Winter is nigh...

Summer seems well and truly over, with just a hint of sunshine now and then, and that the sort of sunshine you can see rather than feel... Summer was a good one this year, and it was great to see a lot of new faces in the shop, as well as familiar ones. If we could be as busy as it has been over summer all year round, then it would be very good thing indeed, however that is not the case and the task of finding stuff to sell over winter begins.

The first task is getting people in the shop in the first place, you can't sell stuff to non existent customers (well you can but it's weird). We will be supplying heat logs for open fires and wood burners again this year courtesy of Calor, as well as this we may be having kindling too but this is not enough to keep us going! So what is to be done? Well advertising some Christmas presents will be a start, but one major consideration is opening a fully operational workshop for caravan and Motor homes. This won't happen in the next few weeks, but it should give a boost for next winter.

The sledges, snow shovels and other wintery products have arrived in stock, just need the snow to come along. Another thing that has come along is the Kendal Camping Kangoo, our new van will be jazzed up with logos and information any time now and can be seen round about the local area and on caravan sites when we get call outs! The van will be another shop front for our customers on sites to see, and will carry a few essentials should you need them when we are doing work on a van. Pictures will appear very soon....
There is more potentially exciting news for us, but that will be kept under wraps until we get confirmation!

Family Camping

As the school holidays come to an end, the family campers go back in to hibernation to make way for the retired couples in motor homes, and the guys without young children. These people will keep us busy until around October when only the hardy campers stick it out! But this September launches me personally into the family camping world as our first child arrives...any time from now really.

So for years I have sold family camping equipment, but rarely used it, sticking more to the lightweight side of things, but you be assured that I will be giving most our kit a good old testing in the years to come! Family camping instantly gives the image of a large camp site, perhaps a tad rowdy, in a huge tent and every starage device available! But some friends of mine actually do wild family camping in the lakes, and that appeals to me... They will take three young children hiking and camp up in the mountains for a few nights, and they love it! Yes they will carry some extra kit, but how much stuff will a child really need? An extra spork and a tiny sleeping bag is surely most of it?

I think hiking and camping with young children can only be great fun, I know I loved it when I was a nipper, though I think I'll hold back on popping a child seat on the mountain bike, that can never end well.

Repel the mozzies not the ladies

Just a short post about a little impromptu experiment I conducted a little while ago in the depths of the Honduras rainforests. A few years ago I found my self in the jungle, it was a planned trip rather than a predator style situation, and I was prepared with my mozzy repellent and Avon skin so soft. I wasn't too keen on using a product with 'soft' and 'skin' on the bottle but this would be a one off use so I bit the bullet. It seemed to work for a couple of days, but then me being daft I forgot to put any on, both the proper repellent and the questionable cream that is. However what I didn't forget was the Lynx Africa roll on, we need to smell fresh in the jungle. Not a single bite at the end of the day, so I decided to give it ago the next day on purpose, same again. With the other stuff applied I got a couple of bites, but the Lynx not only made me irresistible to ladies, but kept me bite, and therefore itch, free! I repeated this test for nearly two weeks with what can only be described as positive results. So a top tip there, can't find your midgey stuff or soft stuff, pop and grab some lynx.

Fire balls

Summer seems to have arrived in the Lake District, this is obvious from the slower pace on our roads due to the scenic nature of our A and B roads that tourists want to take in (though I am grateful for these tourists too, as a lot will hopefully spend money), and the appearance of the glorious sun! The sun, the thing that we all want to arrive, but then immediately complain about when it does. I think we forget what the sun actually is, because if we knew that it was a big, 27 million degrees, fiery ball of madness, then we wouldn't complain that it's 25 degrees out and would love a bit of rest bite. But on the brighter side, people do like going camping, caravanning and motor homing a bit more than if it was tipping down, all good news for me! The problem is, I have a shop full of top notch equipment, and no time to use it my self! Or very little time...
I am planning on using the nice new smart tent   some time this summer, and when I do I will let you know how I get on! Along with trying to camp some where, this summer is action packed with house moving, baby having, van restoring, holiday going and shop running. Fun for the whole family.

This summer really should be better than last, and weather wise it is already, and that should develop in to more sales and less time for me to write this sort of thing! So what ever you are doing this summer, get out side, don't complain about it being too hot and make sure you keep buying local! An advantage to buying local in summer is that you are outside more, so will get more vitamin D from the sun, so will therefore get stronger bones and other good body stuff. So there we have it, buying local leads to a healthy body AND economy. Cracking.

Summer...maybe

Nearly a month since my last post here, must have been busy! May seems to have been a good month for us, even with slightly questionable weather...like snow. But, it seems people have decided to risk it and get out the house to embrace what the Lake District has to throw at them, which, at the time of writing, is a lot of water. The bank holiday weekend was a good one, good for me because I took lots of money, but good for you guys due to the cloudless sky's and (relatively) high temperatures.

Now the rain is back, though I think only for a couple of days, but we still seem to have a steady stream of customers. Could be tricky when a nice big pallet arrives this week that I have to unload, sort and price, all the time making sure the customers get top service! With more deliveries due, I am hoping that this isn't all the summer we are getting, because if it is, then we will have a some what large end of season sale. Another reason I am hoping the sun will make another prolonged appearance, aside from the obvious joy it brings, is that we have finally got someone to take on the job of camper van welding and painting. Something which has been in the pipeline for nearly two years! And with a baby on the way, it will be handy income! Keep watching for the updates of this progress here.

One of my favourite new products, though not as exciting as the sit mat, is the 12 volt coffee maker, ideal for getting a fresh brew on move! Though I wouldn't want to attempt it on the M6 with out some assistance. Everyone likes a nice brew, so this machine (only £24.99) means that where ever you are, you can have a taste of the good stuff and get perked up for your day ahead. Smashing.

One of my favourite bits of kit...

So having access to a lot of top quality equipment means I am never short of the right stuff for most situations. I can also see which ones actually benefit me the most, and yes there is always place for my Jet Boil, sometimes I'll take the humble Uno stove for a brew up in car park, or for a week away it's the double burner and grill. Three sleeping bags at home plus a whole raft of bags to choose from depending on the temperature and how lightweight I want to go. Tents? Yep, got that covered, 1 man, 2 man, 4 man, and 6 man, choosing based on how friendly feel at the time. Comfy chairs, bright lights, nice knives, got em all but none of these is my favourite, and not one of these things gets taken on every trip. My favourite item comes with me on every trip, one is in the car and left there so it's always with me, it has a whole range of uses but it's main purpose is in the name. The sit-mat. Yes a piece of foam costing no more than £2 is one of my top pieces of outdoor equipment, I love it! Going for a hike? Get the sit mat on the outside of the bag, always somewhere comfy and dry to sit. Camping? Always have it handy for kneeling on when lighting the BBQ or fire on the ground. Ground too rough to safely use your lightweight stove? Pop it on a sit mat! Need to check out a weird noise under your car on the way to a wedding? Kneel on a sit mat, save your best suit for only £2! It will always be useful, and it shows that the simplest things are usually the best. The design can't be improved, technology can't make it perform better, faster or stronger, it's just a piece of high density foam that is there to improve your life. So get one. Get three if you want, just have it ready for your next time outside!

One year down...

So last month was our first year end, and all I have to say so far is that we are still here, and that can only be good. With the way we are running the business, if there is money in the bank and stock in the shop, then we must have made some sort of profit! How much I don't know yet, and it certainly won't be an amount put us on par with Sir Richard Branson or Lord Sugar! But my theory is if we can get through a bad year (as last year was as far as our industry is concerned) then we can make it through a good year (which I am hoping this will be!).

The weather certainly seems promising, as the holidays were quite dry compared to the last couple of months, if not as warm as 2012. If the weather can hold up a favourable dry to wet ratio, then all should be well! People in shop seem quite positive, though some are quite unnerved by the strong winds we are getting, I have heard of someone on the coast actually strapping the motor home to the ground this weekend! We have sold a number of storm straps and repair kits...

It was great to get a week away last week with a wedding in Aberystwyth followed by a cracking few days at New Word Alive at Prestatyn. A lot of people may say I'm mad for leaving the shop for a week in holiday season, and I had my reservations, but with willing friends to volunteer I was able to have a worry free week away! This is vitally important for any business owner who want's to make sure that the business does not become their life, you may end up with a great business and a great bank account, but you need to decide on what you are willing to sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, it is a commitment, and you will work more than a normal job, at least in the early stages, and no one has ever made a business work without a bit of graft!

My hope for this year is that people will support local businesses even more! I am very grateful to my regular customers, and I am well aware that some items are cheaper on line (not always though), but they still come here to show support. So I encourage anyone to try to find a local supplier of goods you may other wise get on line, it may cost you a couple of quid more, but you will generally get a better service, and help the economy! If we all shopped on line with big multi nationals, the shops will keep closing, jobs will be lost and our towns will be full of hair dressers and charity shops. Obviously there will always be things that we have to buy on line, and sometimes we can't resist a good bargain! But give your local shop a bell and see what they offer, you may be surprised at how cheap we can offer particular items!