Afternoon, guys.
It's Britain's most stalked woman.
Just checking in so you know I'm being kidnapped.
That'll be next.
Just throwing a bag over that.
Kidnapped.
I thought I'd debunk a few myths and rumours that are going around already.
A couple of weeks back a gentleman came into Bondi Pool Shop and he is a known little bit of a gossipster.
And said to one of the staff, I believe, I just let it go as a passing comment really so I can't really remember when or where or how.
And he said, oh you're packing up, you know?
So we didn't think nothing of it because we'd already announced that we were moving on to the High Street in Blackwood.
Looking for suitable venues on Blackwood High Street.
So we didn't really think anything of it because he's a bit of an old man and likes a bit of gossip.
And he darts back off to the market place and then did a bit of gossiping and a bit of gossip in another shop and didn't think nothing of it.
So today I've had two conversations with people.
One that I don't even know.
That we're leaving Bondi Pool.
Got no intentions of leaving Bondi Pool whatsoever.
We are current, well we've already discussed it and agreed on a price with one of my current landlords for phase three of Bondi Pool.
Phase three was supposed to be the basement but the basement isn't viable to put stock in yet.
Needs work.
And I'm really busy.
Really busy with donations and parcels and the rest of it.
So I haven't had a chance to excavate a basement in my spare time.
I do apologize for my slacking.
So phase three is something else we were looking on taking on for potentially storage, sorting donations and storing them from this side of the valley.
Because obviously our donation centre from that side of the valley, Caerphilly, is full.
So obviously Torfaen need their own donation centre.
So anyway, we've been toying with the idea of do we get away the house closer to Cwmran or do we have something in Bondi Pool town?
We don't know.
So two people came to me today to say we're packing up and going.
And then obviously this, I remember this conversation, this chapadad, sorry, no more of a bitch, right?
I was like oh here we go now.
Gossip, gossip, gossip as it is.
So then somebody else messaged me and said oh you're moving across the road.
I got embargoed.
Actually like people gave this friend of mine, embargoed, actual addresses I was moving into.
News to me, news to me.
If you want to give me a shout you can.
You're looking for a good rent price.
I have been offered a good rent price, embargoed, but I'm exhausted.
I'm exhausted guys, right?
I'm not very well.
You know I've got to go for tests.
And today I haven't been very well at all.
So I couldn't get going today at all.
It's just one of those things I think.
And sometimes the weather don't help do it.
So to take on another shop now in Bargard would be... I don't know if I could do it.
I don't know if I could physically do it.
And I'd need volunteers to run it obviously.
But I have been offered a very good rent in Bargard and I should jump on it.
I really
should.
I've eaten too much sugar I think.
That's my new thing.
But I have moved on to fruit.
I did pick out some fruit off the market yesterday so that's always good.
It's better to eat fruit than just more sugar.
So, I'll just debunk those myths.
Honestly, I just think, is my life that fascinating?
I've got so many people talking about it.
With literally the talk of the towns.
Not even the town.
The talk of the towns we are.
So then there's some stuff on the website about how we are being kicked out of Blackwood Shop.
We have not been kicked out of Blackwood Shop.
I'm quite sure we would have been kicked out by now.
I've got less than 18 months left on my tenancy and I put my email up already to prove it.
That I told the landlord, and I've got to be honest, I think I told the previous landlord prior to it.
And I think that's why he sold the building.
That I am looking to move out of Blackwood Shop and on to the high street.
Now, I do loads of videos and I often say, I'm looking for the shop, I need a new shop, I need a new shop and I've always got irons in the fire.
But when I said it about Cuffinley, I got it.
So I thought, right, let's push the narrative here now and say I need one in Blackwood ASAP on the high street with a decent rent.
You know, what harm is it going to do?
What's the worst case scenario that's going to happen here?
My tenancy runs out of there, my lease, and I don't want to renew it.
I sell off the stuff, I store my equipment.
Or my brand new racket.
That's been too long by the way.
And everybody's jealous of that.
Because they can see, yeah, you know why, you don't know, because now they can see how big this operation is.
Right?
How big an operation we are running here.
We are literally recycling thousands of tonnes, thousands of tonnes a year.
Which will be worth thousands of pounds in grants.
And that is what they don't like.
Because the grants will go to the person who is recycling the most.
Right?
So it all connects back to these four charities.
Right?
Because they're not going to get the grants, are they?
These poxy little charities that do nothing.
But claim to do everything.
Some people don't talk no action.
So, again,
wanted to end my lease because he bought a property, I don't know what lease it was.
There's a lease to do with the marketplace, and there's a lease to do with the middle.
It's a bit complicated in that.
But it's something to do with an 100 year lease or tenancy or something, I don't know.
They did tell us when we moved in, but it's nothing to do with me.
That's a landlord thing.
So if our landlord wanted us to leave, they would have to pay us compensation for us to leave.
So obviously I let them know this in November that we were looking for another shop.
They dropped the rent, but then they added VAT on, which meant it was the same rent.
So I appreciate the fact that they tried, but it isn't enough.
If you go up to the marketplace, it's dead.
We know there's at least two other businesses going from up there.
Successful businesses that have been there a long time.
And one of them at least pulls in a lot of trade for us.
Which is really next to us, that he does pull in a lot of trade for us because people go up there.
And we have a vintage and collectible shop, so that works well.
The token shop have gone, and they brought in a lot of people too.
So we want to move on to the high street.
But obviously I need to be realistic because I'm not going to get a shop that big for that price on the high street.
I've even got to lower my expectations and take a smaller shop.
And sometimes a smaller shop isn't that bad because we can't fill it up.
Because I think psychologically I know I can't fill up a smaller shop because I get in trouble.
But with a big shop, I can shove it everywhere.
Look, I can't even go this far.
But the smaller shops, you have to keep X amount of perimeter.
So I've got to do it, don't I?
Otherwise it can be easily shut down.
And I don't want that to happen.
Whereas with the bigger shop, you can keep shifting it around a bit.
And you're like, oh I can put 50 crates up against that wall, it won't matter.
So, you know, smaller shops, obviously less bills as well.
Because you do get a lot of bills with these bigger shops.
So it swings and roundabouts.
You either have a bigger shop and everybody is drawn to it.
But again, a big shop can put people off.
You know, it's like, oh I've got to go in there now, I've been in the powers.
You know, it doesn't even put people off as well, it can be overwhelming.
So, I need to lower my expectations.
I think the landlords of Princeton and everybody else on the high street need to lower their expectations as well.
If you want somebody in those shops.
And it's not just you, it's everywhere.
Abbott's a lady, get a grip.
Half of you haven't even got toilets up there.
And you've only seen five and a half a month.
Right, Princeton, you've just now went out for £4.95.
And you haven't got a toilet.
Right, I'm pretty sure that's illegal.
If you haven't got a toilet, you should be paying £2.50 at least, I say.
£2.50 minimum, you know, maximum.
Because you haven't got a toilet.
Which you're supposed to have by law.
So...
Yeah, so I'm like, well what do I do now?
So I'm sat there waiting to leave.
And in the meantime, my landlord has been trying to get me to stay.
And put in on the guilt trip.
Which has gone on my nerves a bit.
And I don't want to stay.
I'm itching.
Right?
Then, all of a sudden, landlord messages me.
I think it was April.
Because I was dragging my feet a bit anyway with the high street move.
Do you want my shop?
For this price.
In Caerphilly.
What's the wrong street?
I don't want to be there.
But the council are doing £10 million worth of work on the market place opposite.
And it's got a back garden.
For us to put the allotment in.
And that's what we want to do.
One of our allotments.
And...
Does it really matter where we are?
Because people come to us anyway.
We've got a good footfall anyway.
Even down side streets.
So yeah, we jumped in it.
We took it on.
So...
It started filling up.
So I said to Dan.
Right, what do we need?
From...
That we can take from Blackwood Shop.
To get Caerphilly up and running.
Because the volunteers can't do the work if they haven't got the shelves.
They can't put the expensive ornaments out.
If they haven't got the glass cabinets.
And they are going to get broke if they haven't got the glass cabinets.
So we said, right, come on let's think about this now.
The shop that we would like.
Which we might not get.
Has got a lot of shelving.
Ain't it?
So we were like...
Let's shift the glass shelves.
And the rest of it.
Down there.
Now.
And it needed a stock rotation.
Let's get that shop up and running.
And we can come back to Blackwood.
Squared it up.
And then move down to the high street.
And it's less to move.
And in the meantime I was having messages again.
I could turn it into three shops.
I could do this.
I could do that.
Well do it then.
Because we are off.
Right, you know.
It's the same with the...
The security guard when he rang.
I don't even know why he bothered ringing health and safety.
What's health and safety going to do?
Environmental health.
Health and hygiene.
Food.
Food woman he rang.
What's the point of ringing the food woman?
What's she going to do about it?
But he was like, oh well I don't know.
So I had to talk some sense into him.
And this is exactly where I was emailed.
You're never going to have, by the brethren though.
You're never going to have that amount of glass in Blackwood High Street for that price again.
Probably not.
But I ain't going to have the footfall because the marketplace is dead.
Go up there.
Sit on the bench.
Have a look how many people are in the shops.
Peacocks came across to ask Daniel how many customers he'd had the other day.
Because they were worried.
Right?
So please stop spreading rumours guys.
You know.
Come to me first and ask me.
I tell you what's going on.
I'm too honest and open for my own good sometimes.
And sometimes you know I think maybe I shouldn't tell you anything.
But I like to keep you involved really.
And I like your opinions.
You know.
Our good followers.
I like your opinions and your ideas.
And you know.
It's not just that.
I've sent Patrick to do a recce.
Dawn has done a recce.
Other people have done a recce.
And they...
That's all the recce.
And...
So you can have all the windows made.
You're like they could live in an atrium up there.
Doesn't mean to say I'm going to sell as much as I would sell on the high street.
My biggest problem is the quantity of stock and getting it back out the other end.
I need football.
I need people in the shops.
The majority of our customers, 50 to 45% of our customers are elderly.
Are they walking a gravel lane to come to my shop?
Are they going to the bus stop anymore?
No.
Because of all the gangs of kids out there.
It's on the high street.
That is me.
The amount of people that's out there.
I'm so invested in my life.
You need to get a life.
All of you.
Go and get a life.
But yeah, yeah.
I should jump on the one that's been offered.
We need volunteers in, guys.
We've had tons and tons and tons of donations.
We really need volunteers in.
