@ The Well, Stokes Croft

Launch Event

2012-08-22T08:14:00.003-07:00

Hello, and a great thank you to all those who have come and visited us @thewell. We have now opened our doors to the big wide world for one month, and therefore feel it is about time for a bit of celebration. If you have been to @thewell before this will be a great oportunity for you to invite all your friends along, if you are new to @thewell, please come and find out just why it is that a laundrette cafe is such a winning combination. We are planning all sorts of fun and frivolity, and we'll keep you posted with the details. Just keep the 1st of september free in your diaries, we look forward to seeing you then,
the @thewell team! x

Day one

2012-07-20T07:07:00.001-07:00

I am currently sitting on the sofa chilling out @thewell on its first day of trading, thanks for everyone who has popped down to support us friends and strangers alike, it was great to have the opportunity to test what we have done so far, and have the opportunity to work out the few tweaks we will have to make before the new week begins. we have really enjoyed today, all a little shattered, but it is thrilling when people come through the door laiden with their dirty laundry, in order to use the machines, amazing, keep it coming folks. Photos will of course follow.

OPENING TOMORROW!

2012-07-19T08:51:00.002-07:00

I know I have kept you all somewhat in suspense over the last couple of weeks, mostly because I have been working at the shop itself. But having left you all wondering at what @thewell is looking like, you all have the opportunity to see for yourselves as we are opening tomorrow, that is the 20th August from 10.00 am- 5.00pm, and then on Saturday 10.00 am- 5.00pm for the Montpelier Summer Fayre (Picton Street's Mad Hatter's Tea Party).

There is still a fair amount of to-dos to get through before tomorrow, so this post must be brief, but please come check out what we have done, bring your washing and come and taste some exceptional coffee!

(Here is a mostly completed menu, so you can come prepared)

getting @thewell workers through a small hole.

2012-05-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

This was the main challenge of the day, in order to make the place properly damp proof, we cut an 'ole in the wall of what used to be the old water tank, and I watched, while the rest of the team, managed to negotiate (generally successfully), their way in and out of it.

There seamed to be a common method:

1. "hands"

2. "the two handed support"

3. " The one handed plank"

4. "the tumble and hope"

Smurfs

2012-05-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

Today was a much more positive day @theWell. For a long time our team mascot has been a smurf, and until today I wasn't really sure of the reference.

This must be it...

It's not all good news

2012-05-26T14:34:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure whether it is wise to blog about today's drama. So far this blog has been solely devoted to good news and progress, but today was what can only be described as a bad day, and my feeling is that it is best to share our entire journey, the ups and the downs alike.
The wall along the side of our property that makes up the kitchen, the computer room and the store cupboard, backs onto bare earth and we have had some problems with damp. Today we discovered the true extent of the damp and were forced to rip out a lot of the last couple of week's work, back to the brick and start over. We undid all the tiling of the walls, the painting, the plasterboard, the kitchen fittings, the floor tiles. We learnt the lesson of what took months to assemble, takes just hours to demolish. It was really tough for the whole team, but amazingly spirits seemed to remain relatively high, I'll will keep you posted as to the reintroduction of progress as it occurs. Signing off, Lily.

We 'av a folding 'folding table'

2012-05-01T09:14:00.002-07:00

This was a bit of a squeeze, we think we have managed to achieve getting two very big machines and a folding table in a very small space. Well done gents!

But a bit of a squeeze is what we do best...

Sign.

2012-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

A marvellous thing has happened, Our sign is up.

Before and Afters

2012-04-25T09:49:00.003-07:00

While I'm on the topic of what was, and what is now, I thought I'd share a couple more.

Our whole Building has been given a bit of a face-lift, thank you Malcolm.

What was:

What is:

What was:

What is:

What was:

What is:

Blue Doors, Tiled Floors

2012-04-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Last week was one of finishing off odd tasks, such as laying floors, and hanging doors.

Note we now had a functioning toilet, still in need of work, of course but if you think what it was...

Officially a Laundrette

2012-04-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

So our machines have gone in, which we hope will be an encouragement to all you eager folks out there who have had your dirty laundry piling up for months like we have!

And do you remember this?

Embarrassingly, about a year ago, many people contacted us to congratulate us on getting our laundrette open...whoops, yeah no that wasn't ours

but this is!

How many @thewell workers does it take to lift an absolutely mammoth mixer ?

2012-04-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

Thanks to John and Valerie for providing this amazing mixer for us, it made it all the way to Bristol, and I think it will live there for some years!

Floor painting!

2012-04-05T09:58:00.003-07:00

Firstly, a massive thank you to all who helped make the floor painting happen so efficiently and beautifully at the weekend. Dovi, Anne, Kate, Jane and ashleigh, you're all amazing and your hard work (for which our thigh muscles are all utterly destroyed) most definitely paid off.

Artist Dovi Requena (please check out her work here: www.dovirequenaart.com) came up with the design for us, based on the brief of "something vaguely Klimt-esk." Here she is chalking it out:

And then we were all able to begin to help blocking in some colour. The twister game begins...

For most of the 2 days, the grey was the only colour that was dry enough to stand on, leading much frustration as we all frequently stood on the painted area we had just painted 3 minutes before. Regular announcements regarding which colours were safe, was necessary and lead to the chant "green is good" "green is good" "green is good" being the soundtrack to our days.

Serious progress!

2012-04-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry all, kept a little in suspense over the last week, I have been a little slack with keeping you up to date only because, I have been spending quite a lot of the days down at @ the well, rather than fixed at my computer. Since I last posted happenings have been: boiler out, boiler in again, fire wires in, nail though water pipe, flooded kitchen, latex on the floor, grey painted floor, chalked out floor, massive game of twister to paint floor, painted counter, glossed outside, sign painted, and crucially, WASHING MACHINES IN. That's right folks we are now officially a laundrette, about bloomin' time. Photos to follow...

Have you ever seen more beautiful windows?

2012-03-20T10:33:00.001-07:00

These windows went in today, they are between the computer room and the kitchen, we came across them from different sources, we bought the stained glass second hand, and I'm pretty sure we wombled the windows either side. They look stunning, I'm sure you'll agree.

Plumber eh?

2012-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Ant our plumber who has seriously gone the extra mile for us on this project, we are incredibly grateful. Turns out plumbing isn't all he does.

Sunday, he reconstructed one of the beautiful archways towards the back of the shop, very clever, and will look spectacular.

Then he got to do loads of boxing in, everyones favourite job!

Ant, your amazing! Look him up folks...www.the-gas-man.com

Gristers hard at work

2012-03-20T10:09:00.001-07:00

A title given, is hard to shake off as it turns out, so 'Gristers' we'll remain.

Turns out, as usual, I was not dressed for the job in hand.

do you mind if I...cut in?

2012-03-20T09:59:00.004-07:00

Last saturday, there was a bit of a team effort, and some of Ellen and Cassie's housemates went to lend a hand with some of the painting, it meant that the kitchen and the basin room of the toilet are now painted, and they began cutting in with the green in the main space, Thank you girlies!
Here's the team hanging out at our bus stop:

Counter, part two

2012-03-15T10:52:00.002-07:00

And, as promised, here is what our carpenter has made of the oddments so far.

even got some books on the shelves, a little premature perhaps.

Fixtures and Fittings

2012-03-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

This has been a week for fixtures and fittings in preparation for a big push on Saturday where we have invited lots of people to the cafe to help out with painting etc.
but for this week: Let there be lights!

counter building

2012-03-08T03:36:00.002-08:00

Today, Carpenter T is in building our counter for us, bit of reclaimed wood etc as usual. Here's what we gave him:

essentially, watch this space...
Also here's Cassie having an official looking chat with a man in a florescent jacket.

Anyone for tea?

MEN vs TABLES

2012-03-03T15:28:00.004-08:00

Ding Ding Ding.

Round 1: know what you're up against:

Round 2: don't be intimidated

Round 3: Be prepared (genuinely not asked to pose for this photo, just natural stance)

Round 4: Get the women do it!

DISCLAIMER: Please note, the statements and photos above are by no means there to indicate that the women worked harder then the men today, any offence caused is founded on your paranoia!

It's really happening

2012-03-03T15:10:00.001-08:00

As of yesterday we have a boiler! This really feels like things are moving now, we now have the ability to heat water in anticipation of some serious washing machines! Thanks Ant!

Looks pretty fearsome doesn't it.

How are we looking?

2012-03-02T06:31:00.001-08:00

General updates in this post. I went down there yesterday (Thursday) to, in theory, be helpful (as it turns out, if you go at lunchtime, you coincide with a break!) Nonetheless I did a little more painting on the outside, got another couple of encouraging words from passersby, thank you, and did my usual bit of dodgy camera work in an attempt to keep you lot in the loop.

We now have a back door, with a lock, which is progress. Being sanded down before repainting, which turned out to be quite hard work I think.

We also a new purpose-built folded-laundry cupboard, which will sit alongside the 3 stacked machines.

Also notice that we finally sourced some nice cafe tables, after a fair amount of searching. They, like everything else we have sourced thus far, need a bit of work, sanding and whatnot...

Then there is always painting being done inside:

And perhaps my favourite photo of them all, keep up the good work JB!

have you noticed it's beginning to get green outside?

2012-02-27T08:46:00.001-08:00

So paint happened internally, and now the shop exterior is getting the same levels of attention. The paint colour was a good decision made, we wanted our colour to be bright (naturally) to live up to there bright yellow building alongside us, and well... distinct. This colour green has been the basis for our online stuff, notably this blog and the website, as well as the (yet undelivered) flyers which you will imminently find on your door step (if you live within the @thewell radius). The green itself came from the wallpaper we have (to do at least one wall of the shop), and is the background of this blog, on 'tile' unfortunately because it was this or 'stretch,' both of which I hate.

So after a bit of dithering, and bargaining, essentially we stuck with the colour and got it mixed to match the wallpaper. So love it or hate it (I love it) this is the @thewell green, basically the colour of Shrek.

This colour will be the colour of our fascia and paint the window and door frames on the outside.

The wood for the fascia was difficult to come by. Marine timber (so it doesn't bow when wet) is apparently not your average B&Q staple (other DIY/ Hardware stores are available!). It involved cassie driving like this...

Then undercoating, perhaps twice before green, then asking mum nicely to paint the name for us.
On saturday Cassie and Sarah began the outer green paintwork, clearly enjoying it immensely. Thanks to those who stopped and chatted on seeing our concept written up like that, it means a lot, keep 'em coming.