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Friday 13 February 2009
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I notice from the latest Village Shop News that if the shop does well in its first year, a cafe' will be added by the summer of 2010. Surely, if the shop is looking to attract as many visitors as possible (not only inhabitants of Mells, Vobster and Great Elm) it would be better to incorporate a cafe' from day one. Otherwise, the new shop will be just a refurbished version of the old one. It needs to offer something more I believe.
ReplyDeleteDear Mellsonian
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know your views. It would have been great to add a cafe from day one but we have been extremely hard at work
just raising the money for the refurbishment. Doing both Phase I(the Shop) and II(the cafe) together would have delayed the opening and deprived Mells of a shop for a considerable
length of time.
The new Shop will not be 'just a refurbished version of the old one.' The range of goods on offer will be considerably expanded to fill the increased internal space to capacity and to reflect the wishes of its potential customers -lots of basics plus delicatessen items with an emphasis on local produce. Tea and coffee will also be available with tables and chairs outside to attract visitors and locals alike.
The plans for Phase II will be unveiled shortly and fund-raising for this will begin in earnest this summer. As you say, the community needs this coffee shop, so do please join in the activities on offer and encourage your friends and neighbours to give generously.
The best way to make sure that Mells Village Shop is offering more is to tell us what you want to buy, either on the blog or in the suggestions book. And above all, when the new Shop opens, please use it as much as you can!
Best wishes,
June Costelloe
Secretary, Mells Village Shop Ltd
Thanks June.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware that tea and coffee would be available. Indeed, my thinking was more along the lines of a Coffee Shop anyway. Adding chairs (and a selection of cakes perhaps) would make it "half a cafe'", which is good news and a definite attraction for walkers and other visitors to the village.
Keep up the good work.
I think that the new shop looks very attractive!
ReplyDeleteI have 2 fundraising suggestions:
1) That Supporters are asked to commit to spending a certain amount (their choice) in the shop each week/month.The shop would then have a basic 'guaranteed' income.
2)That we set up a scheme where supporters host a Meal, inviting 4 or more guests. The guests undertake to give at least a minimum donation to the shop fund.
Hosts could either be volunteers or it could be a pyramid scheme?
Hosts could be asked to invite some people from the community who they do not know. This could be helpful for those of us who do not know many people in the village!
You have flagged up two very important points, Jo - glad you like the Shop's new look!
ReplyDelete1. That the Shop will only succeed if we all make an effort to spend a certain amount there each week, and week after week - the Shop will play its part by endeavouring to provide what we want, the rest is up to us, the customers.
2. That the Shop Campaign addresses a much wider issue than just providing somewhere to buy stuff - it's about galvanising the Community and getting us together in a common purpose and on common ground where we can meet and interact.
Let's hear more about how your meal-hosting/stranger meeting scheme would work - it sounds great fun! And willing participants can contact you via the Blog...
Best wishes, June
Ok here are some suggestions as to how the meal-hosting idea might work.....I have been talking to a few people but please add your comments...
ReplyDeleteEither:
1) We could have a pyramid scheme starting with one or more hosts asking others. All guests being asked to host a meal in their turn.
Or:
2) We could have a List.....people who would like to be involved put themselves forward, either as hosts or guests or both.
Or:
3) We could have a combination of 1 & 2. Have a list (as above) but running a pyramid scheme with hosts inviting their friends, people from the list plus, possibly, some other folk as well.
Extra details:
-All guests would be expected to make a donation.
-All guests in the pyramid schemes would be agreeing to host another meal if they possibly can.
-There would be an 'official' template for invitations & for the donation envelopes that would explain the scheme.
-Hosts would register their meal, date & no of guests so that a 'tab' could be kept on donations.
-Hosts would buy as much as they could for the meal from the village shop...and talk about this at the meal.
-Hosts would be free to invite people to coffee, lunch, tea or supper as they choose.
---------
A completely different suggestion would be to have a Community Bring & Share meal with one-in-4 people providing a dish and everyone else buying a ticket.
If successful this could be repeated 2 or 3 times a year and would be a good place to promote the shop & to publicize other fundraising events.
Dear Jo
ReplyDeleteHow about simplifying your idea a bit and organising a 'Mells Curry Night' on, say, Friday 18 September, when people are back from their holidays?
Participants would undertake to invite a number of people round to their house on this particular evening for a curry (whether home-cooked using ingredients from the Shop, or ready made from a supermarket or takeaway).
The idea would be to involve as many people as possible and asking someone you don't really know would be a great way to get to foster a community spirit (Great Elm, Vobster, Chantry, Whatley and Buckland Dinham could join in as well).
All participants would undertake to donate £5 a head to Mells Village Shop Ltd.
We'd do the publicity for the event - all you would have to do is be the Co-ordinator - people would contact you to register their intention of hosting a meal + no of guests and/or 'mystery guests' or to register that they'd like to be invited to as a 'mystery guest'to a 'mystery house'. Afterwards you'd collect the money promised.
We'd ask everyone one to take a group photo of their event and put them up on the Blog!
Do let me know what you think! (and thanks for all your ideas!)
Best wishes, June
Hi June, yes that is a good idea too. I particularly like the idea of the group photos!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the cycle ride leaders with the Somer Valley Wheels Scheme which operates out of Radstock 3 or 4 times a week. The shelter over the road from your shop serves as a rest stop on many of our rides and some of our participants were fairly regular customers in the old shop. They are looking forward to visit the new shop and especially the cafe when it gets built - cycling is appetite forming...
If there's the space available it would be good for the shop/cafe to provide some secure cycle parking. The cycling charity Life Cycle UK in Bristol can supply you with a couple cycle parking stands free of charge. Follow the link, above, to get details.
Well done with all your achievements so far with the shop project. It's great to see a community working together like this.
Hi Westfield Wanderer
ReplyDeleteDelighted to hear that Mells Village Shop is on the cyclists map; it will hopefully be even more attractive now that hot drinks and cakes will be available from 11 April - and tables and chairs provided outside.
Thanks for the link to Life Cycle UK - our keen cyclist chairman is investigating secure cycle parking for you, although space is an issue. Thanks also for the encouragement from a section of the community we are keen to reach.
Best wishes, June
Not sure about that new "rustic" shelving!!
ReplyDeleteHow about longer opening hours at the weekend??
Dear Green Mellsonian
ReplyDeleteYou won't notice the shelving once it's crammed full of good things to buy!
Shop opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays will initially be 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and, if they are well used, then they will stay that way.
Best wishes, June
I cannot hide my disappointment regarding how the shop has been fitted out. It is certainly not in keeping with the village and I was expecting a more rustic design rather than the fake wood-effect units and wall panneling which gives the shop a rather bland appearance more in line with your run of the mill One-Stop franchise. It is this lack of character which is most disappointing.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen the number of shelves, freezers and fridges I am now concerned about the type of stock the shop will sell. I hope it will be of high quality; if local residents are going to purchase more than the basics, by which I mean milk, bread, newspapers, eggs etc., they will need to be tempted by something different, something a bit special perhaps. It is wishing thinking to expect people to do a weekly shop if the goods are the same as supermarket produce and (probably) more expensive.
I am also wondering about how tea and coffee will be served. It is important to create the right impression from day one, as word will spread very quickly, whether it is good or bad. Again, quality and value for money is the key here so can someone please share with us the plan for refreshments?
I realise I sound like your classic "Grumpy Old Man (or woman!)", but this blog is here for us to vent our opinions and I want the shop to succeed and, unfortunately, at the moment I can see a host of missed opportunities.
Dear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteYour comments, however unfavourable, are much appreciated, though perhaps a little premature.
The Shop at the moment is very much a work in progress. When it is stuffed full of produce it will look far from bland and indeed the shelving (which 'Green Mellsonian' above you in these Comments thought too rustic and you thought not rustic enough) will hardly show at all.
There will be high quality local food, a small amount at first, but if it is successful there will be more. We have, however, asked for financial support on the basis of providing a community shop and to fulfil our promise we need to appeal to the whole community, many of whom have asked us to supply the basics so that they do not have to travel to Frome for them.
The chillers will be used to store freshly prepared dishes from 'Mells Cooks', as well as more prosaic items like milk and butter.
The tea and coffee facilities will initially be very simple. Until the coffee shop is built we siimply do not have the room, nor can we justify financially a huge outlay for a temporary facility. We are 'dipping a toe in the water' here by providing basic hot drinks and home baked cakes for residents, bikers and walkers. If this is a success we will go on to provide a more sophisticated and permanent arrangement, hopefully next year.
The Shop will continue to grow and improve over many months. While we aim to make as much of an initial impact as possible we must ask for your patience while we find out exactly what does sell well. After all, the bottom line is that we must make a profit.
I look forward to reading your further reactions once the Shop has been open for a few months.
Best wishes,
June Costelloe