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.
