Moving in

Moving in began yesterday. One of the first things I did, was to buy some flowers to make the room look more homely.
Transferring boxes over from home to the unit was slow progress as I was on my own. However, things sped up today as Alan has taken a few days off to help me carry the heavier things, put some shelves up, curtain rails etc... So grateful for his help!


My old workroom was packed with boxes and furniture ready to go.


Thank goodness for the van, it made the job much easier and faster than yesterday.


Another load


After school, Miss P was keen to help out.


That Ikea bookcases were heavy! Despite a broken nail or two and a bit of back ache, I enjoyed the moving process. Each time something left the house, it felt very satisfying.


The unit is just a few miles away from home, only a short drive down in to Shepton Mallet.




As the boxes, bags and furniture poured in to the unit, I wonder how I ever managed to stock all that at home in our sweet but small cottage!

We worked until just before 19.00 hours and then went back home to eat a much needed "cottage pie".

Tomorrow the work continues....I need to decide where some of the furniture will go. I don't have all the furniture yet, I still need to buy a sewing table, a sofa, a large vintage rug, a dresser, clothes rails and more Ikea storage units for the packing area.

I think we'll sleep well tonight!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

NEW UNIT - UPDATE

Thank you for all your positive comments! Just the kind of encouragement you need when you first start up! I went to have a look at the unit today to see how they have progressed with the work and so far so good! I worked out where plug sockets needed to go and tried to form an idea of where everything else would go.


My sewing table will be by the window.

The room looks so much brighter than before now that a wall has been put up on the right and the room as been painted white.


After speaking with the electrician and Landlord's agent, the carpet man arrived to measure up the room (615 sq ft). I then went to to the carpet shop to look at samples of carpets. You've guessed right, it is going to be costly! :-( No escaping that...all part of the setting up costs.



On the left hand side at the end is likely to be the stationery/packaging area


Room as you walk through the main door, there will be another door at the end of the room on the right.


This is what it looks like on the ground floor (my unit is on the first floor). As I mentioned before, the Anglo Trading used to be a brewery. The building has kept a number of its original features and has to as it is a listed building. That is partly one of the reasons I wanted to have a unit there.

Tomorrow it's back to working on my new website, wording of terms & conditions, Welcome page etc....

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Moving out....

I am aware that I have been absent for quite some time. Life has a way of keeping you busy...

It seems ages ago now but I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year.

Just before Christmas, we went to France to stay with family. The plan was to go on to Belgium to attend a family Christening but due to heavy snow then ice, sadly we were unable to go.

In recent months, much of my spare time has been spent working towards my goal, opening an online shop selling vintage goods, handmade items and other things. I am finally getting closer to it.

As some of you know, my workroom is at home. It is filled with vintage textiles, home wares etc...or should I say overflowing...that would be more accurate! It's not just my workroom that has stock, it's the loft, the landing and our bedroom. Not a good way to work and not fair on everyone at home. So, after a lot of thinking and talking about it, I came to the conclusion that I would operate a lot better by moving all my stock away from home and rent somewhere else instead.



I have found a storage/workshop unit in Shepton Mallet. The unit is a shell at the moment but the landlords are converting it. My estimated moving in date is Tuesday 1st March 11. I will keep you posted with the progress!

The unit is in an old Brewery


It doesn't look inviting now but once it has been worked on, decorated and carpeted it will look a lot better. The ceiling is a little lower than I'd like but having compared this to other similar sized premises, over all this is the better one . The room will be around 600 sq ft (55 sq mt), plenty to get started with.

At last, everything will be in the one place. Stock will be easy to find and photograph. I will have more room to sew, design, package orders and will be far more organised. It is a big step to take but one I feel sure will pay off in the long run. We will regain space in the house and Phoebe will have a bigger bedroom...my old workroom which she has always liked.

My website should be ready within the next few weeks....As you can see, a lot going on...

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

P.S: I will have a neighbour I know, Becky from dots and spots who also has a unit there. Becky's business has grown so fast that she is in the process of moving to a bigger unit within the same building.

WOO HOO! BBC TURN BACK TIME - THE HIGH STREET

Some of you may have been following the BBC's TURN BACK TIME - THE HIGH STREET.
You might remember the 1970s era and in particular Woo Hoo the clothes shop.
Well, now you can shop there! Zoe and Mandy who participated in the programme decided to take on that shop and very appropriately sell vintage clothes and accessories.

When you enter the shop, the decor is very much as shown in the TV series.

Come in and have a browse...



Mandy and Zoe (Picture from A town in Somerset)





























It is a delightful shop which since opening has proved to be a huge success!
Why not go and see for yourself....I left there with 2 dresses, a top and a faux fur cape. Pictures to follow!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

TODAY IS VE DAY! Well it was in Shepton Mallet

Today was VE day in Shepton mallet, Somerset! As mentioned in a recent post, the BBC have been filming in Shepton Mallet over the past few weeks and will be there filming until sometime in September. It is for a series about how High Street shops have changed over the decades. It will be on TV in the Autumn. I look forward to seeing it! Last week and today's filming was all about the 1940s, my favourite decade.

We arrived on the Market Square just after 10am where preparations were underway to recreate a street party on VE day.



Replica of a 1940s hardware shop








In the morning


Lunchtime and the street party is underway




This lady really looked the part, the make up and hair looked fabulous! Unfortunately the picture doesn't really do her justice. As there was a lot of filming going on, I couldn't get many close ups without getting in the way of the filming. After all, I didn't want someone to shout out "Excuse me can you get out of the way please!" ;-(






Some of the local children made the effort to dress like 1940s children to get in to the spirit of things. Miss P opted for leopard pattern leggings...not very vintage! She couldn't be persuaded to go for the 40s look...



The car parked in front of Niki's shop has been used in Foyle's war!




It was interesting to get a little glimpse of the past. Although, I know that the real VE day itself would have been something quite spectacular, emotionally charged, unique and impossible to recreate as it was then...As I took this picture above, I couldn't help but think of the mixture of emotions people must have felt on that day in 1945. They must have been relieved, happy but also sad for all those who would never come back and for those still fighting in the Far East.





Next week, Shepton Mallet will be going back to the 1950s.

A bientôt!

Isabelle X