino next to Bluffs Run. My wife and I have never been big gamblers. We have worked hard for what we have and could not see letting these casinos take from us what little we do have. We decided we should visit this new casino and stopped in to check it out. We started playing the dollar machine and my wife won a $280.00 jackpot. We were soon heading out the door with most of her winnings. It wasn’t long before we were back up there trying to win more money but we did not do very well. Slot machines in casinos are a sucker bet because they are operated by computer chips that make sure the house comes out on top if you play long enough. It seems the slots will let you win small jackpots that let you come out ahead a small amount and before you know it the slot machine stops paying you back anything. You keep putting in with nothing coming back. We figured it out real quick that you have very little chance of beating the casino out of much money. Does a person believe that a casino will allow you to come into there business and consistently take money from them? It is hard for me to understand how anyone could be addicted to gambling because it is so obvious they are taking you. They get a license from the state of Iowa that allows them to take your money. If they find out you have a slot machine at your home or business they will come and take it away but it’s ok for these people from out of state to come into Iowa and haul money out by the truck load! Council Bluffs added two riverboat casinos, Ameristar and Harrahs casino hotels on the Missouri River front. We did like to eat at the Waterfront Grill at Ameristar and they had great food. We especially liked the chicken noodle soup that was a house specialty. We tried gambling a few more times, but it was obvious that we had very little chance of winning anything and we really disliked the cigarette smoke in the casino. They have non smoking slot areas now but we have not visited any casino for many years. A lot of retired people like to go to the casino because of boredom. They would do better to find a new hobby and hold on to their money. The poker room is an interesting story in the casinos and there is a place you might win some money if your are a good poker player. The have remodeled the casino at Bluffs Run. It is called the Horse Shoe Casino and it is owned by Harrah’s Casinos. I have had salesmen try to sell cleaning products to the casinos and we have found them to be extremely cheap and difficult to do business with. We offer good deals for Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Danko men’s Cutter, Rockport World Tour Classic, Birko sport clogs, Rockport Dressport 2, Rockport Encounter, Sandro Moscoloni, Birkenstock chef shoes, and Ultimate Protein on our website
www.lionfootweardirect.com

I finally have time to write an article for my blog. I miss it when I don’t have time to write. If you are looking for more support for your feet check out our Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports at www.lionfootweardirect.com. Over the years my wife and I have made trips to Las Vegas for short vacations. We own our own business so it is hard to get away for very long. Our trips to Vegas involved seeing the shows and visiting different casinos. We saw Engelbert Humperdink at the MGM showroom Feb 3, 1981, 7 days before the horrible fire on Feb. 10, 1981 at the hotel and casino. As we were walking around the casino before the show I remarked to my wife how elaborate and many chandeliers there were throughout the casino. They looked like glass but were made out of plastic and this added to the problem for the firemen because of the fumes from burning plastic. The showroom was full of people that were packed in around tables and I wondered what would happen if there was a fire. Of course nothing happened that night, but, we were sure surprised to find out about the fire a week later. We gambled most nights we were in Vegas, but only played the quarter slots and usually lost $200.00 or less. I am a sucker for the slot machine islands that have a new Jag, Mercedes, or Harley you will win if you hit the jackpot. We found it was less costly to eat at the buffets but I always ate too much. The last trip we made to Las Vegas we stayed at Mandalay Bay. This is a wonderful casino hotel and we like staying there. The room was nice and the view was fantastic. The wave pool at Mandalay Bay was closed but the immense size of the wave pool is worthwhile seeing. On this trip we visited the Liberace Museum where they display the clothing he wore on stage and the roll top desk that belonged to the Romanoff’s, the last Czar of Russia. They have many other items that belonged to Liberace which are very interesting to see. We have talked about going to Vegas this winter but are not sure if we are going to be able to go. My wife would like to take a tour from Las Vegas to visit the Grand Canyon. I know since the economy has been bad Las Vegas has had some lean times but I believe that things will turn around. Our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com has Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Rockport World Tour Classic, Super Birki clogs, Rockport Dressport 2, Ultimate Protein, and Alegria Classic.

Yesterday I was sitting here in my office at 400 N. 3rd. St. in Red Oak, Iowa and got to thinking about the experiences I had playing drums for Bobby Hankin’s band, The Blue Boys, back in the early 60′s. Go to www.lionfootweardirect.com and get a good deal on Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports. I entered the name Bobby Hankins at the address on Google and a U Tube video for the record Honky Tonk Queen that I played drums on in 1961 was near the top. I was amazed to hear Bobby Hankins singing Honky Tonk Queen. I can’t remember when I last heard this record. We recorded the song at a studio somewhere in northeast Iowa but I can’t remember where. The flip side of the record has a recording of “String of Pearls”, a Glenn Miller tune. The guitarist on the record was Bobby Nite and the fiddle player was Bobby Hicks the famous musician who played for Ricky Skaggs in Kentucky Thunder. The band had three Bobbys in it so Bobby Hankins was the only one we called Bobby. Bobby Nite became Buddy Nite and Bobby Hicks became Billy Hicks. The recording session went well and it did not take too long to complete the record. Billy Hicks(Bobby) thought we should get paid a session fee and we all agreed that we should get paid for it. When it was brought up to Bobby about paying us, he refused. His position was that we were paid a weekly salary and this recording session should be included. We found out that since we all belonged to the Musicians Union he was required to pay us. We told him we were going on strike untill we got paid. Bobby had Dale Woods, the owner of the radio station in Oelwein, try to get us to play but we held out. Bobby was not very happy about it but he did pay us for the recording session. He was mad about it for awhile, but he was a good natured guy and he soon got over it. The band featured musicians – bass guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, piano, and drums. We travelled 6 men in a 1960 Ford pulling a U-haul trailer for the instruments. I was making good money and living at home with my folks. I played a band job the night I graduated at the Collesium in Oelwein. Bobby Hankins was a bass player and singer for the Andy Doll band before he started Bobby Hankins and the Blue Boys. Bobby sang and played bass on “The wild side of life” a record that Andy Doll had recorded. He drove a bus part time for Oelwein Com. Schools and ended up being the bus director at the school after the band business ended. I heard sometime ago that Bobby Hankins had passed away somewhere in Minnesota. I found Bobby Hicks.com on Google and I have sent him an email to try to reconnect with him. Hal Rugg the great steel guitar man played with the band before moving on to play for George Jones and many other country western stars. The singer song writer Bobby Bare travelled with the band for a short time before moving on. He was the man who recorded “The all American Boy” but he sold the song to the person whos name is on the record. I played on shows that featured George Jones, Wanda Jackson, Stonewall Jackson, Bobby Helms, Johnny Burnett, Jimmy Dean, Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens, Roy Clark, and Gene Vincent. I played with bands around southwest Iowa for many years but retired and now I play drums in our basement for fun. I have enjoyed catching up with old classmates on Facebook and I enjoy chatting with you. Check out our low prices for Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Dansko men’s Tyler, Dansko men’s Cutter, Rockport World Tour Classic, Alegria Classic, Rockport men’s Encounter, Rockport men’s Allander, Sandro Moscoloni, and Birkenstock chef shoes at www.lionfootweardirect.com.

Over the years when we have been in the janitorial supply business we used to go the the ISSA shows that have been held in different cities around the U.S. Our website www.lionfootweardirect.com has good deals for Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports. The shows start on Thursday and end on Saturday. I went by myself to the annual convention the first few years we belonged to the association and as business improved my wife and business partner started going with me. The first convention I attended was in Dallas, Texas and I stayed at the Ramada hotel downtown. I was sitting in the dining room that first evening and I looked out the window to the street outside the hotel and thought to myself how horrible it would be if you were homeless on the mean streets of Dallas, Texas. While I was attending this show I visited Dealey Plaza and saw the book depository building where Oswald is said to have shot President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 from a window on the 6th floor. It is very interesting to visit a place where such a huge historical event took place. I attended another show in Dallas several years later. An enjoyable part of attending the convention is the supplier parties that you are invited to attend. I was invited to the Clarke Floor Machine party at a hotel in Dallas, Tx since I was a Clarke dealer. The party was to start at 7:00 in the evening and I was there when they opened the doors. In the middle of the ballroom, where they were hosting the party, stood three towers of ice covered in large peeled shrimp. People come late to these parties so there were not too many attendees there yet. The Clarke reps and I were standing around ogling the shrimp. I went right up and started filling my plate with shrimp and sauce. It was just like I had given them the green light and the men in the red sport coats started to strip the shrimp off the towers in a feeding frenzy! When I was attending a party in Atlanta GA one year, I was in line at the buffet and several large ladies pushed me out of the way to get to the food. One year we got in trouble with a major supplier because we did not go to their dinner party where we were going to get a plaque for sales increases. I asked my wife if she wanted to go to the Hillyard party and eat roast beef or go the the Clarke Floor Machine party on the Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, Ca. We agreed to skip the Hillyard party and we took a bus Clarke provided to the dock in Long Beach where the Queen Mary is docked. The Spruce Goose is located near the dock and we got to go on board this massive plane that Howard Hughes flew for a short flight back in the 40′s. We had a great time at the Clarke party as it was held in the main ballroom on the Queen Mary. We sat at a table with some executives from Rochester Midland and enjoyed a great meal and entertainment. We do not attend these shows any longer and we have dropped out of the ISSA since we have scaled back our involvement with the janitorial supply business. Need new shoes? Look no longer. We offer Dansko shoes, Ryka studio, Birkenstock Tokyo, Super Birki clog, Rockport Margin, Rockport World Tour Classic, Children’s orthodics, Rockport Allander, and Sandro Moscoloni at www.lionfootweardirect.com.

Here it is Friday January 15, 2010 and I just got back from a cruise in our 98 BMW 740i to the AT&T corner about 7 miles south of Red Oak, Iowa. Our website www.lionfootweardirect.com has good prices for Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports. This is the second day in a row I have taken the Beemer out for a spin. It started snowing here in early December 2009 and the car had been parked in the warehouse since then and had not been started. When I started it up yesterday it acted like it didn’t want to run and it died once. I started it and drove to the AT&T corner and back. The car runs great! It is a big fast Northern European sedan sports car. I have never owned a car that I liked better. The car had about 70,000 miles on it when I bought it over 5 years ago from Markel BMW in Omaha. My friend Bill had a 95 BMW 540i and it was a very impressive fast car with a 300 hp V8. He put over 150,000 miles on it without having many problems with the car. We both use Rick Haley’s Papillion Motors, Papillion, NE for service and repairs. Bill now drives a 95 Lexus 400. I have had few problems with our 7 series. The worst problem we ever had was when a heater hose at the bottom of the radiator blew off and we lost all our fluid and the Beemer instantly heated up. We were near a convenience store so we stopped to try to get some help with the car. I went into the store and called the 800 help number in the car documents and it just kept ringing busy. This was after 7 in the evening and all car shops were closed. Along came the general manager for Lake Manawa Nissan and Kia and we followed him to their dealership and left the car to be repaired. He let us take a used low mile Kia home to Red Oak, Ia about 50 miles from Council Bluffs, IA. They had a problem getting the right hoses from Markel but they finally got the car fixed and it ended up costing $370.00 for the repairs. I have replaced the headlights because they were too dim and the windshield because of a crack. I have 118,000 miles on the car but it still drives almost like new. I have spent $700.00 or more each year to keep up on the inspections and maintenance. I fix anything that is needed and change the oil every 5,000 miles. The car is British Racing Green with tan interior and has the classic BMW design that is very popular with BMW owners. I had the car detailed last fall and it still looks good. The car has heated seats and steering wheel that are nice features. The seats can be moved to almost any position you could want but I do not like the cd player in the trunk because it makes it hard to change the cds. The car came with Continental tires and I have repaced them once. We are planning to go to the Black Hills on vacation next July and we will drive the Beemer on this trip. I came really close to buying a 2005 BMW 740i from a dealer near Dallas, Texas that I found on Ebay. It was white with 30,000 miles on it and had a good carfax report. I am really glad I didn’t buy it since our 98 is still working out great and I have no plans of replacing it anytime soon. We offer good deals for Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Ryka Studio, Birkenstock Tokyo, Super Birki clog, Rockport Margin, Sole Rockers by Alegria, Rockport Allander, Childrens orthotics, Rockport Dressport 2, Ultimate Protein, and Sandro Moscoloni at www.lionfootweardirect.com.

We are having a January thaw here in Red Oak, Iowa on this day January 15, 2010 and it is supposed to get up to 35 degrees today. We are halfway through January and spring will be here before you know it. Check out www.lionfootweardirect.com for Birko balance, Birko motion, Birko sport, and Blue heeled arch supports. I have been thinking about an interesting trip my wife and I took on Amtrak to Chicago, IL back in the mid 80s’ to attend the annual ISSA convention. We drove from Red Oak, IA to Creston, IA a distance of about 60 miles to board the Amtrak train for our trip to the “windy city” Chicago. I have taken trips in the past on the train but it had been many years ago. I once rode the train from Independence, Ia to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend a sales training school for a sales job I had taken back in 1961. My wife and I got on the train in Creston, IA and headed east to Chicago. We noticed right away that the ride was not very smooth. I asked the train steward about the rough ride and he said the Burlington Northern uses the tracks to haul freight and coal on and they did not care about a smooth ride for Amtrak. The train passed through scenery of the old part of towns. Amtrak passenger cars feature the same seating the airlines use for first class passengers on their planes so the seats are quite comfortable. We enjoyed going to the dining car and the food at that time was pretty good. We arrived in Chicago at the train station and we were happpy to leave this seedy place. We picked up our baggage and took a cab to the Marriott Hotel. The cab driver was from the middle east and did not speak very good English, but that did not stop him from swearing at other cab drivers who he thought were in his way. My wife was stunned by the blue lauguage that came out of his mouth and we were happy when we arrived at our hotel. The next day we took a cab to the Museum of Science and Industry which has many attractions to see. We liked seeing the World War ll German submarine that is housed there and it was hard to believe it was as old as it was because it seem so modern inside. The submarine had only two bathrooms on it. One for the enlisted men and one for the officers. There are so many exhibits to see at this museum that it would have taken us a week or more to see everything there. We visited the Museum of Natural History that had skeletons of prehistoric monsters and a large Egyptian exhibit. The last stop was at the Chicago Aquarium. That evening we enjoyed eating at Lawreys which is famous for it’s prime rib. They wheeled a cart up to our table and cut and served us their delicious prime rib. We spent most of our time attending the ISSA convention where we met with our suppliers and looked at new products they offered. These shows were a lot of work to attend because the show floor was so large that we ended up walking many miles before we were done. I did learn how to work these shows by studying the vendors floor plan so I could save time and see what I really wanted to see at the show. We were soon back at the train terminal boarding the train back to Creston, Iowa where our car was parked for our return trip to Red Oak, Iowa. We have talked about taking the train on trips in the future and I am sure we will. We welcome you at our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com where we offer Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Dansko men’s Cutter, Super Birki, Rockport men’s Encounter, Rockport women’s World Tour Classic, Birkenstock chef shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, and Ultimate Protein.

About 3 and a half years ago I was looking out our back door and I saw a cat come walking across our back yard. If you need more support for your feet check out our Birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports at www.lionfootweardirect.com. I said something to him and he came over and let me pet him. He was a young tom cat and seemed very friendly. I put some dry cat food in a dish and gave it to him. He came back the next day and was again friendly and acted like he wanted to come in our house. After a few more days of him stopping by I decided to let him in our house. We had an old dog by the name of Sadie and two cats, a male named Oscar and a female named Tilly. Sadie didn’t seem to mind having this new cat come in. He liked to follow Sadie when we took her for a walk and he would jump on Sadie’s back but he did not have his claws out. The other two cats would bat at him but he just ignored them. We started feeding Frankie cans of Fancy Feast and 9 Lives cat food. Frankie likes Meow Mix dry cat food and he eats it almost everyday. He seemed really happy to come in our house and he has good manners like he has been a house cat in the past. I came up with the name Frank and soon we were calling him Frankie. We found out later that a lot of our neighbors were letting him in their houses and feeding him. He kept growing and he has become a big tabby tommy cat. He has grey stripes on his legs and on the tip of his tail. He has a yellow color mixed in with the grey stripes. Frankie has a real mellow personality and is easy to like. We took Frankie to the Vet and got him rabies and distemper shots. We took Frankie to the vet in a pet taxi and I had to hold him on the table until the vet could see him. When I was holding him on the exam table Frankie seemed to swell up because he was tired of being held but the vet finally arrived to see him. The vet said he was one of the biggest cats he had ever seen and he suggested that Frankie should be altered but I said no. He was not technically our cat and I didn’t have the heart to have it done to him. Frankie likes the summer best but still goes out almost every night even when it is below 0 outside. Sometimes he will spend the night on the pet bed we bought him and he is litter box trained. We also put a box with an old sleeping bag in the garage and he likes to sleep there and he usually comes out of the garage in the morning when I whistle for him. Frankie must be getting into fights with other tom cats and at times he has scratches and fur missing on his head and face. Frankie comes in early evening and goes back out before we go to bed. He was going out at night even though we had snow storms and temperatures below 0. He comes in the house most mornings and after he eats he will come in the living room and sit in front of my chair so I can scratch his head. He does not like me to pet his back but likes to have his belly rubbed. Last night I got up out my chair to go to the kitchen to eat dinner and when I went back to the living room I found Frankie laying in my chair. He had never done that before. I let him lay there while I sat on the couch. My wife and I talk about cats we have owned and how they each have their own personality. We enjoy the time Frankie the cat spends with us and we look forward to many years of Frankie’s companionship. Our website www.lionfootweardirect has good prices for Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Dansko men’s Cutter, Super Birki, Birkenstock chef shoes, Rockport men’s Encounter, Rockport women’s World Tour Classic, Rockport Dressport 2, and Sandro Moscoloni.

In the early 80′s we had to find a new warehouse for our cleaning suppy business because the warehouse we owned was not going to work since the building had two many issues to fix. Our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com has good deals for Birko balance, Birko Motion, Birko Sport, and Blue heeled arch supports. I found a warehouse on south 4th St. in Red Oak, Iowa that was for sale at a price we could afford. The warehouse is located on land that belonged to the Burlington Railroad. I would own the building but not the land it sits on. The warehouse sat right behind the local Budweiser beer warehouse and I asked the realtor Charlie Walker if he tried to sell the building to the Bud dealer. He said he did try to sell it to him but the Bud man was not interested in it. This turned out to be a big problem later on. I purchased the warehouse and began fixing it up. I had a ceiling installed and insulated the ceiling and the walls. Then I had the ceiling and walls covered with dry wall and installed a used hanging heater. My warehouse man and I scrubbed the concrete and acid etched it before putting two coats of Hillyard’s Iron Guard water based grey expoxy coating on the floor. This warehouse had a high peaked roof so there were no leaks in the roof and it had a loading dock. We had all our cleaning supplies moved from the old warehouse to our remodeled warehouse. This warehouse worked out great for us and it was very economical to heat. We had been in this warehouse a couple of years when I got a call from the real estate man saying that Ron Anderson the Bud man wanted to buy our building and he was going to force us out if we didn’t sell as he was buying the land under the warehouse from the Burlington Railroad. I called the Burlington Railroad and asked them if I could buy the land under our warehouse from them and they asked me how much shipping I did with the railroad because the Bud man got car loads of beer shipped in by the railroad. We got all our deliveries by truck and I knew I had no chance of buying the land under our warehouse. The Bud man wanted our property so he could tear it down so trucks could enter the east side into his warehouse since he was planning on becoming a liquor dealer on top of his beer business. I was very angry about what was happening to us but there was nothing I could do about it. I did get quite a bit more money for the warehouse than I had paid for it but we really needed the warehouse. We moved to a warehouse east of Red Oak that was formerly a Honda Motorcycle dealership. The Bud man did not get the license to sell wholesale liquor and ended up in trouble with Budweiser for bad business practices and ended up losing his Budweiser dealership. The warehouse is still there on south 4th st. If you are looking for good deals for Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Dansko men’s Cutter, Rockport women’s World Tour Classic, Rockport men’s Encounter, Rockport Dressport 2, Super Birki, Birkenstock chef shoes, and Sandro Moscoloni check out www.lionfootweardirect.com.

We had been warehousing our cleaning supply products in a small building in downtown Red Oak, Iowa when we found out in 1979 we were going to become a distributor for Hillyard Chemical Co. Our internet store www.lionfootweardirect offers birko balance, Birko sport, Birko motion, and Blue heeled arch supports at low prices. I knew this product line would give us a sales boost as it was a very popular product line in schools and commercial accounts in our territory. We had several customers recommend us to Hillyard as a good choice to become their distributor. I decided it was time to own our own warehouse so I started looking around. I found a large warehouse on west Coolbaugh that was for sale. The warehouse was a lot larger than I needed for warehousing our products but we decided to buy it. We used about half of the east side of the building and installed a heater in it that heated things in the building but not the air. I hired a guy to hang styrofoam sheets on the walls and ceiling to insulate the part of the building we were going to use for our warehouse. The LRC in Red Oak rented the west side of the warehouse to assemble program packages they were selling. I noticed the LRC did not have their packages up off the floor and I warned them that if we had a big downpour their stuff could get wet. We did have a big storm come through and had a 2″ rain in about 15 minutes that came into the building and soaked a lot of their packages. The manager of the LRC wanted me to say it was our fault that their materials got wet and so I consulted with our insurance company. Our insurance man said not to admit we did anything wrong as it would negate our insurance and I told the manager about warning them about the chance of water getting in our building. They soon moved out leaving us with the west side of the warehouse empty. I contacted a local roofing company about applying a tar coating on the roof of the warehouse and he told me they could not do it since the roof was weak and unstable. Then the insurance company that insured the building did an inspection of the warehouse and found out we had used styrofoam to insulate it. They said the styrofoam needed to be covered because if there was a fire it could produce a gas that was deadly. I knew then we were in real trouble with our warehouse. We had a meeting with the former owner who we had a contract with for the purchase of the warehouse and he allowed us to purchase the warehouse at a much lower price than we had agreed to buy it. During all these problems I had found another warehouse we could buy at a good price and it was more suited to our needs so we ended up buying it. We sold the west Coolbaugh warehouse to a local realtor that need a place to store his junk and moved into the warehouse we purchased on south 4th Street. I did learn a lesson about commercial real estate. Be very careful what you pay for commercial property because if you pay too much it will be hard to get your price for it when you want to sell it. The new warehouse worked out great for us but we ended up with problems with it after owning it for a few years. Our website www.lionfootweardirect.com offers Dansko shoes, Dansko women’s Professional, Dansko men’s Cutter, Rockport women’s World Tour Classic, Rockport men’s Encounter, Rockport Dressport 2, Sandro Moscoloni, Super Birki, Birkenstock chef shoes, and Ultimate Protein at low prices.