Operation ABL: Argos Bookcase Liberation
We are either naive, stupid or misinformed or all of these, but we really had no idea, how trying to get one narrative involving: us, estate agents, landlords and solicitors moving forward on a single pathway would be so, so difficult. No idea at all. It’s a very long and expensive journey and we still haven’t signed the lease!
Maybe we better get some shelves ready…
The liberation of the Argos bookshelves
We ordered some bookshelves… after realising the lovely bespoke shelves were well out our price range we’ve ordered our bookcases from Argos… 300 miles later we have picked up bookcases from almost every Argos in Devon and Cornwall, just the Torquay ones to go. “I’ll get those tomorrow” says Claire. The next day we wake up to the news that the Argos branches will be closing with immediate effect…. Nooooooo! One mercy dash to Torquay. 10 more bookcases liberated and we now finally have enough!
We have: bookshelves, paint, a massive counter (on its way), a stock order ready to release, an EPOS system ready to install – once we get our broadband in - we’ve had to defer the engineer twice. Oh, and book token reader and printer is all waiting to be sent, card spinners to fill, credit card reader to set up so we can actually take money, a shop front to sign, fire risk assessments completed, public liability insurance still to be agreed, boiler to service and probably more I can’t remember. But that’s the easy bit!! Not been in the shop hurts, and each day we can’t get in to do ‘stuff’ we inch another step nearer to not opening before Christmas and the prospect of opening on a quiet and chilly mid-week January day becomes much more likely – although, we are in another lockdown and unable to open at all…
The lease goes back and forth and still we haven’t signed. We can have the dog in the shop, which is nice, but still not sure we can open without the plethora of building certification the solicitors keep chucking about. We ask, but then get another question, another impediment - was the first question resolved we wonder? It’s the 21st of November: opening for Christmas, we’ve got to be kidding, right?!
So we are sharing our house with three children, a dog, 20 bookcases and a couple of card spinners, it’s only a small house, two of our children share a room – our bookcases need to take their rightful home and filling with books and soon!
They will look better in the shop