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...

Download

Gosh what a week.

I'm currently sat on the National Express service to Middlesbrough via Darlington. Managing to fit in a sneaky visit to my sister-in-law and niece while they're over from the States. A marvelous thing this internet. Great to be sitting on the train with internet access, allows me the time to catch up on things, including my blog.

Some serious blogging (downloading) required today! After such a 'lazy' weekend, Monday plonked us right back into the fast lane.

On Monday morning the flooring company were booked in to deliver the flooring for the studios between 10-11. Kevan and I rushed at break-neck speed to get to the shop for 10am... 10am turned into 11am, 11am turned into 11.30am. First phone call was made, to be told/ 'Oh no, they weren't due with you until 12'. So, patiently we took this new information on board and busied ourselves with the usual paining, planning etc. By 12.20 we were starting to get a little agitated, namely due to the 3 million other tasks we needed to complete that day. 1230, phone call number two made, when we were told, 'The driver will be with you within half an hour'. We rather angrily accepted this fate. Half an hour came & went. Our phone rang...'Can we have the measurements for the rooms again please, as we need to cut the flooring?'. An hours worth of arguments, hot & sore heads took place. End result - the carpet guy came out to us to measure....bringing the uncut flooring with him, presumably hoping to deliver and clear off - as they're terms state 'order complete once purchases delivered', with no option of refund or returning goods,

By 4pm that day we had agreed that, as way of compensation, the carpet guy would come back tomorrow (with the flooring) and lay it for us, gratis. Absolutely unreal how companies choose to treat their customers these days, whatever happened to 'the customer is always right'?

So...everything else we had planned for Monday started to happen at 4pm, marvelous. Anyway, retail therapy is always the answer. Off to purchase flat-screen TV (to display folios in the coffee bar), water boiler, artists' butlers sinks, kitchen units and a new bed for one of our tenants. Ooooh, suddenly everything's right with the world. Returned home at 10pm ready to start the day's paperwork...and fit some sleep in there somewhere.

Tuesday - 0750 - flooring guy WAS there! The following hour was filled with paranoia - every time he left the shop to go to his van we were there watching, 'Where's he going? Will he come back'? Within an hour & a half he (and his brother) had laid the flooring in all rooms, miraculous! Great too, saved us (well Kevan) lots of work/time. Good day.

New shop fitter due on site at 9am, however had to reschedule due to other commitments. He arrived at 4pm, after the usual public transport failings etc. Top guy though. Pretty much pinned down the design/requirements etc. Unfortunately, we are going to be a little behind schedule (since the first shop fitter went AWOL). This news took a short while to get used to, my frustration levels peaked some time ago, I am now a well-adjusted, patient individual, so an extra 4 weeks really isn't a problem!!! Cough, splutter..... Onwards and upwards.

So, today and tomorrow will be spent mainly on trains, but a good few hours with my beautiful niece and sister-in-law, soooooo excited, it's been a long time. Then back down tmw, reaching Rochester in the arvo. I am sure Kevan will work miracles whilst I'm away, good fella. Sorry for leaving you in the lurch!

Friday will bring some serious organisation... Hatch a plan to allow studio residents to move into their spaces before the coffee bar is open. Look into staffing requirements, employment law etc. Investigate VAT registering requirements. Book in electrician, plumber, arrange for the phone & internet to be connected...blah.

Ok, think that's the 'download' done for now.

Lazy Days

Lazy day for The Deaf Cat today but I guess everyone deserves one of those now and again.

When I say 'lazy', we've still been sourcing coffee bar cups, sleeves, products etc. We've also been plotting exciting promotions to bring to our customers and the artists we will be promoting.

It's good, and important, to have some time to sit back, recharge the batteries & think on...

Back to it tomorrow.

Further shaping of The Deaf Cat

Well, life for The Deaf Cat today started with a rather comprehensive tutorial from super-blogger Dee Hudson. Thanks Dee. There's really not a lot this lady does not know about blogging. Look forward to having some time to develop this skill in the future, bit of an ongoing learning curve I think.

Then it was off down to the coffee bar to measure up for some flooring in the studios. All ordered, delivery Monday, lovely.

After being let down by our previous shop fitter we have arranged for another to come down, on Tuesday, exciting. Coffee shop designs, chiller cabinets and the like. Hope to get this all sewn up, signed, sealed and delivered PDQ!

And...just when I thought the painting had ended - there was yet more. Just final touches to the flooring in the gallery, so not too laborious. Kevan carried out his perfect hole-repairing skills to the walls in the gallery, filled them with plaster, ready to be PAINTED, oh joy. Can you tell I'm a little bored with painting right now?..

CV's are now coming in thick and fast for possible Barista positions in the coffee bar. I hope to get on top of these next week and start to organise a bit of a plan in terms of what staffing requirements we are likely to have, and more importantly, afford.

We are looking to recruit a bank of part-time staff to work on 'Zero Hours Contracts', which basically means any employee is not committed to working defined hours/days for us, they can pick and choose (relatively speaking), and likewise, as employers we do not guarantee the number of days or hours we are able to give to staff, this allows for flexibility to both parties.

The Deaf Cat Studios, Gallery, Coffee Bar

Having been meaning to start writing a blog for sometime now and guess being 'sleepless at 4am' is as good a time as any!

So why no sleep...when days are filled with painting, designing shop fitting, sourcing equipment, employment contracts, insurance, blah..? No idea but hopefully it will come soon...

We have had the keys for just over four weeks and it's quite amazing how much we've achieved in so little time. Three floors of coffee bar, gallery & studios have been painted, new light fittings, secured tenancies on the studios, etc. Thanks to the many, many people who have helped us, truly appreciated.

Still soooooo much left to organise that sometimes it can feel pretty overwhelming, although I wouldn't swap it for the world! Sure beats any other 'job' I've ever had!

So...on with the show!