I Have A Shop!
Well, almost...
So this is the news I have been sitting on for the last couple of weeks, and I didn’t want to share it until I had an agreement in place, and I’m still worried about jinxing it, so I won’t tell everything right away, but….
I HAVE A SHOP. A real one. A permanent one.
Or at least, I’ve had an offer accepted on one to rent.
Regular readers will know that The Book Room has been looking for a new location for either another pop-up, or a permanent base since my stint inside The Bloom Foundry came to an end at Christmas.
I had decided that I wanted to be a community bookshop in the area where I live, and had considered being in the shopping centre part of Tunbridge Wells before deciding against it (for those of you who know the area, I had looked at a unit in Ely Court where Evenflow has now opened up), but now I have found a perfect location at the end of town near the high street.
I won’t share exactly where, because as I said, I’m afraid of jinxing it, which begs the question why am I telling you anything? Well, because I promised you that I would share this whole journey from ‘bestseller to bookseller’ and that includes all the highs and the lows, so if it all falls through, you need to know that too.
However, let’s think positively!
So, I found the property quite by chance one evening when I was losing an hour on Rightmove, and I went to see it the following day and put together my proposal. I mean, when I say that, it sounds like I knew what I was doing, but I’d never put together a proposal for a commercial let before, so I needed to learn what to do.
Over the last few months, during conversations with friends and business owners who knew far more than me on the topic, I’ve learnt many things, for example, the fact that you have a lease for X years, and within that you can build break clauses, these can be mutual, or in favour of one party or the other.
Another thing I’ve learnt, which I think I mentioned before, is the fact that most commercial lets come with a full repairing lease, which means even if there are several residential flats between you and the roof you’re still liable when it comes to fixing it, among other things.
Another thing: business rates, commercial lets over £15,000 a year mean you need to pay rates to the local council, and these can be thousands of pounds annually.
Service charges are also often payable on top of your rent, these account for any costs the landlord might have in keeping the property within the health and safety laws for you, and on top of that, you have to pay buildings insurance for the landlord, as well as your own contents and business insurance. (If only I’d bought some commercial property in my twenties – kicking myself now!)
Then there’s the usual electricity and water, and that’s before you think about stock, fitting it out, etc etc etc.
All this might sound very boring, but I think it gives those who are unaware a sense of the risks that small businesses are taking when they open, and I can see that it is not for the faint-hearted.
And I’m still not put off!
So anyway, this is really exciting news, right? I have instructed a solicitor who is going to go over all the paperwork, carry out local searches etc, just like you would be doing if you were buying a property, so there are quite a few more steps to go yet, but I hope you’ll enjoy coming along for the ride, and that you’ll keep all fingers and toes crossed for me – just keep imagining the day we get the keys, I do!
But look how far we’ve come since October since I had this little seed of an idea!
For now, the first priority on my ‘to do’ list is to secure funding, and for that, I’ll need a lot of luck and a heap of pluck!
More soon…
• Thank you to all who have been ordering from my online bookshop in the last week. Remember you can still support THE BOOK ROOM while I am waiting to open my physical store again by shopping online, in fact now I would appreciate the support more than ever. I can order ANY BOOK for you and you will receive it within 48 hours. It has never been a more important time to support both writers and independents bookshops, and by buying from me, you are doing both and contributing to a vital ecosystem.