Nearly there...

So much for blogging every day! I can hardly believe it's been 3 weeks since I last 'blogged', crazy.

Mine & Kev's eyes feel heavier and burn more than ever. Sleep will come soon I'm sure. I'm not complaining, it's all exciting stuff, just flipping knackering.

So, since I last wrote things are really starting to take shape...

The plumber has been in and connected up the water supply to the coffee bar, for the coffee machine and sinks. He also connected up the waste supply, no mean feat I have to tell you. For one split minute, or perhaps 10, we actually thought it was not going to be possible to have a coffee bar, after trying to drill through ceilings and floors and finding nothing but concrete and steel girders. Nail biting stuff. Anyway, after much deliberation, the wonder-man that Kev is, found the solution. Actually it was pretty simple but after endless days of little sleep we had failed to see it...until the very last minute! So we are now the proud owners of a new sani-flow and waste solution.

All three studios are now occupied with tenants, one painter, one Graphic Designer and one photographer/painter.

Our electrician has been in again to fit some more lights to the coffee bar, change sockets, power up the coffee bar area and install the LCD TV, for showing folios, exhibitions and advertising local creative businesses etc., via Apple TV.

Kev and I are now happily settled into our office, and it's great having everything to hand, makes life so much easier.

This week I have been sourcing and ordering staff t-shirts/hoodies, finalising staffing and arranging dates for their training on the coffee machine. I have also been sourcing products for the coffee bar. Kevan and I have been finalising the exhibitors we will be showing on our opening week and arranging to receive their work. I love all this stuff, suddenly, at last, it's all very real!

Kevan has fitted a display cabinet in the corridor, which will house ceramics, jewellery etc. Just need to get a light for this now, it's been wired up, just need to choose/find a fitting.

Last week the intruder alarm was serviced and is all now up and running, sleepless nights stop here!..ha! Later this week is the service for the fire alarm/smoke detectors. Then it's finalising a contract with a fire extinguisher co.

Buildings, contents, public and employers' liability insurance has been sorted and paid for.

Kevan has fitted the lovely new, double butlers' sink in the kitchen, along with fitting the kitchen itself. We had a flooring guy in today to quote for the flooring to the kitchen, loo's and coffee bar, hopefully this will be done this week, especially for the coffee bar, as that is due to be installed next week!

The piece d'resistance (spelling?!!) arrived today, the hand-painted, hanging sign, looks great, may try and upload a photo in a mo. This was quite a moment for us, our dream turning into reality right in front of our eyes. Good times.

We have created our blackboard-menu boards, now we just need to work out what we're selling and write it up there!

So, what's left? Designing new business cards, postcards, a selection of greetings cards featuring artists' work and produce some ads etc. Finalising everything ready for the shop-fitting team arriving next Weds, then the coffee machine gets installed the following day. The day after this the staff training takes place (possibly). The next day, we stock up, price up, set the till up. The day after that we open for a 'dry-run', phew! We'll probably have a few days being open for this dry run, just to see if our system works ok, and tweak a few things here and there. We then intend on having a big-shabang-of-an-opening on Saturday 17 October. Not sure what this entails yet...but watch this space.

Things I'm most excited about right now...the purchase of our till (ever since I was a young lass I've had a fascination with the things, don't ask me why?!), sourcing of products and artists' works, fitting the hanging sign, receiving tees/hoodies, producing promotional material and bringing The Deaf Cat too life! Cannot wait.

Thanks for reading. x

It's been a while...

Gosh, well it's been a while since I last wrote but quite nice to have some time now to sit down and write.

The internet and phone line were connected today at the shop. Brilliant. Makes life so much easier now, not having to remember to download or print something when I get home late and exhausted in the evening.

Today was another busy day. We arrived at the shop for 07.45, after having very little sleep last night, worrying that the second shop-fitter had gone AWOL (he has been in contact today, so hopefully not!). BT were turning up between 0800 and 1300.

9am a plumber arrived to give us a quote to run a new waste supply from the front of the shop to the rear of the building, no easy feat...involving going down into the cellar, up onto the first floor, back down in to the gallery and out into the courtyard! 400 year old buildings don't you just love'em?! Anyway, at least it can be done.

As soon as he left, the signwriter arrived to tell us our sign was almost complete. Cannot wait to see The Deaf Cat logo in real life! After he left, along came the BT Engineer. At least all three didn't arrive at the same time, that would've truly sent my head into a spin.

The BT man was a very nice chap and was in and out in no time. Success, we have the internet. The phone line is also on but I'm going to leave buying a phone until as late as possible, don't want another means of contact right now!!

Kevan has been working like a dog, ripping the old floor up in the coffee bar and is now laying lovely new Redwood floor boards, which will later be oiled & ready to go!

The coffee bar fittings have been ordered and should, hopefully, be installed around the beginning of October. We have also painted the coffee bar area again, BLACK this time and I love it! Once the new light fittings and the stainless steel surfaces are in it should look fantastic.

We also have our first resident in! Steve moved in last week and he appears to be loving his space, picking up his easel, painting along Rochester High Street & then coming back to The Deaf Cat at the end of the day. Our second resident is planning to move in later this week and the third sometime next week, exciting.

So, what does the rest of the week hold? Well, we've got another plumber coming tomorrow to quote, then there's the fella to look at the intruder alarm & then the fella from the fire alarm co. We have to shop for a basin/cabinet for the WC area, fridge & freezers, lino for the kitchen & WC's.... Oh there's plenty to keep us occupied still.

Saturday the electrician arrives to fit the new lights to the coffee bar area, that'll be a good day. We also have a tenant moving into one of our properties on this day, so I will have to figure out how to split myself into two again!

I'm hoping to squeeze a day off on Sunday, as there's a local dog show and I'd love to take Rolo to it, think she'd love the agility course!

So, think that's about it for now...