I went to speak to Ladbrokes today as they own/pay rent + are based right next door to the empty shop within the shopping precinct that I have my eye on.
Their shop is like a tardis. you go inside the small facade of a Ladbrokes shop and they have extended internally so their space now covers the whole of the back of the other shop too, obviously why they have that one.
Don’t understand why they didnt just have a massive double fronted shop though.
So the shop I’d like to use is half the length of any of the others in the road.
This wouldn’t be a major problem, artists are used to working in small spaces, it would use less electricity etc but I still haven’t seen inside. I suspect there is no bathroom or even a sink to wash brushes as it would make sense these would have been at the back where the Ladbrokes extension now sits.
Just guessing mind. Perhaps there is a way to incorporate a sink but a resident artist would need a loo you’d think.
I’ve left a message for the manager to call me tomorrow.
The Co-op still haven’t got in touch so it’s looking more likely we may use the one next door to the post office. I might write and make an offer next week, try to see if the landlord might give us a bit of a discount, we are a charity and we are doing a community project, it has to be worth his/her while to be supportive you’d think….hope.
More enquiries coming in from artists, suprisingly quite a few now from out of the area. I keep having to write back and explain there is no accomodation attached to the residencies nor any money to help pay for that unfortunately.
There’s always couchsurfing.com tho.
The no accomodation thing doesn’t seem to have put many people off thankfully.
Pricing up banners and signs today and contacting potential sponsors re supplying a multitude of butterfly and bee attracting seeds for us. I’d like to be able to make up arty packs to give away to New Ferry residents or sell to any visitors out of the area.
I have been offered a property now, it’s not my first choice and I’m holding back to hear from one of other shops before I sign anything but at least we’ll have somewhere now.
Its next door to the post office and on the main road so I know it’ll have passing traffic both by car and also on foot.
I really would like to be in the heart of the community though and to me thats right in the ‘town’ centre. I say town in inverted commas as New Ferry seems (to me) too small to be classed as a town, maybe village would suit better.
The village of Port Sunlight with all its historic beauty and tourism is hopping distance away. I’d love one day for New Ferry to be as sought after a destination. Not may other small villages have 4 butchers and a fruit and veg shop, a bank, a post office, a pet store, DIY shop and multiple charity shops. It has so much potential!
We’ve had lots of interest from artists about the mini residencies, I am really excited now to read how ever many proposals we get through, I have a feeling there will be many and so far all of them sound really amazing. How thrilling to be on the brink of this amazing project, cant wait to see how it all turns out.
It’s been a busy old week.
I heard back from the letter I wrote about the third property, it was the agent and he is really behind the project so was going to speak to his clients and recommend they lease their shop to us. That was last Friday but I haven’t heard back yet.
STILL haven’t heard anything from the other 2 agents. You start thinking people don’t want their premises let. It’s a bit mad as it’s obviosuly beneficial to them. They dont have to pay rates whilst we’re in there or for 3 months after we lave vacated thanks to Wirral Council and they get paid rent!! so I’m still playing the waiting game.
Our local MP contacted me as she wants to blog about the project which is great so I have sent her the details and then wrote a press release to follow up so that next weeks local papers might carry the story too, to follow on from her blog.
I also mentioned that the press could do a story about ALL the artists working in empty shops in Wirral, there are 4 of us I think. one of the artists, Brenda Sharp, seemed keen for that so I hope they do. We’ll see.
I’ve had about 20 enquiries so far from artists which is great, deadline is about a month away so I’m hoping I get a good few applications. I’ve sent details to the art colleges too as it would be good experience for a student to take part I think, especially if they could then use it towards their course work.
I also was given a free table and chairs set that I can paint, they are taking up lots of space and we wont have a shop until April to put them in but they were free so I couldn’t say no. Hope to get a lot more for free but will have to wait a while now as I have no space to put things.
There’s a lot of planning to do yet, it’s a good job there’s a few months to go.
I am still shop-less to date, viewed an applied for 2 potentials and have written to the owner of a third, just have to play the waiting game now.
Plans are still moving on though, I have signed the Council grant agreement and figured out the finances so that I knew what money was left to offer artists. Tehre was not as much as I had wished to be honest but if the landlords come back with a discount this could go higher. Still, it is nice to be able to put art opportunities out there that have ‘some’ money attached for a change.
I just hope people are still interested, its potentially a really great project to be involved in so fingers are firmly crossed.
I have finished putting the call out for artist now too. See link below. Would be great if someone reading the blog decided to put a proposal in ….hint hint.
https://www.facebook.com/NewFerryButterflyPark#!/NewFerryButterflyPark/posts/353692971309994
I have to arrange a meeting this week with the Butterfly Park committee to discuss the paperwork terms and conditions of the grant offer before signing an agreement.
My problem is that from what I can gather the money will be paid in stages once I have the relevant receipts to show. Now in a big company this wouldn’t be an issue but the Butterfly Park is primarily non funded and run completeley by volunteers, there’s no way we have the thousands of pounds to start a shop up even if we can then claim it back.
So I have to find a way around this, my first call will be to contact the Council and request an upfront payment to cover deposit and repairs/refurbishment if thats remotely possible.
If not, it’s a dilemma.
Has anyone had experience of this kind of thing before? How do you pay for a project with no money even if you know the money will be forthcoming. I’m unable to pay out of my own pocket either so will have to to just play the next bit by ear I reckon.
The excitement however has no abated and tomorrow will be spent ringing estate agents to arrange viewings.
