and now we wait........

Simon

so off we went to the Estate Agents this morning to put the offer in. I walked, Tim moseyed ( yes, he was wearing his cowboy hat). As we walked in, the piano player stopped and everyone turned and stared. There was an awkward silence, as we slowly moved towards the desk and took our seats.

'£28000' we said, 'that's a good offer'.
'yeah, it sounds good' came the reply.

we exchanged contact details, got a bit more info on the property, and left. We were either going to hear today or tomorrow, and as it's 6.45pm as I write this, it looks like it's tomorrow. It's difficult to think of anything else right now.

We had an appointment with the Haringey Regeneration Team this afternnon, and they were as helpful as they could be (no money, but lots of advice). They're going to go through our business plan to make sure it covers everything, and it's pretty clear they're very happy about the new shop. The closure of waterstone's was a big kick in the teeth for them. It's difficult trying to improve an area, and encourage new business etc, when one of the most respected ones ups and leaves.

Tim called some of the primary/junior schools in the area. We are having a competition to name the shop, and we're going to get all the schools in the area come up with ideas for names. The winner will get to unveil the sign and get some free stuff, so it should be fun all round. I was listening in to the phone calls, and it sounded pretty hard going on a couple of occasions

Tim ; 'Hello, my name's Tim West, and I was the manager of the Waterstone's in Wood Green that recently closed down. The reason i'm phoning is we're......................yes, that's right...........about a month ago..................yes it is a shame, anyway the reason i'm.....................well that's the reason i'm phoning, we're opening a new bookshop in the area, and we're having a competition for the children to name the new shop.......no it won't be called Waterstone's, it's a new independent bookshop..............so can you put me through to her then................OK, i'll call back tomorrow.'

I haven't used my Waterstone's loyalty card yet.

A Brief Comment on Support

Tim:

Just a few days after the closure of Waterstone's was announced the support for the shop and its staff started rolling in. This is the most positive thing that has come out of this whole affair. We simply did not know how much people loved us. And now, whenever we tell anyone of our plans they are really enthusiastic and full of encouragement. They still love us!

I just wanted to say thank-you, really.

Oh, and if you are a local Bookseller check out the on-line petition that one of our customers started. http://www.petitiononline.com/Bookshop/ .The petition is closed now, but the comments prove that what we are doing - as a trade - is still worthwhile. It'll give you a lift, trust me.