Tag: Shop

Books

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If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

Because then I could get rid of a few! I have over 1000 but some are a bit obscure, and some were my hubby’s… Huge books about planes, submarines, ships, bicycles, cars. Also books about the second world war. Then there are my collections of old science fiction books, I don’t necessarily want to keep them all. I don’t want to get rid of them all, so my book shop would actually be a stall that I can easily pack up and take away (except they weigh a ton).

Middleport pottery

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What is your favorite place to go in your city?

A working pottery at Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It also includes a museum, with lots of industrial archeology. They sell various tableware in the pottery shop, there is a large selection of patterns for sale. There is a good cafe that overlooks the Trent and Mersey canal. There are small studios for artists and potteries, and a row of shops opposite the entrance to the pottery with small galleries and crafts for sale.

There is also a handsome bottle oven facing the canal that was covered in bright red ceramic poppies to commemorate Rememberence day a few years ago. You only have to pay to go round the museum section. Tucked towards the far end of the site is a working steam engine which runs at various times. I’m not sure exactly when? Worth taking the time to visit if you can find it (it’s tucked down some narrow side streets.

It also hold pottery classes and was also used for the great pottery throw down a few years ago to before it moved to the Gladstone pottery in Longton.

Gap

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The gap is, there like a broken tooth. Whoever got in the garden broke down the old fence and broke down branches. I’m fed up because a builder cut our hedge severely last year so he could get a digger down our alleyway. Then the local shop said they were going to put a gate across the alley for security but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m trying to get a builder in to put in some fencing, but he hasn’t responded…. Oh well. We hope our efforts work. But we won’t be storing things in the garden again.

Art of course

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If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

If I could I would open an art shop. But I don’t have the skills. I’d need to be trained in accounting, in design to get things looking peofessional, and more knowledge of pricing. Also I’d need sufficient funds to rent or let a property.

At the moment I’m lucky to have some of my work on sale or display, but the business side of it doesn’t enthrall me. I’d never be an entrepreneur.

I did try when I finished work, I set up a studio and worked at producing new art. But the building us rarely open to the public, and my studio is off down a narrow corridor so I don’t have much contact with people when I’m there. Covid and lock downs stopped me from getting stalls on local craft fairs.. A cheaper way of selling than having a permanent ‘public facing’ shop.

I’ve heard of business plans but never had one perhaps that’s my biggest failing, I just keep getting on with getting on….

Someone knocking at a door?

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Someone, a young woman, has been knocking on a neighbours front door for half an hour. Hubby went out and asked her what she was doing (actually called out, the flat is fifty yards away) but got no answer, the woman was actually kicking and booting the door. The flat is above a shop and the woman seemed intent on getting in. Finally we gave up and rang the police. If she had been in distress we would have called an ambulance for her. But it seemed strange behaviour. Clearly after that length of time no one is going to open up. I hope it gets resolved. It’s worrying that she thought it was OK to do it… No shouts or screams, just kicking…it’s stopped now….

Mirror.

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Seen today, a mirror in a shop, reflected branches. And the bevelled edge was shining with the spectrum. I had walked to the shop and on the way it poured with rain. The sun broke through behind me and I took a photo of a rainbow. But the camera did not save the image because I turned my phone off too quickly. So when I saw a similar effect in the bevelled edges I tried to capture those colours. Lots of things inspire me x

Solved!

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After several hours trying to sleep with all the doors closed and with the fridge beeping endlessly and despite turning it off and on I finally managed to ring a shop at 9am. I explained the situation and asked what I could do. I was told that there should be a button somewhere on the back of the fridge to press in and disable the alarm. OK, I looked but there was no circuit board at the top back of the fridge and no button. But in the base I could see a light flashing….

I asked the man on the phone what to do because I’d disconnected the fridge from the mains. He said look for a button. I bent down and found a smoke alarm (a normal household one) just resting on a bar at the back base of the freezer compartment, partially hidden behind the motor which was hot, I pressed the button on it and it stopped! I went and got my hubby to show him and he picked the alarm up! It wasn’t even attached to the fridge freezer. It must have been placed there either by the manufacturer or by the shop we bought it from. I’d spoken to the guy who told me about a button and he explained that the compressor in the fridge freezer must be faulty, as it was getting hot trying to cool the fridge too much. Now I have a fridge that needs replacing and a dusty smoke alarm that is giving a beep every few seconds (the battery in it must be low), I’m just glad I made that call! Plus the cats can finally sleep x

What to talk about?

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Tiles in sunlight. Yesterday we visited Middleport pottery and went into the shop. These tiles were hanging on the wall, the sunlight shining on them. I liked the abstract look of this. I could have taken pictures of all the plates and patterns in there, but I took this instead. Whoever put this display up could have just put the tiles up in square blocks, but instead it’s been done in an asymmetric pattern.

Bovisand cafe

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Cafe and shop at Bovisand Bay, sitting next to the car park above the two parts of the bay. The cafe and shop used to be separate but have been joined together so you can explore a range of beach wear, body boards, sun lotion, crafts, etc, etc on one side and the cafe on the other. It seems like a nice set up. The people there were friendly. I think we will go again if we can.

I hope that they get good custom now that covid, which is still on the increase in the UK, is at least milder. One day we must get over it? I hope so.