Building Renovation Updates.

 

Wonderland Awaits sits on the ground floor of Our 4 storey Georgian property, along a historic thoroughfare in a conservation area.  
Renovation work started on the 1st February 2022 to change the upper floors into a home for me and my partner. This work also includes replacing the modern shop frontage with a traditional wooden front which is more in keeping with the original property and the surrounding area. This would take the property back to its former layout where shop owners and Their families would reside above Their businesses. 
Due to the 200+ year old property’s structure of oak beams, Reed and plaster ceilings and wooden lintels, work is taking a longer time to be completed to ensure the work is done in a sympathetic manner and I can retain as many original features as possible. 

This has affected the running of the boutique on a day to day basis in a number of ways.

1. The current access to the work upstairs is via an internal staircase in the shop until a separate staircase can be installed, this means there are trades people in and out of the property and banging and machinery noises can sometimes be heard.

2. All items/furniture/belongings that were stored upstairs prior to the work commencing, have had to be moved to the ground floor to be stored while beams and joists are replaced and floors removed. This means that half of the shop is currently closed off to customers to keep them safe. 

3. Due to the much reduced space available in the shop, stock has had to be squashed in a little, meaning our rails and displays are a bit jumbled temporarily. This has meant I haven’t been able to order in stock as normal because I physically have nowhere to put anything. For this reason I have limited sizes and styles available until the work has been completed and I’m back to having the full size floorspace and my usual ordering plan.

4. Opening Times have been affected. Each week I am receiving deliveries of building materials, from steel beams, wooden joists and  windows to plasterboard and bags of cement. These all have to be dropped off at the shop within a specified time window with the property being within a pedestrianised zone. They are then stored in the shop and the materials are taken upstairs as the trades people require them throughout the week. When these items are in the shop, I can’t have customers on the premises for health and safety reasons.  This is why at the beginning of the week I am either closed or click and collect only, while the shop isn’t accessible for customers, but I’m able to open later in the week once the items have been taken upstairs/used. 

5. Online dispatch Times can vary. The shop frontage faces onto a busy pedestrianised area and has a shutter. Im having to be on site in the shop from as early as 4:30am until 4pm to ensure trades people are able to come in and out while keeping my business safe and secure. This means that on some days I am unable to get to a post office within their opening hours to post parcels which can lead to a slightly later dispatch, as and when I can get to a post office. If you require an item for a specific date, please message me via the chat at the bottom left side of the website so I can guarantee I can get the item to You for the date You require. 

Thank You for bearing with Me while I create Mine and My Partners dream home.