wishful thinking (about work)

[Trappedatwork]

A large proportion of my career was busy frontline work with the NHS, and then later on a frantic admin role. I am supposed to be on a team of six currently, which has been a team of three for quite a while and as of this morning, two people have just handed in their notice.

I am exhausted. In my bones, I am so tired.

I just want to work in a tiny cute bookshop on the top of the hill that gets no foot traffic. The owner is a rich benefactor and therefore doesn't complain about sales at all and pays his staff very well, and to ensure that the local college kids have meaningful work experience, they get to run the shop at weekends. They do it very well because it's a bit of an honour to get chosen, so when you come in on Monday, everything is as it should be.

During the week, the shop closes slightly early on a Wednesday and Friday (And during high summer doesn't open on Wednesday - but you still get paid). It has a tiny coffee /tea area with a comfy sofa at the back. The tea and coffee area is stocked by the local patisserie, and the delicious sugar-free and low-calorie cakes are provided by the local ladies, who arrive red-cheeked and smiley from a shop across the road every morning. It fills the space with the smell of rich coffee and sweet bakewell tarts.

The rich benefactor likes to do the ordering books and enjoys un boxing and arranging them, so you don't even have to do that . Your job is just to man the front desk, read the books you fancy and smile at people when they come in (which is very rare).

Sigh.

I’m would like to come and unbox the books please. I love getting new books out and arranging them on shelves.

I am a hobby dressmaker. Someone suggested that I make it my income. Sounds wonderful until you realise that it involves dealing with people. And sadly they’re rarely satisfied.

The cakes are intensely delicious, yet happen to be entirely calorie free. It's almost like they were made by magic

You are not wrong - people can be horrible.

But in the world of:

Highland sparkly knitted cardigans
Wonderful Modern and welcoming sewing studios
and cosy book nooks

The Patrons are wonderful, interesting people; they respect your time, your work and your space.

What's your availability on or around the full moon?

This sounds like you're living our dream (sans the rich benefactor). I will ask him if he has ever considered the arts as part of his philanthropy

Is the rich benefactor ruggedly handsome, with floppy dark hair tumbling into his whisky-coloured eyes, wearing battered cords and an ancient Fair Isle jersey?

This is why I am still an accountant but my fantasy sewing business is focused on plus size women who are badly served by the fashion industry (and also I would take a sizeable deposit).

I'm retiring in a few years and am toying with the idea of making my fantasy a reality on a very small scale.

Don't overthink it - you have a lovely way of writing - just go and write streams of consciousness about a topic like this - and then you can 'publish' it in many ways - by sharing with others / selling on Amazon / etc.

This is mine as well, despite the fact I have the artistic talent of a spanner 🤣

Excellent. Also happy to provide a ‘reading to’ service should any werewolves want to drop by.

That actually sounds like the proprietor next door - he owns a quaint little music and instrument shop.

He does lessons, tutoring and classes too. The 'rock choir' class on a Wednesday night is full of slightly tipsy giggling ladies who have gone there directly from book club and shamelessly flirt with him, to which he seems totally oblivious.

There are rumours that his heart was broken by a city lass who came to take over the big ole dairy farm, but she left because she missed city life.

I've just remembered another 'Dream' job and it comes with a book recommendation.

One of my favourite recent reads is the Dallergut Dream Department Store. It is a lovely book and also I want to work in the store in the book.

Could you ask your rich book shop owner if he has any connections to Dallergut and could he hook me up?

Please may I join your dream, @Trappedatwork
I'm a fellow colleague in the NHS and this has been my fantasy for years! I couldn't decide which I wanted to do the most - bookshop or a cafe, so the combination is perfect.
Have you ever seen Ryan Holiday's bookshop "The Painted Porch?" It looks amazing.
Great post @Trappedatwork

Morning - I still am actively living in this distraction. Work is objectively terrible at the moment, and I just need to soak my grey cell in some gentle good vibes.

There is a small bustle of activity this morning. There is a local fete, as part of 'spooky season', and I have set up an old cleaned out, painted, adapted dove cote with 'help yourself' books lined up and prettily wrapped in brown paper and red ribbon (so it is 'mystery' what you get) There is a small painted wooden bird of local types on each of the entrance plinths.

While RB (Rich Benefactor) likes books, he leaves painting, paper wrapping and woodworking to me - tasks I enjoy.

You are quite welcome - if any one wants to open a studio, shop or cafe on the street and enjoy puttering in your happy place and posting about it here - feel free.

I would love to hear what your place looks like, how you enjoy your space and the things you enjoy doing in your own place of escapism and good vibes

It's Monday - the inbox is no smaller. Upper upper management is screaming, and the blame game has started - fingers pointed and accusations of poor planning are being flung about. The upside is that, as the only remaining lowly minion, they are tiptoeing around me rather than trying to lay blame at my door

So, I will still be lingering in the shop. The weather is terrible and the ladies from the patisserie have made a change and done hot chocolate this morning, with small bowls with a variety of toppings and little jugs with flavoured syrups (the chocolate is not too sweet) and warm crumbly almond croissants.

RB has decided the weather is bad enough that it's time to fire up the log burner. (For obvious reasons, a great deal of precautions are taken, what with fire and paper being in close proximity!)

My sewing studio has had orders for clothes for Christmas events. Also, for a change, I am making Christmas cushion covers.

Interested for a cozy nook in the book shop?

Are you starting to plan your Christmas display in the shop?

In reality I am in the middle if making a dress for DD. I also have to make some cushion covers. Somehow I need to fit this in around work! I need to retire.

Today, the RB has a small class of children coming in for a pumpkin carving and reading session. These are very well behaved, as its considered quite the event every year.

As such RB has upped the spooky season hype in the shop, put up the ornate fire surround (safety first), and the ladies have dropped off some flood icing sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins, silly ghosts and spider webs.

While I normally like the quiet solitude of the shop on most days, the sound of giggling children (in a small group) is good for the soul.

We have, on the opposite side of the shop from the travel portal bookshelves a stone archway that has a portière which leads into a currently empty shop space. (It erm, does have a bit of unsanctioned book overflow and a few ex displays in there - but nothing a quick clear around wouldn't sort out)

You know what, some Christmas cushions of the book nook sofa would be fabulous.

Oh, I posted Yesterday about the room next door and it's vanished.

So, from memory, on the opposite side of the bookcases that lead to the travel portal, is a stone arch that opens into a single room next door. The little annex has its own bay window and shopfront door leading on to the street (painted in an eye-watering yellow colour). Currently, that room is used to store dust, and some of the ex-displays have made their way into there.

RB has decided that we might want to consider letting the space out (at a peppercorn rent) to a local business because it's not being used - the only reason we haven't done it previously is, as mentioned in my original post, we don't get a lot of foot traffic.

The second reason is that the annexe stands in isolation; you have to come through our shop, go upstairs to the staffroom, and bathroom, as the annexe building was converted several years ago into flats above and behind it (accessed by the world's loudest metal staircase from the rear - It screams like the damned as soon as anybody stands on it)

Yesterday, we had three people come by to have a look around the little space,

1. Local artist, who paints lovely, big, bold, textured acrylic paintings. She seemed bright and friendly; however, during the 20 minutes of the show, around had already managed to leave her belongings in every single room she went into.
2. Local potter, small-scale affair, very nice gentleman - But apparently dust from the clay gets everywhere?
3. Florist, by far the loveliest of the three, also had three soft, soppy Golden labradors of different makes/styles - that followed around with absolute adoration on their faces. Water was an issue that we were not sure could be overcome

We should hear today if any of them fancy the place

Today I'm just waiting for the three people that viewed the room to come back to us, If we don't get any takers I might see if there is a local volunteer organisation that might be able to use the space for something.

I might go into the back room and fire up the ancient coal-fired computer that RB uses to order books and supplies and have a look locally to see if there's any initiatives or groups that might need just a little bit of space.

That being said, I'm having trouble moving at the moment, have a big cup of tea and some chunky cookies that have been dipped in chocolate. Sat in front of the window, people watching as it appears that though half term is until next week there may be an inset day because frazzled looking parents appear to be dragging Children along the street.

It looks like a piece of art. The orange and gold hues of all the leaves, the bright coloured children and their parents in darker hues, battling both the wind and their offspring to make headway up the cobbled road.

Just in case I win the lottery I keep an eye on local property for sale. My first check is always 'where is my sewing studio going?'

My preference would be to have it in the garden.

I have two days off work this week so I am in the middle of a cushion sewing frenzy! So much less stressful than a work frenzy.

Isn’t what you have described, basically Waterstones? Perhaps less pay irl

In my mind, Waterstones being a chain would have a lot more bureaucracy, Harsher lighting, less likely to let the lovely ladies across the road perch a piping hot glass coffee pot in the main shop space, and a whole lot of stuff about HR, payroll and sales targets. Mandatory required learning, sickness paperwork and dealing with the general public en masse.

In this little shop, we have a busy week if two people come through the door. But as it's rich benefactors passion project there is no expectation that rent has to be made for the building (RB owns the building)

And the only information up on the corkboard in the back office relates to what alcohol is being served at the next book club meeting, a reminder to keep the sofa away from the coffee table to stop the pug from scoffing all the cooked treats and a picture of rich benefactor at talent show when he was about 14 where he looks like Napoleon Dynamite.