Welcome To The Shop!

March 14th 2017, by Nicole – No Comments

I’ve been trying to get this blog post up for about three months now but shop life has sort of got in the way! It was amazing to open at the end of November and I loved making lots of treats for everyone including festive things at Christmas, Valentine’s goodies and too many birthday cakes to count! If you haven’t made it to visit me yet then here’s a sneak peak at Afternoon Crumbs’ new home in Claygate – so in a very MTV fashion…Welcome to my Crib!

Most days I can’t believe I decked this place out – it was amazing to take my online business and put it into four walls, to choose paint colours, furniture and things that I never knew I cared so much about like…plug sockets!

The whole prospect of transforming this space was made 100 million times easier working with Ben, Chris, Tony and the team from ABC Builders. They filled me with confidence from the first meeting and were a joy to work with throughout. They were incredibly kind, patient and treated the shop as if it were their own home. The quality of their work and their attention to detail showed just how much they cared about the job and I can’t thank them enough for bringing all my ideas to life!

Sure, I swooped in at the end with a few power tools (ok mostly Allen keys) too! I assembled furniture (I managed to get trapped by the sofa box) but mostly just fluffed cushions, positioned vases and filled the kitchen with sprinkles.

Having moved my business from my Mum’s kitchen to shop I wanted to still feel like I was working and hanging out at home. I wanted to keep this comfy living-room-feel that my customers would be welcome in. I’m typically drawn to a mish-mash of styles set in neutrals with lots of pops of colour – my Pinterest was definitely full of this sort of thing.

Let me start with the lights. Because, well that’s sort of where I started. They were one of the first things I chose and definitely my only real life experience of love at first sight.

The lights hang over my big table. It was originally meant so that I could cover it in biscuits when I was icing them, display orders for collection and have wedding cake meetings and tastings at, although I’m sure it will have a million purposes in time.

My other seating area, the couch, is basically a mini version of a sofa we used to have in my house when I was a child – cool pattern, full of colour and super comfy. Most of the kids that have visited the shop so far have made a beeline for it.

The walls are filled with lots of different things. Instead of a portfolio book to flick through I thought I would pin a load of my favourite bespoke cakes on to a board so that people can see what I can do. I change them regularly and seasonally. I also have my vintage bottle rack that I hunted forever for – I finally found one here! I thought it would be perfect to hold all my ribbons and hang biscuits and other packaging bits.

The fireplace has been one of the things everyone has commented on since opening. It’s not functioning so I filled it with some hand painted logs…of course. Over it hangs Otis, the baking dog gifted to me by my friends Steve and Alexia. He keeps me company when I’m working late and watches over everything in the shop.

The best bit! The counter itself because that’s where all the cakes hang out. Its super clean and simple and you’ll find it stocked full of daily favourites. The best part of the counter is probably Lauren who currently hangs out behind it and the friendly face you see when you come in. She’s my sis and partner in cake crime and the best person I know. I couldn’t have opened the shop without her and I love having her by my side.