MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE AT LONG LAST
JAMES LAUNCHES HIS COFFEE HOUSE
It’s March 19. New Paisley business owner James Carmichael has quit his job as a joiner and is almost ready to welcome hungry Buddies into the new Spoons Coffee House in Causeyside Street.
It had been his ambition for many years to run his own food outlet and he had pumped £14,000 into making his vision a reality.
The signs were up, the floor was laid, the tables and chairs were set and he had an opening date lined up. It all looked as if James - who was also set to become a first-time dad - was about to embark on the adventure he’d always dreamed of.
But then, on the day he was due to open, he was told he’d have to put his plans on hold due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“I just felt panic, to begin with,” said James.
“We still had to pay rent and we were in the middle of trying to get rates relief and changing the classification for planning permission.
“It was such a shock to find that out just before I was about to open. It’s financially straining us big time now, especially with having a new-born.
“I felt like my dream had been snatched away from me a wee bit. I’d always wanted to own a business, but things kept setting us back like buying a house.
“We wanted to be financially set first but now, with the baby arriving and this happening, it’s like the savings are just going out the door.”
James had given up everything to put his heart and soul into his business and, suddenly, after all had seemed ready to go, the 35-year-old and his wife Gemma were thrown into uncertainty.
He had it all mapped out. With the baby arriving a few months after he was due to open, he knew he would’ve had time to settle in before his son was welcomed into the world and he would then be able to spend time with him, knowing his business had got off the ground.
He was also looking forward to paying the ultimate tribute to Gemma’s mum, June Bone, who the cafe is named after. Her nickname was Spoon, and the yellow heart in the logo is for the Beatson in Glasgow, where she was treated for cancer before she died four years ago.
But once coronavirus forced all pubs and restaurants to close, James quickly found himself scrapping to try and keep his dream alive while trying to help his wife - who was on maternity leave - raise his first child.
He began looking for a new job and briefly secured a position as a delivery driver for Iceland, but the role turned out to be logistically inconvenient for him, and he signed on to receive benefits.
He applied for a £10,000 Small Business Support Grant, but initially struggled to secure one as he was told by Renfrewshire Council - which has administered the grant on behalf of the Scottish Government - he wasn’t eligible because he hadn’t opened before lockdown.
James said: “I filled out the application form because I was getting rates relief and I was paying rent and that’s all it said you had to be doing.
But then I had a fight on my hands because they [the council] said I had to be open to get it.
“I was just trying to keep this going. If I didn’t get it [the grant], the place wouldn’t be opening. I was really stressed out. My wife was trying to keep me calm but it was hard because I just kept saying we’re going to lose everything.”
Thankfully, James - who lives in Thornliebank - eventually managed to secure the grant and could breathe a slight sigh of relief for perhaps the first time since he had to leave the shutters down.
The cash boost has turned out to be a lifeline for Spoons, but the former chef knew the test of his resolve would not end there, with him now facing opening up in the age of the pandemic.
James knows if he doesn’t manage to open the coffee house up by the end of July, he will face the devastating prospect of having to pack it all in.
And, even if he does manage to open, he won’t be able to do what he had hoped. He will now initially only be able to offer takeaway to customers from behind a perspex screen and he
I felt like my dream had been snatched away from me a wee bit. I’d always wanted to own a business but things kept setting us back, like buying a house
James Carmichael
won’t, at least for now, be able to use the seating he had put so much effort into setting up.
“I’ve set a date for the end of the month which I’m hoping I can do because the more I stay shut the less money I make,” added James.
“If I don’t open this month it’s a case of eating into the back-up fund.
“I’m only going to be able to do takeaway, so it’s a bit sad I won’t be able to have people sit in and pick up a book. I won’t get as much of a connection with customers. Then again, how much chatting with customers can you do now with social distancing?
“I’m definitely not opening the place in the way that I wanted to.”
Stickers will soon be on the floor asking people to keep their distance and arrows will show customers which way to go as they arrive to enjoy the new tastes Spoons has to offer.
There are moments where James admits he has despaired, but even with the challenge that now lies ahead, he’s decided not to give up on what he’s worked for, and he’s hoping Paisley will rally behind him.
“Once I did say I wished I’d never done it. But then, you think to yourself, when would’ve been the right time? If we had put it off again and again, then I would probably never have what I have now,” said James.
“It’s popped into my head I could catch the virus and take it hom, but I’ve been looking forward to opening since March and, it’s not as though I could back away, even if I was scared.
“I’m just hoping everyone will get behind small businesses now because, if they don’t, then they won’t be here and you’ll just see shutters.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone in and hope they will get behind us.”