The Thomas Centre

13/07/2019

Whilst the Thomas Centre concept has not materialised, the coffee shop / tea room idea has not expired. What if this pop-up tea room (seen in Dudley) concept was a starting point?

14/05/2018

It's all gone horribly quiet on 'The Thomas Centre' front. Meanwhile, I now co-own a playbus (Pippa The Ten-Ton Bus of Fun).
What if we had a coffee-shop bus with a ball pool on the top deck...?

11/02/2018

It's funny that, whilst I haven't posted on this page for many months, Facebook haven't unpublished the page.

I like to keep it here as a reminder of what could happen, of a dream that could materialise - of a reason to dream.

Meanwhile, other dreams have taken their place and life goes on.

So never stop dreaming...!

14/03/2015

Quite a lot has happened since I last posted anything about The Thomas Centre:

I took my parents to see the place - they liked it and liked my ideas for it.

I talked to the bank again about a commercial mortgage and the willingness of the vendors to consider alternative financing arrangements. The bank suggested that, in the light of this, if the vendors were willing to hold onto 40% of the property for the time being, the bank would give me the other 60% so that I could buy the place. I put this to the vendors but their solicitor didn't like the idea, saying it posed too high a risk. They, instead, offered me the option to pay £100,000 up front and the remaining balance after three years. They also gave me until 13th March (yesterday) to consider this offer. Well, I'm not in a position to take them up on that offer so I've now emailed them accordingly and The Thomas Centre idea is now just that again - an idea.

Who knows what the future holds. If you read this, thanks for the interest and the feedback - it's been a really exciting nine months.

A Dieu...

01/02/2015

Would you buy a timeshare of a self-catering let in mid-Wales?

In a bid to raise the capital to buy The Thomas Centre, an accountant friend suggested selling timeshares on the self-catering let onsite.

It's a converted two-floor stone granary with a large open sleeping space on the first floor (which can be sub-divided using screens) and a slightly smaller living space on the ground floor, adjacent to a kitchenette and a downstairs shower room / loo.

The accommodation sleeps up to six and would be great for family holidays in mid-Wales.

I guess that a timeshare would cost anything from £200 off-peak to £500 in peak season but I'd need to consult on that.

I would also have to find out how many years people are prepared to pay for - and do they pay it all up front or over a period of time?

Basically, if 20 timeshare weeks were sold for an average of £2000 for, say a six-year period, that would raise £40,000 towards buying the property.

I suppose I could apply the same principles to the B&B accommodation: can you sell timeshares in B&B...?

If anyone has any experience of buying or selling timeshares - or just an opinion on this, please add your comments below - thank you!

Alternatively, if you have any rich relatives...

01/02/2015

Not that long ago, there used to be a 'Christmas Shop' in Bewdley, which we visited whenever we frequented the town. The shop has since closed as the proprietor retired.

There also used to be one in London (http://www.thechristmasshop.co.uk/) but that has also closed, although it maintains a presence online.

Once The Thomas Centre becomes established, I'd like to look into having a 'Christmas Shop' there: the facilities are such that a unit within the premises could easily be dedicated to all things Christmas - and might even become a main attraction...

Welcome to the wonderful world of The Christmas Shop. Featuring a wide collection of Christmas decorations including lights, ornaments, garlands, nativities, crackers, stockings and much, much more. We have been helping our customers create a special Christmas for over 25 years.

01/02/2015

As a kid, we lived with chickens. Not literally in the same space - the chickens had their run and we had the run of everywhere else.

I think chickens would be a great thing to have at The Thomas Centre: they're easy to keep, are entertaining to watch and provide eggs readily.

Ducks and geese could even get a look-in, although, as a vegetarian, I will be dis-inclined to fatten any of the wildfowl for Christmas...

(stock image)

31/01/2015

It's over a month since I updated this page and a fair amount has happened since then - not least, a return visit to 'The Thomas Centre' with an accountant friend. I showed him round the complex and we and the vendors talked about ideas to develop the place and possible financial options open to us.

The couple who own it are both 70 next March and want to move out by then but are willing to have some financial interest in it if I can't buy it outright (having not sold our house).

A few ideas have been thrown around:

1) I buy a stake in the business, run it and pay them the remaining balance over time.

2) I set up a business partnership with the current owners, who will have a financial and directorial (but not operational) interest in the company and I buy them out when I can afford to.

3) I invite interested parties to buy a percentage of the property and buy their share at the market rate at a later date.

4) I sell 'timeshares' in the holiday let (part of the business) to realise capital to secure enough to buy the business outright (with a commercial mortgage).

If you have any views, comments or interest in any of the above, please respond accordingly...!

16/12/2014

Although it's gone very quiet on 'The Thomas Centre' front recently, that's not to say nothing is happening: it's just been sitting on the back burner while we try to sell our house.

However, Sue and I have agreed that, if we don't sell our hone by the end of this year (31st December), we're taking it off the market.

That sounds like 'The Thomas Centre' should then be no more - but I did have an interesting proposition from the vendors' agents recently: apparently, the vendors and their solicitors have agreed that, if we can put down a deposit of £10,000, they will take the property off the market for a year, giving us that time to try and sell our home. If it doesn't sell and/or we can't afford to buy the Wales place,, we lose the £10k but, if it does, we pay the balance on the 'Thomas' property, namely the agreed selling price less the £10k.

Sue, however, is not keen on the idea so it doesn't look as if we'll be going for that.

So, roll on 31st December - all will become clear....

08/10/2014

Whilst spending the day in Wales (on a kind of business retreat), Rob cooked dinner. It occurred to me that, if The Thomas Centre ever came to be, we could have a 'guest chef' on different days of the week - each HSE-checked and each bringing their own distinct flavour to the dining experience at The Thomas Centre.

23/08/2014

Always looks better as an image...

22/08/2014

And here's another poem we HAVE to have on display at The Thomas Centre - a favourite, I believe of Princess Diana:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

(William Henry Davies)

Source: http://m.poemhunter.com/poem/leisure/