A few months ago, we packed up Just Makers at Ripley Castle and moved the entire business to a new home in Skipton. This was a different town, a much bigger building, very different footfall.. and it involved a lot of boxes!
I knew it was going to be a big undertaking. I don't think I quite appreciated how big.
There have been spreadsheets, solicitors, paint samples, endless lists, a few sleepless nights, more physical work than I care to remember and more costs than anticipated too. There have also been some genuinely lovely moments, unexpected kindness and the pure satisfaction of seeing the dream and vision gradually become real.
So, three months into this new adventure, what have I learned?
Don't settle, but be prepared to compromise
Finding the right premises is a bit like finding a house. You have a list of non-negotiables, another list of things you'd really like but could compromise on at a push, and a budget that doesn't always agree with either.
One thing I was determined about was not compromising on the things that really mattered to the future of the business. I saw premises that might have been easier or cheaper, but wouldn't have allowed Just Makers to develop in the way I wanted.
That doesn't mean everything has to be exactly right. Some compromises are inevitable, and you soon learn which ones you can live with.
You also discover that commercial rents, business rates and service charges can vary enormously between locations, sometimes in ways that don't seem to bear much relation to how well a business might actually do there.
And then there are commercial leases. If you've only ever dealt with residential property, prepare for an education. It turns out that as a commercial tenant, most things become your responsibility in the same way they would if you did own the place. Things you probably hadn't even thought about, let alone budgeted for.
Everything takes longer and costs more than you think
However carefully you plan the move, multiply your estimate of how long it will take by at least two. Possibly three.
Moving a shop isn't simply a matter of putting everything into boxes and unpacking it at the other end. There's the new shop fit, equipment, signage, utilities, insurance, endless administration and a thousand small decisions that all seem to need making at once.
And the costs have a habit of creeping up.
I've learned that there are some things worth spending money on, particularly when they're going to make a real difference to how the shop looks and functions for years to come. Cutting corners on something you'll regret every time you look at it isn't necessarily saving money.
There will also come a point when the to-do list seems to be getting longer rather than shorter, you're physically exhausted and you genuinely can't imagine how everything will be ready in time.
And somehow, it is.
Not necessarily every last detail, but enough. That's when it's time to put aside the perfectionism and decide that the rest can happen in time but now is the time to just get the doors open.
You'll find out who really means it when they offer to help!
This has been one of the more entertaining discoveries.
Some people offer to help and really, genuinely mean it. They turn up, get stuck in and prove to be absolutely invaluable. I'll be forever grateful to those people.
Others offer enthusiastically and then seem to disappear when the heavy lifting starts.
And some are refreshingly honest from the outset and simply say, 'See you on the other side.'
I quite appreciated that last group too.
Your carefully planned shop won't necessarily work as planned
You can spend hours thinking about layouts, furniture, displays and where everything should go. You can measure, sketch and move things around in your head until you're convinced you've got it right.
Then you open the doors and discover that customers have entirely different ideas about how to use the space.
Some things have worked even better than I'd hoped. Others, including ideas that worked brilliantly in Ripley, haven't worked at all.
And that's fine. A shop isn't a finished project on opening day. It needs to evolve as you learn how people move around it, what catches their attention and what they walk straight past.
I've already moved displays around more times than I care to admit, and that's not something that will stop any time soon.
A new town means learning your business all over again
This has probably been one of the biggest lessons.
You might be moving an established business, but that doesn't mean you can simply recreate it somewhere else and expect everything to carry on as before.
Products that sold consistently in Ripley haven't necessarily found the same audience in Skipton. Equally, other things have done far better than I anticipated.
Different towns have different customers, different shopping habits and different patterns of trade. And while greater footfall is certainly welcome, more people walking through the door doesn't automatically translate into massively higher sales.
It's also made me look at Just Makers with fresh eyes.
Moving has given us the opportunity to rethink parts of the business, develop more of a gallery focus and consider where we fit within Skipton's wider retail community. It's not simply about finding customers for what we already sell, but understanding what we can bring to the town that's different.
That's another thing that is an ongoing process and means we will continue to evolve and grow as our roots become embedded.
The welcome might surprise you
Leaving Ripley was difficult. We'd built relationships with customers and other businesses, and it was genuinely touching how many people were sad to see us go. But people were also incredibly understanding about why we needed to move.
Arriving somewhere new brings a different set of experiences.
One of the loveliest surprises has been how welcoming people in Skipton have been. Not just customers, but other independent businesses too.
Some have gone out of their way to offer advice, make introductions or simply say hello. Others have been keen to explore ways we might work together, collaborate on ideas and support each other's businesses. Those conversations have already opened up possibilities I hadn't anticipated when we first arrived.
Of course, not everyone is immediately enthusiastic about a newcomer. Some businesses are understandably a little more cautious, particularly when we're still finding our place in an established retail community.
But I've been reminded that independent businesses can be remarkably generous with their time, ideas and encouragement. And that working together can often achieve far more than working in isolation.
You'll question everything. Frequently.
There are days when nobody seems to be buying anything, and you start questioning absolutely everything.
Is the window display wrong? Have we got the right products? Are the prices too high? Should I move that table again? Is it the weather? Have I made an enormous mistake?
And then there are the days when it feels as though everyone who walks through the door wants to buy something.
Those days are wonderful.. and those are the days I can weep in sheer relief.
Of course, neither sort of day tells the whole story. But it's surprisingly difficult to remember that when you're in the middle of one.
I'm learning that it takes time to understand a new location. You can't judge a business on one brilliant Saturday or one dreadful Tuesday, however tempting it might be.
And I suspect the occasional sleepless night wondering whether it will all pay off and whether I will ever be able to confidently pay myself is simply part of running a small independent retail business.
Would I do it all again?
Perhaps don't ask me to pack another moving box just yet.
Relocating Just Makers has been more exhausting than I could have imagined. Between the physical work, the logistics, the administration and keeping a business running through it all, I've worked harder than at any other point in my life. And that hard work continues...
But it's also been hugely rewarding.
There is something rather special about walking into a space that, only a few months ago, existed largely as an idea in your head and seeing customers exploring it, discovering artists and finding things they want to take home.
We're still learning. There are things I want to change, ideas I want to try and plenty of decisions I'm sure I'll question along the way.
I don't yet know exactly what the next year will bring, or whether every decision I've made will turn out to be the right one.
But I do know that I love what we're creating in Skipton and that despite all the hard work, I haven't regretted making the move.
Although I wouldn't mind a few more of those days when everyone seems to be buying.
