We didn't even think we would be open today. (Long story... suffice to say it has to do with bureaucratic red tape.) But we finally received the green light. So, on very short notice, we opened our doors. Which makes for an interesting situation, as we didn't announce in advance. Plus, we're still tidying up bits and bobs; so kinda at half mast. (I still haven't located the paper sleeves for the take away cups for example.) But oh well... at least we'll be able to tell people that chance by, as well as on the street, that we're here. (Shivaun's been leafleting the street and 'stalking' pedestrians!) We will be open tomorrow from 8am and will also be serving lunch. Have to do some shopping on short notice too, oy vey! Also, we are planning on a bit of an opening bash, so please watch this space! We look forward to seeing you in our neck of the woods soon.
Phew, we're open. We didn't even think we would be open today. (Long story... suffice to say it has to do with bureaucratic red tape.) But we finally received the green light. So, on very short notice, we opened our doors. Which makes for an interesting situation, as we didn't announce in advance. Plus, we're still tidying up bits and bobs; so kinda at half mast. (I still haven't located the paper sleeves for the take away cups for example.) But oh well... at least we'll be able to tell people that chance by, as well as on the street, that we're here. (Shivaun's been leafleting the street and 'stalking' pedestrians!) We will be open tomorrow from 8am and will also be serving lunch. Have to do some shopping on short notice too, oy vey! Also, we are planning on a bit of an opening bash, so please watch this space! We look forward to seeing you in our neck of the woods soon.
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Shop signage went up today. Well, sorta. Apparently the very cold weather was not helpful, and the black vinyl was brittle and tore. Which means, we're now - until tomorrow at least when the workmen have to come back - officially known as 'Lfson & Tay'... Well, could be worse I'm sure, given the spate of unfortunate incidents we've had to endure. Had lots of fun last night at City University as one of the guest speakers at an event organised by EQUIP (Equality in Publishing). [Thank you, Bobby Nayyar for all the hard work putting the event together!] Tim Godfray from Booksellers Association spoke about the changes experienced by the bookselling industry and the challenges of opening and sustaining a bookshop, while Jen Campbell, author of Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops, shared more hilarious anecdotes from her experience as a bookseller, as well as her passionate belief in supporting local bookshops. Moi? Well, I was there to share W&T's story -- the lessons we'd learnt from opening a bookshop, what bookselling is about, what it's been like to close down and in the midst of reopening again -- that sort of thing. [Shivaun *wink* *wink* Sorry folks, this one's an inside joke.] And... Ahem, this is something I never realised till now. Sheesh, I pull a lot of faces when I'm speaking! While the other speakers look dignified and knowledgeable when they gave their talk, I kinda looked like I was auditioning for a cross between a comedy club sketch or a musical... eek.
But seriously, it was an informative and fun evening, and more importantly, inspiring -- a reminder almost to keep keeping on. Thank you to my team members who came along to lend some support and for the lovely company at dinner afterwards. Work continues afoot here at the W&T 'building site' or 'ground zero' of sorts. Stood at the door today, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Builders probably thought I'd gone bonkers. One eyed me suspiciously - probably feels like I'm hovering over his shoulder or breathing down his neck. Though it was good fortune I was there too as he had mounted some shelves incorrectly, so that had to be redone. I keep dropping in throughout the day to see how things are going. It was just so good to see things starting to take shape, and for the first time, I could really imagine in my mind's eye how it's going to look. An undercoat of paint has been applied to the hanging bulkhead as well as some of the walls and the light colour we've chosen makes the space look a lot larger. An optical illusion to be sure, as we're working with a space that's about two-thirds the size of the previous premises. Nevertheless, it's starting to shape up. I also like the fact that we are recycling the shelves and bits of wood we've salvaged from the previous premises to make things with. I was this close to asking the builder not to paint some of these bits of salvaged wood and instead to leave them as they were, so you could see the nicks on them. But, after mulling it over... nah. If we were going for a rustic look, maybe. As you know, it's real easy to go from shabby chic to just plain shabby. Best I suppose to give things a lick of paint. So while the builders have been doing their thang, I've been doing mine. Been thinking about the next phase, including cabling for all the paraphernalia that needs to get into the counters etc. (As you can see in the photo above, I'm quite anal; I just had to draw it all out and count the wiring!) At our previous premises, there was a jungle of wires under the counter. Going forward, I am determined to avoid this as best I can, so am getting the counters customised to accommodate the practicals of where cables and wires need to go, etc. I reckon there may be some DIY on my part as setting up the equipment will be one of the very last things we do, apart from cleaning and unpacking stock etc, which means the builders may have left the building by the time I need I wire up everything. So have diligently measured and counted what's needed - from cable cover to trunking - though am sure must have missed out something. This time round, I'm going to even invest in cable tidy gear and cable ID tags! I am sure some of my colleagues are going to have a laugh at my expense when they hear this, as between Shivaun and I, I'm known as a bit of a 'Scrooge' [LOL!] The last time one of my colleagues asked me if I could buy some proper heavy-duty door stoppers to keep the door ajar, I replied, "What's wrong with cardboard? We've got plenty of cardboard! We can recycle!" [That last statement was my attempt at putting a positive spin to my suggestion! Not sure if she was convinced though...] On other fronts, have been tackling my 'to do' list in systematic fashion. Feeling quite chuffed with myself actually. Among the 'to do's', finalised the design of our new cotton bags (left). My colleague Scarlet gave me the idea to play with fonts. I, feeling very uninspired, had come up with just our logo on the front. I think it looks quite handsome, if I must say so myself :) Though a test run on Facebook suggests that the message isn't very obvious. Someone asked me why imagine reading? Another totally missed that the word 'Bookshop' was part of the quote. Oh well, I figure it'll be quite fun for people to decipher. I've also been poring through possible new stock items as well as necessary restock, while Shivaun has been reviewing upcoming book title releases. So watch out for some really cool, fun stuff and some exciting titles :D EEEEEEeeeeeeeeekkk! April now seems so near; though it felt so far at one point. We're still targetting 2 April to reopen, if all falls into place. [Fingers and toes crossed.] Will keep you posted :) Tomorrow, will lug a box of our new leaflets (image above) over to Bankside Press for insertion into SE1 April issue. Onwards and upwards! - Fran I so liked this article by Kate Wilson (http://nosycrow.com/blog/you-ve-got-mail-how-bookselling-has-changed-in-15-years-and-why-i-m-rooting-for-joe-fox-nowadays) that I added my comments but it was marked as spam. Why, why, why?
So, hrmph, seeing that I actually bothered to write a response, I decided to post it here: We're an indie bookshop and we have gone 'to the mattresses' in that we started out just selling books supplemented by coffees, teas and cakes. We also sold cards and wrapping paper. Within 6 months, we realised we had to sell other things too. We started doing homemade lunches so that there would be some energy in the shop during the 'death lull' in the middle of the day. Then we started selling more gifty items. More notebooks and journals. Selected toys for kids to supplement children's books.... and so on. But we didn't fare well. Our operating costs - rent, council taxes - etc was just too high. We were paying on average £300 for each sq m in tax, same as the chain restaurant next door. So we closed. But we are back 'to the mattresses' again. We're going to try again in a new neighbourhood, smaller premises, less rent, and with scaled back and more selective stock. We are going to reopen in April at Bankside, London, where we expect there'll be more footfall. The challenge will be fostering a community of locals, which we did very well in our previous location but was not enough to save us. We hope that a combination of higher footfall and loyal support can change the tide. Maybe this is just wishful thinking. Maybe we're destined to go the way of Meg Ryan's little bookshop. But booksellers are not always rational types, as you probably know :) It's funny but my partner and I was watching You've Got Mail again during the Christmas hols. We were at that time contemplating closing down, so Meg's predicament cut close to the bone. Thank you for this article. To me, it's both a reminder of the 'danger signs' (ebooks, amazon etc) but also of why we opened a book shop in the first place. Work continues apace at W&T's new home at Bankside. I love plaster boards and plaster! It makes such a difference, don't you think? [See above: Before and After photos - the wall, not Shivaun LOL) The plasterer has been doing a great job and the place looks a helluva better for it. Still a ways to go nevertheless, and the usual pain of unexpected obstacles continues to crop up. I won't bore you with the details, but we are feeling a bit like runners doing the hurdles. Poor old Matzo has been horribly neglected somewhat. Last night, I found seven of his toys lined up in a row on the rug - it seemed to me that it was his way of complaining about the lack of attention. The night before that, he sat for what must have been 5 minutes with his ball in his mouth. He was as still as a statue - a silent protest? W&T Part Deux continues... Well it's about week 2 now into fit-out work. We kinda lost a week because the resin floor took ages to dry on account of the cold weather. So putting on a second coat and sanding took quite some time. Then there was the debacle over confirming the layout and making sure council building control and environmental health was okay with it, which meant that the floorplan had to be rejigged a few times. This also led to us giving up on the hopes of moving our current patisserie counter into the new premises because after trying to fit it into the space, and re-laying out endless possible configurations, we gave up the ghost. The space is just too narrow. So we decided to sell our old patisserie unit. Thankfully though, that after only 2 days of advertising it online, we received 4 calls about it. So Shivaun and I moseyed down to Bermondsey Square this morning to meet an interested buyer, and boy, all I can say is that I was glad to see the unit go. We sold it for up to 60% less than what we bought it for but we did want to get rid of it quickly, so one less thing to worry about. The builders also put in extra time today seeing that we had been so delayed. And I couldn't resist but to correct the spelling on the rough sketch of electrical connections required which the builder had scrawled on the plaster board. A tad anal of me I know, I know...
So we're motoring on. Now, if only Thames Water could get back to us sooner (been told that they will do an 'investigation' and hook us up, but this takes up to 60 days and they can't give me a date.) The end of February is just round the corner, and we've only got March to go to get everything finalised if we are to reopen on 1 April. Fingers crossed. Photos: Taking shape... can't get away from it but that regulation-sized WC in the middle of the space is a bit of an eyesore (and bad Feng Shui, surely). Hopefully, we can pretty it up so it looks less in your face! :) Confused.com - This is an inside joke at W&T. We use this phrase - popularised by the insurance company ad on telly - when we're befuddled. And right now, I am seriously 'confused.com'... So what's the confusion about, you ask? Well, it all has to do with the odd configuration of the new premises we're trying to fit-out. The space is kinda weird and the soil piping (waste mains) is like smack in the middle of the floor, almost directly opposite from the main door. That means the WC has to go right there. We contemplated putting the WC at the back of the shop but after hearing from various contractors and reading online the amount of pain that macerators - a special pump - can cause in terms of noise and being prone to breaking down, we jettisoned that idea. Putting the WC centre stage creates its own separate set of problems, including health safety issues, the amount of space a disabled WC will need, and basically losing half the floor space and ending up with an unsightly visual 'wall' in the middle of the unit just as you enter... So, in an attempt to get to the bottom of things, we contacted Southwark Planning last week. Put the number on redial because it was busy. About an hour later, got through. This is how the conversation went: Me: Hi, can you give me some set guidelines about installing a toilet in a commercial space? It's a bookshop with only an ancillary cafe, so will seat a maximum of about 18 people. Like, does it have to be a customer toilet? And does this toilet have to be a disabled WC? SP: Hmm. I've never been asked that question before. Hmm... let me see. [Pause] Uhm, no... [Pause] You know, I can't tell you exactly... [Pause] No. I think it's best you call the Duty Planner, but he's only on from 1pm to 4pm today. Me: Oh, okay. I'll give him a call then. One eye on the clock. Come 1pm, start dialling. And dialling. About half hour later. Me: Hello... [same query as above] DP: That's not a question for planning. You should talk to Environmental Health. Me: Oh, okay... Thank you. Bye. Passed the buck. Asked Shivaun to track down Southwark Council Environmental Health. She ends up leaving a message. To the council's credit, got a call back today. Shivaun has a chat with a nice man named John, and comes back with the following info: 1) A toilet for customers is not required as the number of cafe patrons will be small 2) A disabled toilet for staff is recommended, but not compulsory 3) There is no set minimum dimensions for a staff toilet 4) The toilet door must not open directly into the room where food is served We are elated. We set about reimagining the staff toilet and discuss this with our builder. This route will save us space and we can create an enclosed space so that the toilet door does not open into the retail floor area. See below - left: with disabled WC, right: with staff toilet only The disabled WC on the left will have to be at least 3.2m (that's about 11 feet) in length and 1.5m (5 ft) in width, while a staff toilet means that this will require only 2.4m (8 ft) x 1.4m (4 ft 8 inches). Elation does not last long. Someone else tells us that Southwark Council's Building Control insists on a disabled WC, even if it's only for staff. Sigh. Back to the drawing board. Site visit tomorrow with Building Control officer. Hopefully he'll be able to give us some definitive answers.
Checklist time. Quotes in - check Site visit appointments - check Call various utility providers - check Buy lights - check Order blinds - check Count number of 13amp double power sockets and other misc electrical fittings - check Etc. Etc. Etc. Making a list and checking it twice. (Feeling a bit Miranda-ish. Might have to break out in song though it's no longer Christmas). I must say I am the queen of making checklists. Problem is, I have a checklist for checklists. Excel sheets with 12 tabs. Multicoloured Post-it notes on my PC screen, my cork board, even in my diary. I also have a 'To Do' list as part of my Google Desktop apps; that's for stuff that's on the priority list. And yet, I fear I may have forgotten something. This is what happens when you're project managing not just new shop premises, but project managing a new shop whilst also project managing the dismantling and move from a previous one. Hmmm, am sure I must have missed out something. On the other hand, maybe I should just chill, better to just flow. Can't plan for everything anyway. For example... The start of fit-out's been delayed. The weather's not helping. The resin floor won't dry in this wet, cold spell. Oh well... But wait, the fire alarm first fit is in a few days. Must get electrician to start work before that. But he can't work when the floor's not completed. Then there's the door. We have to fit a new one. Otherwise the builder can't fit a vent or extractor system. And then, we received a letter in the post - from council planning department. We have to call 48 hours ahead to organise a visit. Aren't they suppose to visit when we finish to check that all's been done correctly? No, this letter says when we start work. Does that mean we don't start work until they visit? Oy vey. Aiyah. 'Call planning dept' - must get clarification on this - add another new item to list. The builder calls, the bin door lock has malfunctioned. Sigh. Call locksmith. Wait. And wait. 2pm appointment turns into 4pm turns into 5.15pm. Stood in the rain in the dark with a torch but the battery died. Thank goodness the locksmith had one of those miner-type thingamajig lamp jobbies that he strapped onto his forehead. 30 minutes later: That'll be £109 + VAT, miss. Another unexpected item to add to budget checklist. See what I mean about the futility of planning? Tick tock. Tick tock. We have set a target of 1 April 2013 to reopen. Told Shiv that if we do organise a launch, we oughta do it after we have settled in, have a kinda soft launch, something less formal. Gives us time to iron out the kinks. We learnt this from the first time round. I.e., don't do a launch and open on the same day. I still cringe when I think about how we had exposed steel beams that hadn't yet been boxed in, cupboards without doors, brrrrrr.... We've given ourselves ample time this time round. At least I think so. Otherwise, all else is quiet on the Southeast London front. Phew. Well, so here we are again... At the beginning once more. We finally signed the lease to our new premises so we can let you know that it's going to be at 39 Bear Lane, London SE1 0UH, hooray! It's quite close to Bankside and the nearest tube/train stations are Southwark, Waterloo and Blackfriars (see map below). All very exciting. But also, oh, what a painstaking process. New home for W&T on the ground floor All this of course feels a bit deja vu-ish. (See our entry in March 2010 when we decided to set up stall at Bermondsey. http://www.woolfsonandtay.com/1/post/2010/03/first-post.html) Breeze blocks, concrete walls, screeding, these are words which entered our lexicon for six months prior to finally opening at the square. Architects, builders, plumbers, electricians... so much to do, so little time. Except that this time round, we're going down the DIY route wherever possible as we're still licking our wounds from coming close to almost losing our shirts from our first venture. Everything's been delayed of course (isn't it always?). There's no power, no nothing in the unit, and it's like trying to line up unruly ducks that won't stay in a row. And of course, it's all a domino effect - delay in getting the electricity means delay in having the floors done. If floors aren't done, the plumbing and other works can't start. If fit-out can't begin, we can't move stuff in... that sort of thing. But anyways, it's one step at a time, and while it's a whole lot more to do and no contractor to hold our hand, it feels somehow... less stressful in some ways. Maybe because we've gone down this route before. I'm going to take the brief respite in-between to try out some new recipes, think up some new offers, root around for some interesting products. Shivaun and I have been looking through publisher's catalogues, thinking about the literature selection - this spot is going to be much smaller, so we'll have to be even more selective and careful with our pickings. Anyways, it's all exciting - a new chapter has begun. Thank you as always for those lovely emails and words of encouragement in our inbox. Onwards and upwards. Can't wait till we actually start working and see the shop shape up bit by bit. We'll keep you posted along the way and hope you'll join us on this new journey. |
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