Lifelong learning: pitfalls of sharing a business premises

As I have posted previously the working connection between myself and shop co-tenant started to sour just 3 months in to the tenancy, but lockdowns have provided some time outs.

I wish….I had been wiser before I made the commitment to co- tenant and also knew the other artist better. But I didn’t so I have tried communication by email, social media, hand written notes, speaking. I always end up being accused of not being able to communicate.

In May having looked at 12 months of shop open from 16 months since taking tenancy that I was taking 4 x as many sales for the other artist than they were for me yet I was always portrayed as the bad guy that I would stop selling their work on my shifts as this is a topic that they would not discuss.

I have written a series of letters, left in the shop to make this point but they are ignored. The other artist has never displayed their shop days or hours for customers in the shop, yet even while explaining I will not sell their work I find myself explaining when they might be open or how they can be contacted online – too kind. They refused joint advertising before even the first lockdown.

Today I posted online to try and spread the message a bit further.

I am keeping an eye out for units elsewhere in the town if they come up. The jump to renting something on the main shopping streets would mean tripling my rent which doesn’t balance with having a part time semi retirement business. I want to remain in the shop I am in now, but not with anyone else. The tenancy runs until November 2022 – by then I will know if I will continue to have a shop to sell from or not, we will just have to see how it pans out.

From July 19 I will restart offering art for fun in the shop but will think carefully about the risk assessment etc as two local cafes and one pub have already had to shut temporarily due to staff covid cases – is it really time to be loosening the regulations in businesses?

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