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