Well, could be worse I'm sure, given the spate of unfortunate incidents we've had to endure.
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.
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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 |
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