The Workshop

Many of you have been asking me about the Workshop mentioned in the Blog a few weeks ago. The Workshop is called Taran Eco Designs (we have a Face book page if anyone wants to be friends)

and it is located at Corris Craft centre way up in the hills just above Machynlleth. My involvement with it is yet again one of those stories that starts way back when …..

In 2011 I returned from my Round the World Trip and started to work full time driving the Taxi's. (Have I told you I own a Taxi Company? If not that is another story for another day!!!)

I got back in touch with a few old friends, bumped into others on the street and generally settled back into life in the Welsh hills.

Ann, who had worked with me during my years at Ian Snows mentioned that Megan (her daughter who had worked a summer season of festivals with me) had linked up with a guy called John and they were running one of the small units up at Corris Craft Centre. She told me how hard they were working as they needed to be open seven days a week, pointing out that the only way they got any time off was if she could work for them which meant she lost her day off for the week. I responded by saying if they needed help I was more than happy to do a shift or two as it would be a change from the taxi's and I just LOVE shop work!

A week later I got the phone call asking me to call in when I was passing and the following week I was happily redesigning, sweeping and pricing as Megan and John had a well earned rest for the weekend.

A week later John had a horrific accident with the planer, slicing off the side flesh of his hand and once again I managed the shop until Ann was able to make the necessary arrangements to take over.

No money changed hands during these sojourns into the retail trade as I was more than willing to help out purely for pleasure of running a shop again.

Upon John's return however it was decided that they would very much like to swap my time for some of their time and during a very pleasant afternoon my unique Stool was created!!

I loved my stool, I loved working in the shop and as I set off on yet another Round the World Trip my parting words were “If you need any help next year please, please call me!”

In February of 2012 as I sat on the beach in Moorea, I received an e-mail from the shop asking if I was still interested in working there. I replied 'Of course! I fly back in March, see you then' and all was arranged.

As Peter picked me up in London on the Saturday he mentioned that John had called that week asking when I was due home and could I call him as soon as I arrived. I called him on the Sunday, arranged to go to the shop to meet up on the Monday and by Tuesday I was in work!!!

Unfortunately he and Megan had split up and he now needed a full time manager to run the shop side of the Unit while he made things out back. I would be given free range to run the shop, just as I wanted, plus the money I was asking for! By the time we closed on Tuesday I had totally redesigned the shop into a style I could work with. It now had an order I liked, I had moved and mentally logged each piece of art in the shop, given myself a work desk and I was ready!

I also needed the next two days off to sort out my life after being away for 5 months but I promised I would be at work Friday all bright eyed and bushy tailed! John thanked me and we said goodbye.

It is amazing what can happen in two days!!

My arrival Friday morning was met by a very sad looking John. There were too many memories at the Workshop he had decided, too much of Megan surrounded him and he was sorry but he was going to close the shop! I sympathised, asked what needed to be done and assured him losing my job after only one day wasn't a problem as I had the Taxi company to run. His father was due to arrive the next day to help him close up and I promised to come in to lend a hand. The rest of the day was spent stock taking while I assessed what needed to be done.

On the Saturday, John father and I spoke in private, both of us realising that closing the shop was not as easy as John envisioned. He had built up a good little business with the Workshop, his skill was second to none, his stock of raw materials extensive and his finished products on the shop floor exquisite. We agreed he needed to get away from a while but closing the shop forever ….?

A great deal of reverse psychology took place that day as Dad and I reduced everything to ridiculous prices and offered to chainsaw his entire wood stock into firewood. By 4pm John had agreed to go away with his father to clear his head while I would managed the shop in his absence.

The rains that arrived in the April of 2012 were of biblical proportions. Huge parts of Wales were drowned beneath meters of water as rivers broke their banks under the eternal deluge . Rain poured from the heavens in a never ending torrent flooding fields and woodlands alike and up at the work shop things were decidedly soggy!

Tourists, having pre-booked their weekends away arrived in the centre with damp children in tow. They would wander slowly around the shop, heads down, jackets dripping, until reluctantly they ventured back out into the rain. Sometimes they would make two entire circuits of the shop, doubling their time in the dry, but always, despondently, they would thank me and leave.

As the shop was mine to do with as I wished I decided to totally re-design it yet again! Over night it changed from a shop with furniture and nik-naks on display into a Games Room!!

From beneath the bed and attic I drew out every wooden game I possessed. I dug out the children's wooden play bricks, dusted down the Back Gammon board Lisa and I made down in the woods.

I collected the Jenga pieces from about three different boxes in Cians room and pulled my Solitaire board from the shelf. Carpets were laid on the floor, areas were cordoned off, signs were made and the camera was primed.

Now as people entered the shop I would beam at them and invite them to sit down and play a game. “Spend and hour or two” I would intone, “Log on to our wifi if you need”.

Day by day more and more people began to settle.

Jenga Battles were played at the big Dining Table,

Back Gammon was taught and played at the standing board.

Parents explained the principles of Solitaire to youngsters,

toddlers built castles on the rug while Grandmothers read the magazines on the shelves.

I took photos of grown ups as they sat in the huge rocking chair,

I took photos of children as they sat in the tiny chair,

I debated with grown ups as they sat watching their children play,

I taught backgammon and explained game principles to foreigners.

Although sales remained stable the shop was constantly full of happy people!

Every day more smiling faces left the shop as I promised to put their photos onto our new Facebook Page. Each afternoon as it became quiet in the shop I would edit and load the photos making albums for people to check out upon their return home. Two weeks passed and John called to check everything was OK.

“Everything is fine here” I reassured him “You can stay away for as long as you need, just get yourself sorted!”

He thanked me for everything I was doing and asked again if it was OK for him to stay away a bit longer. “Of course” I enthused, “It is quiet enough here for me to manage perfectly well alone”

“Cool” he replied, “Then if you are sure, I'm going to go to the Philippines for a few weeks. Like about four!”

For a split second I paused, he had been away for two weeks already, although I wasn't selling much I was selling stock, if he was away for another four weeks would I actually have anything left to sell by the time he returned???

The thought passed in a moment, of course I would cope, I always did!!

John booked his flight and I returned to the job of running a shop. Friends were contacted and asked if they had any stock I could sell on a commission basis, the pyrography machine was dragged out from under the desk and the instruction book was read. Bit by bit the shop changed again.

The one thing I did have plenty of was instruments! Although John makes 90% of the stock in the shop, 10% was bought in from a Fair Trade Company called Rainstick. Colourful wooden instruments from Peru, Asia and South Africa are bought in bulk and sold as a pocket money side line throughout the season.

I began to Story Tell with the children as they entered the shop giving them each an instrument to play as the story unfolded.

Drums were shaken as thunder rolled around the mountains, Thumb pianos rhythmically beat out the sounds of pouring rain, Twirling Frogs were brought to life as they moved into the waterfalls caused by the pouring rain while Bird Whistles and Ducks made up the rest of the cast. Grownups were used when children were absent and sales, albeit small sales, remained good!

My skills at the pyrography machine improved and although not totally happy with the results I hung my creations on the walls, filling in some of the blank spaces.

When they began to sell my confidence improved

and more complex designs followed.

My sanding skills improved as did my drilling and screwing. Woodwork and I had embraced!

John returned invigorated and enthusiastic. Life had turned a corner and he had ideas popping out of his head left right and centre. He had met another Megan while travelling in the Philippines, who was doing volunteering work in exchange for food and board via a web site called Workaway.com.

Way back in the 70's WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) had provided opportunities for people to work their way around the world. People with skills in plumbing, building, farming worked shoulder to shoulder doing manual labour in exchange for bed and board plus the experience of living abroad.

Taking this idea a step further, a guy called David, while living in Spain came up with the idea of matching peoples skills to others needs. Builders could now use their skills on projects, not necessarily farming, all over the world, as could would be cooks, artists, IT users, babysitters.

John was eager to become a Host, to invite like minded people to the Workshop to share in the experiences of not only work but play. With Megans help we wrote a profile, paid our small fee, loaded it up and sat back. Megan, completed her two weeks voluntary work with us and headed back to the States as life settled into a routine.

The rains continued to fall, tourists became scarce and our takings suffered. I looked at the books and realised that if I continued to take a wage each week our cash flow was soon going to suffer.

I already had money in the bank and I was still driving Taxi's so actual cash was not important to me, yet I was working hard and needed something to show for the results.

One evening, while sitting on my wonderful wooden stool made the year before at the Workshop, the idea came to me. If I didn't need money from the Workshop, what did I need, what would I love …. more unique furniture!!

Many years ago, when I first moved to Mid Wales, I had worked a summer season at the Tipi Centre in exchange for a tipi.

As I learnt and made linings for their outstanding orders I accumulated enough hours to pay for the fabric to make my own lining. I moved onto making front strips, doorways, smoke flaps until I had created a tipi of my own.

I could never have justified spending £3,000 on a tipi, in the same way I couldn't justify spending well over £1000 on furniture ….. but I could happily work for it!!

I put my plan to John the next day

and very soon a beautiful Oak and Hazel chair was sitting at my end of Peters old pine dining table in the kitchen. 

This was followed by a second slightly larger Oak and Hazel chair for Peter and a Cedar Pine and Oak three seater bench for the kids.

Eventually John created the most amazing, personally designed to my exact requirements, curvaceous, incredible kitchen table made from Oak gateposts, Spalded Ash and finished with a narrow slither of Elm!!!

My Kitchen became transformed as cupboards were ripped out and replaced with wooden shelves specifically designed to fit jars, tins and saucepans. I re-oiled my stool and had the country kitchen I'd always wanted.

Back at the Workshop the season was beginning to liven up as the rain occasionally stopped and the sun sporadically appeared plus we had received a load of enquiries from people wanting to volunteer with us.

John, his brother and I sat down and worked our way through the list of prospective house guests narrowing it down and booking in dates they were available.

Caroline joined us, along with Mark

Rob moved in, then Ric arrived, each adding their little bit of individualism to the Work shop.

Anupam arrived from France and we realised that having volunteers was amazing fun.

Not only did we get help around the shop but we now had people to play with!!

Days off became adventurous as volunteers were dragged off to the beach or up mountains.

Lunches (on those few days the sun did shine!!) became sociable gatherings as we sat outside and put the world to right while our customers wandered around the shop smiling.

By the end of the season we had filled the walls and floor with wonderful new creations. We had made enough money to more than pay the bills for the winter so we shut up shop and with huge hugs and smiles we went our separate ways, each of us with an adventure to fulfil over the winter months.

In March of 2013 John returned to the Workshop, relaxed, happy and ready for another year. I arrived back from my adventures in Fiji in May to find the first of our volunteers already in residence.

Sanne and John had hit it off immediately and it soon became clear that this was a volunteer who was going to last much longer than the usual two weeks!!

Aunpam had remained at the workshop for most of the winter as had Rob but soon more volunteers were on their way.

Sophia arrived and made hearts.

Lily arrived and did pyrography.

Stephano arrived from Italy followed by

Young and Ariel from Taiwan who put our work ethics to shame!!

Every morning they woke early and had their list of things to do done by mid afternoon!!!

Gabriella and Francisco 'Michael' arrived while Sanne continued to fill the shop with not only pyrography but crocheted jewellery and plants.

With so many people to help, John and I carved up the calender between us taking weeks off at a time.

In the weeks building up to Lisa's wedding the whole Workshop took on the theme of Love as I made shell hearts, pyrographed love poems, encouraged the girls to make drift wood hearts and generally had fun.

The week of the wedding I borrowed everything even remotely love orientated and took a week off.

When I got back John had a week off to travel down to a music festival. When John returned I took a week off to attend my Cider Festival and so the summer continued.

During one of John's weeks off David, the guy who had started the Workaway site phoned to ask if he could call in.

As I explained to him how Workaway had changed the Workshop into a place of one-off totally unique pieces of art and about all the things we had achieved over the past year with the help of the Workaway volunteers, he told me we had taken what he had aspired to achieve and made it a reality.

I was filmed for their Blog,

http://workawayblog.com/workaway-in-wales/
 
repeating the words I had said to him earlier in the day and as they headed back to their lodgings I reflected on how far the Workshop had come in the two years I had been with John.

The walls were covered with beautiful pieces of art work uniquely made by the gifted volunteers that had passed through our doors.

A functional, organised, working kitchen had been built in the back allowing us to hold diner parties in the workshop after hours.

We even had a proper kitchen sink!!

Friendships had been made with people from all over the world

while some of our volunteers, like Sanne and Anupam, were now an integral part of our lives.

My connection to John had changed from one of two strangers linked by the most tenuous of circumstances to one of deep friendship, each of us with our gifts, each supporting the other in work and out.

The Workshop has become a place of beauty and friendship with loads of great food! In March 2014 John and I shall return for another year of making, baking, dinner parties, mountain climbing, beach combing and open fires.

If any of you are near by …. call on in and say hello!