ARRANGING...AND RE-ARRANGING

Today I spent the first three hours of the day, in the shop, moving things around and setting up new displays. A task not made easier by Kathryn turning up halfway through and dumping five boxes of vintage stock next to the counter. This can be the problem with our business. Whilst we mostly do the buying together, if an opportunity arises to buy new stock, you take it. So I had to integrate a whole load of new pieces into the display. Still, it’s a good problem to have.

We try and keep the shop looking fresh and interesting because I, for one, hate visiting other shops where nothing changes from week to week. This should be an obvious business practice but it’s making that a reality can be challenging. After a long day at the workshop, turning up at the shop to move furniture around in the evening isn’t always as tempting as a bar of chocolate, a log fire, a snoozy Labrador and some sort of documentary on tanks! (Just me, then.....)

And that was why I had to move stuff around while tending to the shop. Typically, having created what I thought was a rather beautiful arrangement including a gorgeous blue German chest, and off pink display cabinet and lots of old Victorian cream jars, ink wells and ribbon spools, some customer only wanted to go and buy the display cabinet. It’s a peculiar situation being ever so slightly irritated by a customer wanting to buy something!

I re-jigged the stuffed animal display and, naturally enough, working on the above principle, a stunning pair of Victorian partridges, in a case, sold along with one of our comedy ducks! I wasn’t irritated by that sale, however, because it gives me a very clear agenda to buy more weird stuff.

I was so into doing displays today that I created a few you can’t see. By that I mean you have to look in the right cupboard or dresser top to see it. Another display involved an old typewriter which prompted a customer to let me know that her seven year old daughter had recently asked her what a typewriter was. We both exchanged that certain glance that you do when small people remind you how ancient you are.

Well, I’m back in the shop again in a couple of days and am already cooking up a few ideas. The only problem being that a few days later we’re off buying to Norfolk, so it will all change yet again to accommodate the new stock. Still...it makes it more interesting for you guys...hopefully!!