Thursday, November 13, 2008
At Pilgrims - what have I done? And at Steephill Cove.
Ah well! It is done now!
I have been offered a larger area in Pilgrims and I have decided to take it.
Bill will stay in the position we both share and I will have a space right at the back of the shop alongside a space that Jo has taken to display her furniture and also small bits too.
Like Jo, I have agreed to give it a try for 3 months.
The big problem about that is that if I decided it wasn't working well enough I would then have to squeeze back in with Bill and he might not be too pleased.
The rent is very good for this space, which will be 2 or 3 times bigger than I have now. I am sure I can make enough money out of it, although it might not seem to be a prize area in the shop.
The room that Jo and will have is part cafe.
It used to be all cafe, but the woman who was trying to make a living from the cafe felt she had to give it up in July. Recently Stephen, who runs the shop and Judy (a sort of universal mother figure and especially for Stephen) now organise a cafe with drinks, cakes, sandwiches, soup on 4 days in the week.
I like that because people will see my things whilst relaxing.
The cafe is being run in a very amateurish way but some people like that and I hope they continue to do it.
Plans can change so easily can't they?
I didn't know this morning that I would embark on this scheme.
We will have to make a further trip to Ikea to buy shelves like we bought on Monday for the back bedroom - they are the cheapest we know. I may well be able to use a couple of our folding shelves too.
There will be quite a lot of work to sort it all out.
The new area will begin on December 1st, which is a Monday and from then on Bill and I will be in the shop every Monday.
I like the idea of having a regular day. People will always know when we can be reached in the shop.
I might not have felt quite so positive if I had not done quite well in the last 2 weeks - and for the first time, better than Bill.
It is has been a lively day in the shop. I had been quiet and a bit moody last time we were in (and very cold) and today I was determined to make sure my open, friendly side could be seen.
I feel we got to know Stephen and Judy at last and I met a couple of dealers who I had not met before. There was Spanish Ana and also Val, the poor lady who lost all that jewellery in the burglary on Monday night. She came with her nephew to take the damaged cabinet away. I don't know how she views her future.
The weather turned very dull and then wet and it still felt quite cold. The problem is that when people come through the door it doesn't then close properly. One day maybe Bill can attempt to sort that out.
Today I think we both felt we had become a more integral part of the Pilgrims community.
My Isle of Wight memories tonight take us to a tiny community by the sea - Steephill Cove.
There is no access to the cove by car and our route to it was you can guess down a very steep path - though it can also be reached by the coastal path from Ventnor.
Even out of season on a slightly grey day it was delightful.
And little beach huts for the holiday maker who likes their seaside holidays to be like those of their childhoods. Do click on this one to see the interesting curtains at the windows alongside the deckchair coloured doors.
I have been offered a larger area in Pilgrims and I have decided to take it.
Bill will stay in the position we both share and I will have a space right at the back of the shop alongside a space that Jo has taken to display her furniture and also small bits too.
Like Jo, I have agreed to give it a try for 3 months.
The big problem about that is that if I decided it wasn't working well enough I would then have to squeeze back in with Bill and he might not be too pleased.
The rent is very good for this space, which will be 2 or 3 times bigger than I have now. I am sure I can make enough money out of it, although it might not seem to be a prize area in the shop.
The room that Jo and will have is part cafe.
It used to be all cafe, but the woman who was trying to make a living from the cafe felt she had to give it up in July. Recently Stephen, who runs the shop and Judy (a sort of universal mother figure and especially for Stephen) now organise a cafe with drinks, cakes, sandwiches, soup on 4 days in the week.
I like that because people will see my things whilst relaxing.
The cafe is being run in a very amateurish way but some people like that and I hope they continue to do it.
Plans can change so easily can't they?
I didn't know this morning that I would embark on this scheme.
We will have to make a further trip to Ikea to buy shelves like we bought on Monday for the back bedroom - they are the cheapest we know. I may well be able to use a couple of our folding shelves too.
There will be quite a lot of work to sort it all out.
The new area will begin on December 1st, which is a Monday and from then on Bill and I will be in the shop every Monday.
I like the idea of having a regular day. People will always know when we can be reached in the shop.
I might not have felt quite so positive if I had not done quite well in the last 2 weeks - and for the first time, better than Bill.
It is has been a lively day in the shop. I had been quiet and a bit moody last time we were in (and very cold) and today I was determined to make sure my open, friendly side could be seen.
I feel we got to know Stephen and Judy at last and I met a couple of dealers who I had not met before. There was Spanish Ana and also Val, the poor lady who lost all that jewellery in the burglary on Monday night. She came with her nephew to take the damaged cabinet away. I don't know how she views her future.
The weather turned very dull and then wet and it still felt quite cold. The problem is that when people come through the door it doesn't then close properly. One day maybe Bill can attempt to sort that out.
Today I think we both felt we had become a more integral part of the Pilgrims community.
My Isle of Wight memories tonight take us to a tiny community by the sea - Steephill Cove.
There is no access to the cove by car and our route to it was you can guess down a very steep path - though it can also be reached by the coastal path from Ventnor.
Even out of season on a slightly grey day it was delightful.
This cottage gate leads directly onto the beach.
There is fishing here for crabs and lobsters.
And little beach huts for the holiday maker who likes their seaside holidays to be like those of their childhoods. Do click on this one to see the interesting curtains at the windows alongside the deckchair coloured doors.
The next 2 pictures were from a web site.
A Panoramic view of Steephill Cove.
A Panoramic view of Steephill Cove.
And a disappointment for me. I had been so looking forward to my crab pastie in the garden by the beach.
But it was too far out of season and the crab shop was not open.
