Greengrocers shop refit - Work in progress thread...

[Tombo46]

After recently asking if there would be any interest in this sort of thread I've decided to go ahead to document and get feedback on a very much needed refit on my greengrocers shop. The shop has been around over 30 years now and undergone a few "transformations" but is in dire need of a tidy up again.

To put a more personal touch on it and to try to separate myself from the soulless sheds I decided to do the majority of the improvements myself. In an ideal world I wanted to build everything and then shut up shop for a week or so while we completed the work inside the shop (laying floors, doing walls etc) however it's now looking like it will be a progressive refit over the course of about a year(ish).

I had been trying to raise funds to do this for a good 3 years now but as I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with, whenever I managed to get any money away something would crop up. Like every business owner I've had a lot of knocks such as staff stealing, cars being written off and half the front of my shop being smashed up by a van. After what seemed like an uphill battle and getting more and more depressed at how my shop looked I made a difficult choice. For a long time now my hobby has been keeping/breeding lizards. Like with any hobby it costs money but I have also managed to amass a decent "collection" of animals, some that are one of a kind. After much thought I have decided to "sell up" and put the money from my hobby into my business. This will free up some money and also, more importantly, free up my evenings and weekends a bit to allow me to work on the shop.

I was discussing my plans with my egg supplier who is about 15 minutes away from me and upon mentioning that I was looking for a place to work from where I could build units for the shop he kindly offered me some space in one of his work sheds. He also offered me some space to store my wood to dry out. It runs at room temperature and is well ventilated. It could not be more perfect! I went down and helped him clear a few years worth of crap that had built up and now I have a nice clean area to work in. At present I am currently "tooling up" for the job and making sure this place I'm going to be spending a lot of time in is fit for purpose.

Now that I have bored you all with that. I'll pop some pictures up of my shop as it looks now followed by my "plan" which appears to be changing every day...

 

[Tombo46]

First up is the all important till unit. Look at that thing, it's disgusting and the first thing that's going to be replaced....

This is the table where we wrap flowers etc. Will also be replaced and matched with the till unit. I'll also be building it shallower so it doesn't interfer with the fridge as much...

Knackered plaster near the till....

Open fridge unit. I'll hopefully be cladding this so it's more in keeping with the shop. Don't see a need in replacing it as it's served me well. You can see how the flower table obstructs it though...

Here is part of the main shelving units. I am planning on cladding these also. I will be building stand alone units that fix to the front to replace the rail that will also have doors to provide storage. The mirrors and lighting are all in good working order and its a solid structure. Unfortunately it just looks like crap! The basket "rail" will be tiled once it's all in place.

Overall view of the shop...

Yucky half price shelf...This bloody thing will be the first thing to get binned off! I hate having it...

Knackered shelving...

 

[Tombo46]

Orange juice machine. Once incredibly profitable, now a waste of space but can't bring myself to get rid...

More knackered shelving...

Horrible ceiling!


Spot "lights" that are broken...

Lovely floor, I think it has character...or not...

 

[Tombo46]

Back "work" area. Mostly used as a dumping ground and also to make bouquets etc...


This is the front. We usually have a much bigger flash but it's that time of year!

 

[Tombo46]

Here's a couple of bits I've done already. Although these will still be improved upon...
Confectionary. Made out of old french apple crates from the 1940's. Did this 3 years ago before it became cool, you saw it here first folks! It actually looks really dirty and nasty on the photo's but it isn't when you see it in the flesh...

And here's a stand I built for my bread/eggs just recently. Still waiting for my chalkboard artist to do the top bit and the back...



Apologies for the rubbish quality of the pictures. They were taken on my phone! Next up I'll post what rough plans I have for the refit...

 

[Tombo46]

As for the plan...

After seeing a couple of shops done similar I decided to build most of it out of wood. More specifially, reclaimed wood. While I was searching eBay and the like for places I could purchase some nice reclaimed wood I fell upon a chap selling furniture made out of it. I absolutely loved the look of it and thought I would try my luck in contacting him to see if I could pick his brains. Fortunately he works from a place about 45 minutes away from me and was more than happy to show me around his workshop and let me take a look at how he produces his furniture and how he finishes it. Much to my amazement he builds everything out of old scaffold boards! These are relatively cheap and are what I'll be using for a good portion of the refit. I currently have 50 8ft ones that are 9" deep and 2.5" thick. These look incredible once they are sanded down and waxed. I want to build a basket rail and doors that will sit and bolt on to the front of the current shelving units. This will alow for storage underneath and stop any unsightly boxes being displayed. I did this with my bread stand and it really helps keep things looking neater. I am undecided what to do when it comes to the trays for the produce as I've never been a fan of the green ones. I have had a quote for simple black ones made out of polypropylene from a plastics fabricator I knows but they will stand me to about £3000. Depending how they look I may just have to bite the bullet on that one. The tops of the units I am also unsure of what to do. I was considering having it as reclaimed wood (possible pallet wood) up to the ceiling and get a local artist to paint it. Alternatively I could make it one big chalkboard and get my chalkboard artist to work his magic on it.

The ticket rails are going to be similar to what I did on my bread stand but a bit chunkier. I will probably use the router to create a channel and have black foamboard tickets that I can store away. It will save me a lot of time in the long run when setting up the shop in the morning.

For the floor I wanted to go for natural slate. I am still in 2 minds about this however depending on whether I can get someting smooth enough as I don't want a trip hazard. I've seen a few shops with it in and they look amazing. The only problem is the door. I will probably have to cut into the concrete and put some sort of a mat down to allow for the door, this will sit flush with the tiles though. While I am confident with tiling, the rest I am not and this will be one of the few jobs I will be paying a professional to do.

The ceiling is a pretty simple one yet time consuming. I plan to paint the grid (probably black) and replace the ceiling tiles with 12mm ply that has been treated to make the grain "pop". I have tested this and it weighs a touch under the current tiles so no issues with weight. The aim is to actually darken the shop down to give a nice cozy welcoming atmosphere but have good lighting where it matters, such as the produce. I aim to fit the ceiling within the current nasty strip lights so I can take my time to get the lighting right before replacing them with ply. I'm planning on using warm white 4w LED recessed down lights.

The walls are going to be very cheap yet MASSIVELY time consuming! I plan to clad them with pallet wood and treat it to give a dark rustic feel. I have an unlimited supply of pallets and people are always wanting rid of the old rubbish ones that have all the character.

I plan to build a couple of simple tables for the back of the shop. Also a wall to separate it from the rest of the shop and keep it solely as a work area and also create a wall I can put stock on. It will be done in a similar style but with painted walls etc as I'm not doing it all in pallet wood!

The front of the shop isn't wanting for too much. I will build some more rolling units to display the produce on and I'm thinking of a new sign but not much else for now. The current units were built poorly (by myself admittedly) and originally did take nice chalkboard on the fronts which I changed around. This was when I was less adept at woodwork though!

As I am going into online ordering I also plan to have some roller blinds that are printed on the backs (facing the road) that will advertise our online evening delivery service for those that want to shop with us but we are closed when they are on their way back from work etc.

At present I am still setting up my "workshop" and getting the right tools for the job. I'm hoping to start work on the till unit shortly but will probably end up finishing them after Christmas. As soon as Christmas tree's land I'll be trading 7 days a week which won't leave much play time unfortunately!

 

[Stuart Bailey]

Mary Portas reviewed a green grocers on her programme a couple of years ago which is well worth watching.

all the very best.

 

[Tombo46]

Mary Portas reviewed a green grocers on her programme a couple of years ago which is well worth watching.

all the very best.

Ello Thomas. I have seen it a couple of times but I don't think I could stomach a third. I'm not sure if it's the same for people who have witnessed her revamp someone else's shop who is also in their trade but when it came to the greengrocers she didn't have a clue. Not sure what the business is doing now but when they went back to take a look at it some of the stuff was still on the shelves from when they did the revamp! That being said I did like a couple of things. Probably doesn't help that I can't stand the woman haha.

 

[kihughes]

Good luck with it. To me it looks like you already have a nice shop although there is too much green. I'd also introduce plenty of brown too.

 

[Mayor]

I'm liking the artisan bread baskets, and the use of pallet wood is a great idea. one thing I've often wondered about, and had long discussions with a greengrocer friend of mine, is the use of slates with white marker for price signs - and produce being advertised by weight. As a consumer, I've always been slightly nervous of filling a bag and taking it to the till to find out how much I owe (just in case it is more than I was anticipating) so , I've always put less into the bag just in case. If there were prepacked bags with prices on, even if it were to cost a little more per Kg, I would probably spend more - is this something you have come across ?

 

[Tombo46]

Good luck with it. To me it looks like you already have a nice shop although there is too much green. I'd also introduce plenty of brown too.

Cheers : ) don't worry about the lack of brown. You won't be able to move for brown by the time I'm done!

I'm liking the artisan bread baskets, and the use of pallet wood is a great idea. one thing I've often wondered about, and had long discussions with a greengrocer friend of mine, is the use of slates with white marker for price signs - and produce being advertised by weight. As a consumer, I've always been slightly nervous of filling a bag and taking it to the till to find out how much I owe (just in case it is more than I was anticipating) so , I've always put less into the bag just in case. If there were prepacked bags with prices on, even if it were to cost a little more per Kg, I would probably spend more - is this something you have come across ?

You do have a point regarding pricing. Peoples understanding of prices and value have changed since the supermarkets took hold. People no longer go by weight as much so have forgotten what a pound feels like. Also they no longer understand what a good price is for individual items. Take Raspberries as an example. At 2 for £1 I can shift about 50 boxes of 8 in a day. I did an experiment where I put them on at 49p per punnet instead and I sold....2 1/2 boxes!

When I refit I do intent to change my pricing structures similarly to what you have said. Everything will still be loose however anything that can be priced individually will be. At present I have things like apples, bananas, pears, cabbage, peppers, satsumas, squash, and loads of other stuff I've forgotten priced by weight. All these tend to be a uniform size and would probably be better off being priced per item instead. Things that are small like sprouts, tomatoes etc or things that vary a lot in size like broccoli will stay priced by weight though to try and keep it fair for the customers. Some things like Strawberries I like to price by weight if possible as a lot of my customers are elderly and don't want a full punnet. It's one way I try to separate myself from the supermarkets.

as for slate. I have some kicking about I think. I'll have a go and see how the liquid chalk takes to it. At the moment I started using foamboard (foamex appears to be best) and the pens draw great and it has a nice matte finish. Slate would look awesome though if you could get some thin enough without it being too brittle.

 

[Newchodge]

I always prefer to buy the loose stuff, whenever possible , as I can see exactly which pieces I am choosing. I agree about people having little idea of how much something weighs - have you thought about having a self-weigh point so people can check how much they have put in the bag. This helps not just to check the rough price, but also if a recipe calls for 500g of something.

 

[Tombo46]

I always prefer to buy the loose stuff, whenever possible , as I can see exactly which pieces I am choosing. I agree about people having little idea of how much something weighs - have you thought about having a self-weigh point so people can check how much they have put in the bag. This helps not just to check the rough price, but also if a recipe calls for 500g of something.

We do have a scale but it is a bit tucked away if I'm honest. It hadn't even crossed my mind to include something like that in the refit so thanks. I'll think about doing it somewhere more prominent though, maybe try and find some cool old scales or old style scales that have kg on them too!

Thanks again for the suggestion. It's easily to get stuck in your ways a bit when you've been doing it so long

 

[MASSEY]

What a tip!.

It looks like quite a big shop, do you have the budget for the floor tiling? It could work out expensive. And generally for commercial environments tilers just slap them down with little care for perfection.

I would get some thick rubbery flooring laid personally. You can get it in all sorts of colours these days. And it would work out cheaper.

Edit: You are probably talking about vinyl tiles aren't you? That would be ok. I like them.

 

[Tombo46]

What a tip!.

It looks like quite a big shop, do you have the budget for the floor tiling? It could work out expensive. And generally for commercial environments tilers just slap them down with little care for perfection.

I would get some thick rubbery flooring laid personally. You can get it in all sorts of colours these days. And it would work out cheaper.

Edit: You are probably talking about vinyl tiles aren't you? That would be ok. I like them.

The budget for the floor is whatever it costs to do it right really. I like the look of tiles and I think it suits the style of shop well. As for tilers I have a couple who come recommended and I've seen the work they have done. They are happy for me to buy my own tiles and just pay them for the labour/grout/adhesive etc.

 

[noo81]

Hi Tombo, Thanks for sharing this thread, it is really interesting and I look forward to your updates. The stands you have made, all ready, look really great and your ideas for the rest of the shop sound great too. Be amazing to see the final results. Good luck.

 

[MASSEY]

The budget for the floor is whatever it costs to do it right really. I like the look of tiles and I think it suits the style of shop well. As for tilers I have a couple who come recommended and I've seen the work they have done. They are happy for me to buy my own tiles and just pay them for the labour/grout/adhesive etc.

Well if you have the budget and really want to do it then it is up to you. But i would think it is an over kill... If i owned your store all i would be thinking is 'how many tomatoes do i have to sell before i make a profit from the floor'

But its your daily working environment so i can understand you wanting something a bit special.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Rather than Tiles I would go with one piece covering the whole floor with a design built in and the edges going about 1 foot up the wall to make sweeping easier

Many places now use Vinyl as a total floor covering with inbuilt different colour pattern everything from company names to pictures of flowers etc

Floors and Ceilings make a massive impression, then clean windows

 

[Tombo46]

Well if you have the budget and really want to do it then it is up to you. But i would think it is an over kill... If i owned your store all i would be thinking is 'how many tomatoes do i have to sell before i make a profit from the floor'

But its your daily working environment so i can understand you wanting something a bit special.

Aye I get what you mean. While I do sometimes think like that I'm always after something a "bit better" which always ends up with me getting carried away! I'm always thinking "for an extra (insert monetary value here) I could do it like this!" then before I know it I've doubled my original estimate. You'll see what I mean when I've finished the till units haha. It's a character flaw I admit.

As you said it's where I spend most of my waking life. I also live above my shop so pass through here a lot. I take a lot of pride in it so if I can afford to go that extra mile I always will. That being said I priced the floor (without the bit for the door) up at about £1500 which I thought was pretty resonable.

Rather than Tiles I would go with one piece covering the whole floor with a design built in and the edges going about 1 foot up the wall to make sweeping easier

Many places now use Vinyl as a total floor covering with inbuilt different colour pattern everything from company names to pictures of flowers etc

Floors and Ceilings make a massive impression, then clean windows

Cleaning tiles will be a bit more effort I think and as slate is porous it will need sealing every year which isn't a problem really. There's just something about a good natural stone floor that I think matches a "rustic" looking shop.

I mean how can you say no to this...




Oooooof....

 

[Mayor]

It looks lovely, but your glass jars won't stand a chance if they land on that stuff !!

 

[Tombo46]

It looks lovely, but your glass jars won't stand a chance if they land on that stuff !!

Haha that isn't a concern. Very very rarely drop anything. Think its been well over a couple of years actually!

 

[williham]

Very interesting, you've got a nice shop and looks like you've got some good ideas. I would say that closing for a week and re-opening might be better for customers, gradual change is sometimes ignored and you might not benefit in the same way as a quick refit?
Of course if that's not an option then it will be just as good in the long run...

 

[Mayor]

Very interesting, you've got a nice shop and looks like you've got some good ideas. I would say that closing for a week and re-opening might be better for customers, gradual change is sometimes ignored and you might not benefit in the same way as a quick refit?
Of course if that's not an option then it will be just as good in the long run...

Every time a local shop closes for a couple of days, be it a refit or a powercut, we always get streams of old ducks lamenting "another shop closing down, isn't it a shame..etc". When I tell them that it's closed for a couple of days for a new floor or whatever, and they have GREAT BIG Signs in the window saying so, they just wander off mumbling about the dying towns etc.

We did a rolling refit a couple of years ago, we had everything built up and ready off site, then a whole team of us steamed in there on Saturday night and worked straight through in shifts until about 4.00am Monday morning. Cost me loads in favours/beer/coffee and lost sleep, but we didn't miss a sale...

(Had to tiptoe round the place a bit so we didn't wake the neighbours though).

 

[noo81]

If that's the flooring your going for, it will look great and really add to the rustic feel your going for.

 

[Tombo46]

Very interesting, you've got a nice shop and looks like you've got some good ideas. I would say that closing for a week and re-opening might be better for customers, gradual change is sometimes ignored and you might not benefit in the same way as a quick refit?
Of course if that's not an option then it will be just as good in the long run...

This is something I'd pondered about for a while. Certain parts of the shop are looking dire so I was thinking of doing it as I go to try and stop the shop descending into a further dilapidated state. I would love to be able to close and just open with a new shop but I'm still not sure what is best.

Every time a local shop closes for a couple of days, be it a refit or a powercut, we always get streams of old ducks lamenting "another shop closing down, isn't it a shame..etc". When I tell them that it's closed for a couple of days for a new floor or whatever, and they have GREAT BIG Signs in the window saying so, they just wander off mumbling about the dying towns etc.

We did a rolling refit a couple of years ago, we had everything built up and ready off site, then a whole team of us steamed in there on Saturday night and worked straight through in shifts until about 4.00am Monday morning. Cost me loads in favours/beer/coffee and lost sleep, but we didn't miss a sale...

(Had to tiptoe round the place a bit so we didn't wake the neighbours though).

Thanks for the insight. It is a tricky one. If I can get everything done and ready I could probably close half day saturday and work through till tuesday on a bank holiday. Try and make a big song and dance about there being a refit etc. People in my village love a bit of gossip so it may be beneficial even if we are closed a couple of extra days. Get people wondering why. Then again as you said they may just assume I'm going bust!

When I first took over the business I had a van drive into the awning on the front of my shop costing me thousands. I was a couple of months getting it fixed and had no front display on any of the rainy days (which were plentyful). Unfortunately, despite me putting notices up explaining what was happening and why the shop front was empty nobody read it. Instead they just assumed we were failing and couldn't afford the stock to put out front.

Nobody want's to shop with a failing business, even if it isn't actually failing!

If that's the flooring your going for, it will look great and really add to the rustic feel your going for.

Cheers, hope you're right haha.

 

[Tombo46]

Workshop is getting there. About a day's work here. It's a mess at the moment but going down to make it more habitable tonight. Ignore the "Calendar" in the background. It's from 2001 and I'd feel like I was destroying a historical relic if I took it down...honest...

I wasn't happy with a table saw I recently purchased so I took it back and bought the better model up from it. Once it's wired in I can actually start doing something productive in there. That being said I'll be trading 7 days a week in December so might not get round to it haha.

 

[Tombo46]

Oooooooh forgot to pictures up of this...

CHECK OUT THESE BAD BOYS! Big chunky waney edged yew that is (hopefully) going to be the edge of my till units...

 

[simon field]

That looks fabulous, well played Sir!

(bet the Yew was cheap )

 

[GeoMal]

That Yew looks fantastic. I've been looking a lot at interiors of independent retailers in the last year or so, and have collected a couple along the way extensively using wood. Have a look, even if not planning on using a similar treatment I find it inspiring.

The first is very expensive! CNC cut and routed interlocking wood panels at Baker D Chirico in Australia.

The second is far less expensive, a restaurant has taken new wood planks, painted them then distressed the paint with heat and sanding. They've used it on the walls and ceiling, I visited this one in South Wales and it look amazing, Arboreal Cafe Kitchen. It was harder to find good photos of this one, wait for the second and third photo on the carousel.

Good luck with the fit out, and keep us informed.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Tombo!! I'm really loving the new look as it comes along, just thought I might save you some time too... By all means tell me to pee off if you wish, but I bought one of these for my house... and after seeing the table that you work from with the wrapping paper roll underneath I thought this might actually fit in well with the way that you're going.

http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/rio-console-table-258061


Imagine a roller underneath that lil baby... Kind of fits in with your rustic look shelving that you've built with the crates and bread counter don't you think?

 

[Tombo46]

That looks fabulous, well played Sir!

(bet the Yew was cheap )

Dirt cheap :O Found it at a cracking place - www.lanarkshirehardwoods.co.uk

it's like porn to me...

That Yew looks fantastic. I've been looking a lot at interiors of independent retailers in the last year or so, and have collected a couple along the way extensively using wood. Have a look, even if not planning on using a similar treatment I find it inspiring.

The first is very expensive! CNC cut and routed interlocking wood panels at Baker D Chirico in Australia.

The second is far less expensive, a restaurant has taken new wood planks, painted them then distressed the paint with heat and sanding. They've used it on the walls and ceiling, I visited this one in South Wales and it look amazing, Arboreal Cafe Kitchen. It was harder to find good photos of this one, wait for the second and third photo on the carousel.

Good luck with the fit out, and keep us informed.

That place in Australia looks amazing! Off to buy a CNC router...

The Cafe has a great look too. They have something very similar at my local Nando's. It looks clean yet worn. Every time I go (which is a lot) I see something new.

Tombo!! I'm really loving the new look as it comes along, just thought I might save you some time too... By all means tell me to pee off if you wish, but I bought one of these for my house... and after seeing the table that you work from with the wrapping paper roll underneath I thought this might actually fit in well with the way that you're going.

http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/rio-console-table-258061


Imagine a roller underneath that lil baby... Kind of fits in with your rustic look shelving that you've built with the crates and bread counter don't you think?

It does look good aye! Unfortunately I'm redesigning that bit a little and the yew will also be used with it to fit in with the till unit. I'm putting a small standing shelf at the back of the table and also making it a good 1ft shorter to allow more access to the fridge for customers. The top shelf will have the switch machine, cellotape etc on it and underneath it will be the flower roll so it's more at working height. Hopefully going to use a big solid piece of double waney edged yew for the top too. There was an amazing piece at British Hardwoods but it got snapped up before I had the chance!

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Psst... it's high enough to be a counter!

Would look really smart