Was
one of your new year’s resolutions to try new things, or maybe to start that business dream? If so, we have just the place for you. We went down to meet Kristie and
Coralie who own the wonderfully unique Drink, Shop & Do, which is located
around the corner from Kings Cross station in an old Victorian bathhouse. Imagine a place where you can buy old
sweets, vintage furniture and crockery, but also somewhere where you can feast
on afternoon tea and stay into the evening drinking cocktails and attending
craft workshops….it sounds to good to be true. Luckily for us, it is not and our dreams came true when we
stepped inside the wonderful world that Kristie and Coralie have made, it is one
of Betty’s favourite places to visit in London. We sat down with them both for a pot of tea to talk about
how they set up their dream business to see if we could pass any tips onto you.
How
long have you been open and what kind of response have you had to it?
Coralie: We have been
open just over a year and had an overwhelming response. We were worried when we opened the
doors, we were thinking ‘what if no-one comes?’ However luckily that has not been the case!
What
did you both do before you opened up?
C: I had already
left my job and started illustrating from home, which I thought was what I
wanted to do; however it wasn’t making me happy. I had a bit of a panic, so in one of those life crisis
moments I rang Kristie. We met up
and sat down and got talking about what would be our dream shop, I wanted a
design shop where people could sit down and get a little drunk, Kristie wanted
a teashop that sold homemade cakes and old-fashioned sweets. We thought we could combine them all
and Drink, Shop & Do was born.
How
did you go about researching the market and seeing if it would work?
C:
Luckily
the space we are in now was vacant whilst we were looking, I had known this
building through a previous job and knew the splendor that was behind the shop
front. We held a pop up shop over
Christmas and were surprised by such a strong positive reaction, so we knew it
would work, which in turn helped us with our business plan.
What
has been your high point so far?
C: It is so
rewarding that people walk through the door everyday and say how much they love
what we do and the space we are in.
I have never worked in a job where I get such a positive reaction.
Kristie:
When
there is a queue outside the door, last weekend before we opened, there was a
queue outside all the way down the railings. It reminded me of my favourite film Mary Poppins when all
the nannies are queuing outside the Bank’s household. Also when both Coralie and myself are working and it is
really busy, there is a great atmosphere, sometimes we take a moment to high
five each other and make ourselves a cocktail.
Would
you go back to a time before the shop opened?
C:
Not
at all! However the downside to it
is that it is quite exhausting and we don’t have much of a life outside the
business, especially as we are open late – we don’t get much sleep!
What
is like working with your best friend?
C:
It’s
good as we know each other so well (the girls have been friends since the age
of 11) we know each others strong points and weak points and we balance each
other very well. I don’t think
either us would have been brave enough to do this on our own, having someone
else there makes everything seem more achievable. We are very honest are talk to each other a lot which means
we work together well.
K:
When
you have known someone since the age of 11 you have lived through those teenage
years with each other. In my
opinion the worst years you can know someone, as it can be quite hellish. So if you can survive that you can
survive anything!
Have
you got any advice for our readers in achieving their business dreams?
C:
Just
start doing it, as soon as you want to make your dream become a reality put pen
to paper and start writing down your thoughts and ideas. A circle doesn’t have a beginning, you
begin working on all areas and then slowly they begin to piece themselves
together. Talk to lots of people,
keep asking questions until you find the information or answer you need, that
is invaluable.
K:
I
think setting up a business alone must be so hard, you have to be so confident
and sure of what you are doing.
Working with Coralie it seems less risky, also the pop-up shop was a
great for us. Testing your idea out,
on your target market not only makes you more sure of your idea it also allows
you to see if it is what you really want to do.
We
have heard about the drink and shop part, now we want to know about the do.
Can
you tell us about the nights that you hold here and how they began?
C:
They
started every Wednesday after we had graduated from art school and were all
working in admin jobs. We missed
the creativity and all got together to hold an ‘art club’ at my house. It became really popular and grew too
big for my living room. We wanted
to have somewhere that had nights that were really inspiring, to help people
switch off from the daily grind – making people happier!
The
next few weeks see quite the programme of events in Drink, Shop & Do. Our picks
are the vintage hair evenings on a Monday, musical bingo and beginners
crochet. All happening January
2012, so what are you waiting for?
We’ll see you there!
Drink,
Shop & Do can be found at:
9 Caledonian Road
London
N1 9DX
The nearest tube is King’s Cross. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 12–11pm, Saturday 10.30–12pm
Sunday 10.30–10pm. E: mail@drinkshopdo.com
T: 0203 343 9138
Betty
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All images are courtesy of Betty's in house photographer, Ellie Smith - and are not to be reproduced without permission.
This is interview is so inspiring!
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