(no subject)
So we have found another pet shop which we have absolutely fallen in love with. I was saying last time that none seem to be perfect, well this one is. It's in Herefordshire which is a 2 1/2 hour drive away but it comes with a 4 bed flat above it which is perfect for us. It costs the same and has the same rent at the other place in lancaster, which obviously with it coming with accomodation it is ideal for us. Plus it takes in over £4000 as week which is double lancaster. We have been very excited about it all week and finally went to see it today.
It took us 2 ½ hours to get there but because of lots of accidents on the way home it took us about 4 hours. It was a really nice oldy worldy place though and it was very busy. The actual selling area is a decent size and stocks quite a wide range of different products, but mainly dog stuff obviously. They had a small room at the back of the shop which was open onto the shop but just had lots of stuff thrown in - we would definitely open it up and would probably move the live animals into that room. He just had a few cages with a few hamsters and birds in, he had some rabbit cages but no rabbits.
You then go behind the counter through to a little corridor where there is a front door incase you don’t want to come in through the shop. You can then either go upstairs or through to the back. He had a big storage room at the back that seemed very messy, he uses it to store the big stuff that is too heavy to carry downstairs but there wasn’t much in there is was just all over the place, it was a huge room though. You could then go down some stairs to the basement which was HUGE - the size of the whole of the downstairs of our house. Again it was very messy - that seems to be his thing - but it was a good storage space which we would probably put some animal cages in, not for people to see but for breeding animals etc
Then there was the back door which led onto quite a big piece of land (bigger than I was expecting anyway). There was a little patio type area which we could easily put the rabbit shed in, and then a rubbly bit of land where him and his staff parked their cars. There was a fence that was falling down but he said that if you re-did the fence it would be a nice enclosed area for you to use.
Anyway, so the shop was quite good. It was a bit messy but just things that could be tided up, we would use the back room because it was a waste of space and bring in reptiles and stuff.
The flat was huge, really really big but it does need a lot of work. He said no one has lived in it for a while, he uses it as another dumping place for all his stuff (very messy man!) It has quite a small kitchen and a small bathroom on the first floor - again they need tidying up and everywhere needs painting but it was ok. There was a huge living room and another huge dining room which he used as an office, there was also a big first bedroom on the first floor. Then on the top floor there was a HUGE bedroom going right from front to back, another big bedroom and then a tiny one. The last bedroom wasn’t really a room, it only had a little wooden wall.
The flat was good in its size but a bit disappointing in the amount of work it would need doing - plus we would need furniture. We would definitely be living there for a long time though if we moved in so it is worth it, plus the person/company who owns the building just lets whoever rents it get on with it, it can be decorated etc however, not like a private landlord.
I hope all that made sense, it is a great business and there is a lot to be improved on. There are too many storage areas filled with not a lot of stuff that he could use for other things (animals!).
We have requested the accounts too and they look ok, the person who sent them to me though did hint that the shop probably makes more then it says but that the figures shown are to ‘indicate the level of taxation to be paid’. Which is a bit annoying for us as the profit margins are probably bigger than it says which is what we need the bank to see. He charges his car finance to the pet shop which is nearly £1000 a year, and gives himself nearly £5,000 in car expenses, plus it says he spends £2600 on staff which he doesn’t because him and his wife run it.
We are going to book an appointment with the bank next, on Monday, and see what they say. We are also going to do some research into opening an online pet shop, because of all the storage space he has it would be perfect.
We are so so so excited about it and we really really want it. I am very scared about taking on such a big thing but am also very excited. If it doesnt happen though then I always kind of say that things happen for a reason and a few years later you always end up looking back thinking 'I'm glad that happened' so we will have to see. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us either way but I will let you know how it goes.
It took us 2 ½ hours to get there but because of lots of accidents on the way home it took us about 4 hours. It was a really nice oldy worldy place though and it was very busy. The actual selling area is a decent size and stocks quite a wide range of different products, but mainly dog stuff obviously. They had a small room at the back of the shop which was open onto the shop but just had lots of stuff thrown in - we would definitely open it up and would probably move the live animals into that room. He just had a few cages with a few hamsters and birds in, he had some rabbit cages but no rabbits.
You then go behind the counter through to a little corridor where there is a front door incase you don’t want to come in through the shop. You can then either go upstairs or through to the back. He had a big storage room at the back that seemed very messy, he uses it to store the big stuff that is too heavy to carry downstairs but there wasn’t much in there is was just all over the place, it was a huge room though. You could then go down some stairs to the basement which was HUGE - the size of the whole of the downstairs of our house. Again it was very messy - that seems to be his thing - but it was a good storage space which we would probably put some animal cages in, not for people to see but for breeding animals etc
Then there was the back door which led onto quite a big piece of land (bigger than I was expecting anyway). There was a little patio type area which we could easily put the rabbit shed in, and then a rubbly bit of land where him and his staff parked their cars. There was a fence that was falling down but he said that if you re-did the fence it would be a nice enclosed area for you to use.
Anyway, so the shop was quite good. It was a bit messy but just things that could be tided up, we would use the back room because it was a waste of space and bring in reptiles and stuff.
The flat was huge, really really big but it does need a lot of work. He said no one has lived in it for a while, he uses it as another dumping place for all his stuff (very messy man!) It has quite a small kitchen and a small bathroom on the first floor - again they need tidying up and everywhere needs painting but it was ok. There was a huge living room and another huge dining room which he used as an office, there was also a big first bedroom on the first floor. Then on the top floor there was a HUGE bedroom going right from front to back, another big bedroom and then a tiny one. The last bedroom wasn’t really a room, it only had a little wooden wall.
The flat was good in its size but a bit disappointing in the amount of work it would need doing - plus we would need furniture. We would definitely be living there for a long time though if we moved in so it is worth it, plus the person/company who owns the building just lets whoever rents it get on with it, it can be decorated etc however, not like a private landlord.
I hope all that made sense, it is a great business and there is a lot to be improved on. There are too many storage areas filled with not a lot of stuff that he could use for other things (animals!).
We have requested the accounts too and they look ok, the person who sent them to me though did hint that the shop probably makes more then it says but that the figures shown are to ‘indicate the level of taxation to be paid’. Which is a bit annoying for us as the profit margins are probably bigger than it says which is what we need the bank to see. He charges his car finance to the pet shop which is nearly £1000 a year, and gives himself nearly £5,000 in car expenses, plus it says he spends £2600 on staff which he doesn’t because him and his wife run it.
We are going to book an appointment with the bank next, on Monday, and see what they say. We are also going to do some research into opening an online pet shop, because of all the storage space he has it would be perfect.
We are so so so excited about it and we really really want it. I am very scared about taking on such a big thing but am also very excited. If it doesnt happen though then I always kind of say that things happen for a reason and a few years later you always end up looking back thinking 'I'm glad that happened' so we will have to see. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us either way but I will let you know how it goes.