This Saturday marks Flavours’ last day in the Hidden Kiosks. His six weeks in Kiosk 1 went down well with everyone that visited, from bus drivers to pensioners.
It has been great to see Flavours really getting into the spirit of the Hidden Kiosk Project, seizing the opportunity of a low-risk environment to try different products and techniques to find what works best.
We took the opportunity to catch up with Richard one last time, to hear about how he got on, what advice he has for anyone thinking of applying for a kiosk, and what he has planned for the future.
We wish Richard all the best in the future, and hope to see Flavours around town soon!
If you’d like to keep in touch or up to date, you can follow Richard on twitter as @pillsnpool
We’re pleased to announce that Flavours, currently serving fresh coffee from Kiosk 1, will be staying for another two weeks. This will take their occupancy to the end of May.
If you haven’t already stopped by for a tea, coffee or just a chat then make sure you do!
We were pleased to hear that the ever innovative Richard of Flavours Café, our newest occupant in the Kiosks, has started offering discounted hot drinks to all Bus Drivers in Colchester.
A hot drink at the end of a long shift sounds like something we could all do with!
We headed down to the Hidden Kiosks to have a chat with Richard of Flavours coffee shop, and find out a bit more about what he has planned for his grand opening tomorrow and for the rest of his stay.
Earlier this week we handed the keys to Kiosk 1 over to the first of the lucky winners in our second term in the Kiosks.
Richard Wright made a convincing proposal for his coffee shop, Flavours. His passion for great coffee and generous donation of 10p per cup to the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre really showed initiative and inspiration.
The MSRC is a charity committed to supporting anyone affected by Multiple Sclerosis by providing access to unbiased information and advice, be it through counselling or just help with coping with the disease.
Flavours will be in the kiosks for a month, during which time they want to begin recording the memories of Colchestrians in a very informal oral history project. After his stay, Richard tells us that he plans stalls at the Wivenhoe May Fair, Colchester Free Festival and the Colchester Market.
So, if you’d like a great cup o’ joe and a chat about Britain’s Oldest Recorded then head down to the Hidden Kiosks from Saturday!
We spent yesterday down at the Kiosks giving them a clean, a spruce up and a lick of paint ready for the next set of successful applicants to begin working their magic!
There’s still bit more work to do, but we can’t wait to see what the next tenants decide to do. Remember, it’s a totally blank canvas and the only limit is your imagination.
As the Bike Guru’s final month in the Kiosks comes to an end, we were pleased to see the Kiosks and the Bike Guru featured in the Essex County Standard.
If you think you’ve got a creative idea for a business that would fit well in the Kiosks then why not apply?
And so almost four months to the day since the Bike Guru Cafe first pulled open the shutters for the launch party down at the Hidden Kiosks in Colchester, Wednesday evening saw a celebratory farewell from outside the old bus station. But it wasn’t the beginning of the end - more like the end of the beginning.
Matt Lawford - Mr Bike Guru supreme in Sunny Colch - has been trading out of the old Bibby’s building for a month longer than the original Creative Co-op lease. The success of his combination of coffee and bicycle repair workshop skills led to the extension. Why bring to an end something that is clearly bringing so many positive benefits to Colchester?
The aims of the Kiosks however has always been to be a testing bed for any sustainable hyperlocal business. You get to experiment with what the demands of your business are, and then hopefully take this out to the wider Colchester community. Which is exactly the same position that the Bike Guru now finds himself in.
*shhh* - new premises have been sourced in a more central location - all that is required now is a little extra financial backing. Even amongst all the partying on Wednesday to celebrate what Matt and his team have achieved, the Guru was still happy to talk about figures and funding. This is a very sustainable hyperlocal proposition. Matt just needs a little extra boost on the financial front to carry the Cafe through to the next stage.
As for the partying? Well, it was much similar to that opening night back in October. A cold Sunny Colch feel was in the air, but that didn’t stop local folk from gathering, listening to the outdoor music and generally having lovely, lovely conversations about what can happen, once you are give the space to experiment with the hyperlocal economy. Imagine what would be possible with this set up during the balmy summer months around Britain’s Oldest Recorded…
A cigar was on standby by the coffee counter, all ready for the Bike Guru to allow himself a small moment to take in all that he has achieved. It was a much-deserved moment, but Matt is all too aware of what he needs to do to keep the coffee and cycling message alive in Colchester.
This is so much more than a traditional cafe set up where you go to get a mug of builder’s brew. Behind the counter was a poster for Fairport Convention (blimey!) @ColchesterArts, a selection of T-shirts by local designer Willy Wolf for sale, plus various pamphlets and flyers for other local organisations that are trying to create a positive change around our town. Put simply, The Bike Guru Cafe has created its own inclusive community.
That party feel of some four months ago felt like a different era altogether. Some things worked, others didn’t. But the Bike Guru kept going, proving that if you have the drive and spirit, building from the bottom up is possible within this town. Hyperlocal networks succeed where organisations fail.
If u want to get something done set up network, slow it down set up an organisation#lno10
As The Bike Guru’s three month stint at the Kiosks comes to an end, it’s great to learn that he’s been granted one final month in order to make the transition to a more permanent premises a little easier.
Matt tells me that for his final month he’s offering all sorts of deals on food and drink as well as 20% off all bike servicing for the duration, definitely well worth a look.
I visited the Cafe & Workshop to talk to The Guru himself (aka Matt Lawford) about what went well, what he’d have done differently, and how having an affordable space at such an early stage in his business really helped get his idea off the ground.
He also offers some helpful suggestions for anyone thinking of applying for a kiosk including the importance of promotion, both online and offline, as well as how a solid plan including your aims is vital for success - three months is not as long as it sounds!
I wish Matt all the best with The Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop as his business continues to grow.
Wednesday sees the final day of trading for the Bike Guru Cafe, the pop up residency down at the Hidden Kiosks in the old bus station by firstsite. Matt Lawford - for he is the Bike Guru - will be celebrating the success of his three month residency in the old Bibby’s kiosk by inviting Colchester cyclists and coffee lovers to join him from 7pm for a final farewell.
But this is far from the end of the Bike Guru Cafe project. Under guidance from the Colchester based Creative Co-op, the idea behind all projects at the kiosk is to help to grow a sustainable local business idea in a space that can be experimented with. Matt has been learning more about how he can combine his passions of coffee and bicycle mechanics, and is hopefully now in a position in which to continue to grow his local business.
The three-month residency awarded to the Bike Guru by the Hidden Kiosk judges is the longest run that any project has so far enjoyed down by the bus station. Matt has used this time to open up new ideas, such as the regular Wednesday evening cycling themed events. Films have been shown and live music from local artists have been presented, with the help of Ice Breaker Promotions, another growing local organisation.
This Wednesday will be no different, with a grand celebration of all that the Bike Guru has achieved in the town over the past three months. The evening will start with a short bike ride around Colchester, taking in the new cycle route of Crouch Street. The mini-pelaton will then recuperate back at the Kiosks, with some fine coffee and a selection of cycling films being screened. The ride will start at 7pm from outside the cafe - all are welcome.
Here’s hoping that the Bike Guru can continue to offer his unique service of coffee and a passion for all things cycle related to the folk of Colchester at a location in the town come the New Year. Chapeau!
