Taking flight!

It’s Friday afternoon and the rain has held off since about 10am, yippee!  It’s the weekend of the Bournemouth Air Festival so the traffic getting back to Bournemouth tonight is going to be interesting but once home I shall be joining thousands of others to watch the dusk flight.  Not only will the Red Arrows be taking flight over the weekend but our wood burning season has also taken off with a vengeance.  Last week the weather took a dip and our phone started ringing.  Andy, Zara and I spent a very successful day at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show last week.  If any of you came down we hope you enjoyed the day as much as e did.  The weather was perfect, there was a slight premature autumnal nip in the air and the toasted Marshmallows were flying out, the best uptake on the mallows in a long while! 

Plastered & ready for painting

The new showroom has effectively ground to a halt, this could be seen as a negative thing but in truth we simply don’t have any free labour to put on it at the moment.  The building side of the business is incredibly busy and with the wood burning acceptances coming in thick and fast we are fully booked week on week.  From a personal perspective I can breath a sigh of relief.  With initial thoughts that the showroom would open mid season and the intention of throwing a big open day to launch it I was having a few reservations on how we would manage this successfully and produce an opening worth talking about.  With things delayed it is looking more likely that we will open officially in the New Year, that way we can do things properly.  Watch this space for latest updates and details of the opening.

 

 

 

 

Stuv 21-125

Sarah is on holiday this week, she has been missed……It’s amazing how having that extra person around just takes the pressure off slightly.  Nikki is off next week and then we will be back to full strength again.  Rich and I are off to Jetmaster on Tuesday for a training day.  We’ll be looking at the Stuv range in some detail as well which I am quite looking forward to.   

 

You can duct hot air off of the Stuv’s and they look quite flash, they aren’t cheap and we don’t sell hundreds of them as they are quite a specialised range but it will be really good to learn the more intricate details of their workings. 

That’s about it for this week.  Time to wrap up for the day and fight my way through the traffic to get home.  There are lots of advantages to living in Bournemouth but the best way to be going on a day like today is out of town!

Ellingham & Ringwood in full swing............

It’s the weekend and it’s my Saturday to cover the showroom.  It’s a perfect time to catch up on my blog.  It’s been a busy week this week, Andy returned from his charity work adventure in Rwanda, wood burn season seems to be starting already with the phone ringing off the hook, despite the glorious weather we’ve been having and we’ve been preparing for the Ellingham and Ringwood show which is being held today.  Rich and Chris drew the short straws to man the stand and are currently tucking in to a bacon bap no doubt with a nice cup of tea close by. We had Zara going off for a 10 day break but not before we showered her with gifts and indulged in a good slab of Coffee and Walnut cake to celebrate her (she’ll kill me for telling you) 40th birthday!  Lou made the cake and what a dab hand she is at it too…..it’s great being part of a company full of multitalented people!

The new showroom is coming along nicely, I’ll post a few more photo’s next time, it’s amazing how quickly it is moving.  We’ve ordered a new range of baskets that will be with us shortly all ready for the season and we have been given leave to start testing our new computer system which has been in the making for almost 9 months now.  So you see, with all this going on it’s been tricky to find the time for an update.

The system is very exciting, more so for the girls than the boys.  It will enable us to correlate all of our client’s details in one place instead of jumping around from this screen to that, looking up various information.  Sarah and I have been testing it this week and as with every new toy it is taking a while to get to grips with.  Being the admin queens that we are we have the determination to master it, we just need to get through all the teething problems that always comes with these things.  Our Zara & IT chap have done a fantastic job though and we are looking forward to a much more efficient working process, Yey!!

Andy’s trip to Rwanda was full of adventure, he managed to survive the mosquitos and a bout of food poisoning which laid him flat for a day or so.  He met a whole host of interesting people from MP’s to Business Owners and Leaders of Charity organisations, truly hobnobbing with those in the know.  He was very keen to tell us all his stories on his return and although he was obviously quite tired after arriving home on Sunday afternoon he still made it in to work on Monday morning. Andy’s teaching skills came in handy whilst out there and he got to experience real African living whilst staying with a family in a more remote region, a cold shower in a mud hut was the height of luxury.  It was pleasing to see him back, we’ll await his next big adventure whatever that turns out to be.

Display at New Forest Show

Sarah lapping up the heat!

Having just spoken to the boys at Ellingham, it sounds like they are having a busy day.  We attended the New Forest Show two weeks ago, 'Hi' to anyone that saw us over there.  Tuesday was unbearably hot…..Wow, it wasn’t fun tucked up in our tent with the sun beaming down, we let the fires burn out around 10am and most people were simply wandering with no particular place to go just trying to stay cool.  It was the quietest day of the show for us, we were quite concerned that it may continue that way but thankfully over the following two days the temperature dropped and a cooling breeze materialised. By Thursday things were back on track with a number of people seriously considering renewables for their heating solutions.  There were a larger number of renewable enquiries this year which is interesting and as always the wood burners generated a huge amount of interest.  Not only was it productive for the business but I was quite pleased with myself, with such an array of local crafts and businesses I took the opportunity to get a few Christmas presents under my belt…….Oh No…I hear you moan.  I feel quite smug now after all it’s only 19 ½ weeks to go!!!

We're Back.....

It’s been a while since I wrote our very first blog and sadly last year I ran out of time to do it!  Since then the business has really taken off…….so we thought we’d say hello again so that you can follow us through our journey of expansion.  This morning the office is quiet and I am sat here wondering where to begin.  Today is Nikki’s birthday, that’s a good starting point.  Nikki is our new addition to the showroom team, she’s been with us almost 5 months and she is doing really well.  We were very lucky to find someone who fits in the team so comfortably and understands the way that small businesses work…..thats a bonus it has to be said!

Frank checking out the new unit.  Yes...he's still here!

Not only have we employed Nikki but      we’ve also taken on Louise as a part time  addition to accounts and we’ve trained up another HETAS installer.  The biggest news is that we’ve taken on another unit.  It all happened very quickly and almost in a flash things started moving.  Just after Christmas half the team moved to the offices at13A, we were outgrowing the unit at 13D and something had to give.  We have just started work on the downstairs which, with a little bit of jiggery pokery will become our brand new, shiny, Renewables Showroom. 

Work on this started 3-4 weeks ago.  If you’ve ever been down to see us at Riverside you will know that we have a large parking area at the front of the unit…..if you come down these days it is filled with Low Carbon vans and a hive of activity with our men going in and out pushing things along.  We’ve got some exciting things planned for the showroom, I can’t divulge too much at the moment but suffice to say major discussions over colour schemes and floor materials seem to be dominating meetings these days!!

The unit was an empty shell when we moved in, a number of walls sectioning off smaller rooms and not the most effective use of space.  It’s changing before our eyes though, we have ripped out the walls and have put a mezzanine in, the insulation is almost finished and the plaster board is going up on some of the walls.  All of the first fix electrics are in so at least we know we will have light in those dark winter months and the position for my new desk has been decided….Yippee!....It doesn't look much now but the photo copier has lived a happy life there for many years so I think maybe I will to. 

We never like to do things by half measures and so in a weeks time we kick off the show season which means our Low Carbon Trailer will be back on the road and we’ll be travelling around the Dorset region setting up at a number of shows in the area.  The New Forest is our first outing this year, starting on the 29^th July we’ll be there for three days. Chris and I will be covering all three days this year, hoping for some good weather.  If anyone fancies a good day out come down and see us, we’ll be situated on 3^rd avenue, near the chickens and the public conveniences …..the silver lining in this is not having to walk 3 miles every time we need to spend a penny!

The weather has been fabulous this last week or so but despite the temperatures people still seem to be thinking about the winter and we are seeing a steady flow of prospective customers through the doors.  It’s such a good feeling to be involved with an industry that is growing from strength to strength.  We are looking forward to another busy season and to seeing some of our old customers who we hope will come back and see us for their firelighters and glass cleaner.  We’ve just had a delivery of new companion sets, I am keen to get them open as so I will leave you in anticipation and I’ll let you in on a preview on my next blog.  Right…..where are the scissors!

Point to Point Part 2

Low Carbon's Trailer & Stand

Ok, I’m sorry…..I’m a little late with my update on the Point to Point, sadly I didn’t get swept away by any men on horses and luckily I didn’t loose any fingers either so all is well. It was an early start as with any show that we decide to do, the frost was thick and on arrival at Bradbury Rings it was around -2 on the car thermometer.  With some forethought we had positioned our trailer on Saturday afternoon which was genius on our part, some of the traders arriving after us took some time to work out what the set up was and many were left a little disgruntled by the lack of organisation.

The Harrie Leenders Fire Pit

Some of our fireside accessories

That said everything worked out well, other than a few hazy moments where we couldn’t quite remember how the stand went together (brain was shutting down due to the cold) we were ‘off and running’ (excuse the pun).  It was cold, there is no two ways about it but having the trailer was a massive advantage.  I was fully wrapped up, 5 layers including a long sleeved thermal, leggings under my jeans and two pairs of thermal socks inside my snow boots.  The bacon sandwich went down well around 10.30am and then it really kicked off.  We sold one of our fire pits and had a number of enquiries ranging right across the board.  Most people of course were sneaking in to get warm, we never mind this as it gives us a great opportunity to fill them in on the benefits of having a log burner!

 

Frank and his girlfriend

Andy came down with his dog Frank, he’s a big dog all be it a very friendly one and took great delight in licking everyone that came anywhere near him.  He also managed to find himself a girlfriend, so adorable was the scene that I had to take a photo! One of the most amusing moments of the day was when a gentleman came to partake in a toasted marshmallow, he had toasted it beautifully and it looked very tempting, as he bit in to the mallow the squidgy centre got taken by the wind and it blew a string of pink sticky mallow right across his beard and firmly planted itself in the bristles ending at his ear.  Unfortunately I was laughing too much to say anything and he hadn’t noticed.  Eventually after a few minutes his wife spotted it. Due to the fact it is quite common place for this type of thing to happen, I was able to supply him with a wet wipe to clean up the mess.  You should never leave home without a wet wipe!!

As the day drew to a close we began to pack up and I can’t say I was sorry, I couldn’t wait for a hot bath.  It was a fabulous day, we met lots of lovely people and had some fun along the way.  Next stop for the Low Carbon TrailOr is hopefully the New Forest Show in July although we're not suer if they want us, we are yet to receive confirmation.  Hope to see you there!

Point to Point 2013

Low Carbon 'TrailOr' on it's way to a show.

It’s that time again when we’ll be sporting our wellies and heading off to Bradbury Rings race course for the annual Point to Point meeting this Sunday.  Naturally we’re hoping it is going to warm up a little, I for one will be making sure my thermals are all in check for what potentially could be a pretty chilly April morning!  The fabulous thing about the Low Carbon 'TrailOr' (a pet name derived from a spelling mistake by Rich early in our ownership) that we take with us, is it has built in heating, three lit Woodburning Stoves……so at least I know that by lunch time I’ll be able to shed a few layers and bask in the warmth from the trailOr.
I’m off to the yard this afternoon to help the boys load up the truck with the tents and equipment then Rich will be trundling down to the ground with the trailer tomorrow to make sure we get a good spot. So if you’re travelling in that direction tomorrow keep your eye out for it, it looks something like this from behind……
If you’re at a loose end on Sunday feel free to pop down and share in a free marshmallow toasted on our very trendy and slightly slinky fire pit…..unlimited supply on the mallows (whilst stocks last) or if you prefer you can bring a loaf of bread with you and make toast. You can come and have a chat about renewables at the same time, I promise we won’t try and sell you anything!
Watch this space for my update on Monday, that’s if I haven’t raced off in to the sunset with a good looking jockey or worse lost my fingers & toes through frost bite!

On a very cold Monday morning in February Chris and I set off at 5am for a long drive to Derby to meet up with our retail partners Robeys in preparation for our trip to Italy.  The trip had been organised by Piazzetta one of our well respected manufacturers whose stoves Low Carbon have been supplying to customers for many years.

After a good breakfast for sustenance and a nice hot northern cup of tea we set off to the airport with dreams of copious amounts of spaghetti and pizza and hot afternoons lazing about in the Italian sun.  Unfortunately as with all work related jaunts, although the food didn’t disappoint we were in for a very informative and eye opening couple of days, no lazing around for us.

Piazzetta Showroom

Piazzetta Factory Entrance

After arriving in the beautiful hilltop ‘City’ of Asolo just north of Venice we settled in to our small but comfortable character filled hotel and prepared ourselves for the coming day.  The following morning, once satisfied with a simple breakfast hosted by what can only be described as your typical ‘Italian Mamma’ and a very brisk walk to the fort at the top of the hill in the early morning sun, we set off to the factory.  Greeted by Lucio Turchet, (Export Manager) we were shown around the Piazzetta showroom and guided through the history of this 50 year old company.  Piazzetta supply wood burning and pellet stoves which come as inset or freestanding models, with boiler options available.  They started out as a family run business and have grown in size.  The father of the company still lives to this day in a house situated right next door to the factory on the original site where it all began.

Hand finishing the clay ready for firing

One of the most impressive features of the Piazzetta and Superior ranges is the Ceramics that are fixed to the sides of the steel frame stoves forming the casing, giving them a real Italian appearance and to the touch, undeniable quality. Piazzetta make all their own ceramics at the factory from the moulding to finishing and packaging, we were lucky enough to see this first hand on the tour.  Their range of 34 colours makes these stoves unique and with many of the processes still carried out by hand anyone investing in a Piazzetta product could not fail to be impressed by the end results.  Following on to the testing lab was interesting to say the least. Some stoves were looking like they had seen far better days, but this just illustrated how consistent they are with their testing.  Piazzetta are recognised throughout Europe for their high testing standards and they go to some great lengths to achieve accurate results.

Preparing the soapstone

Lunch was one of surprise. With three courses we were baffled as to how the Italians stay awake during the afternoons!  The classroom beckoned and the later session was one of theory and processes with our opportunity to suggest what we felt would be a successful addition to the UK market.

Day 1 complete at 6pm we headed back to the hotel and onwards for dinner.  Another feast of delights, some of which you would never see across a table in England!  With our host Lucio heading up the table, everything was under control and well communicated. It’s always useful having an Italian with you in Italy, especially for those of us with limited vocabulary.  With the prospect of another fact filled day ahead we headed to bed.  For some not a great prospect as it appears the Italians like their mattresses very firm, for me slumber came quickly and on Wednesday we woke to a very wet almost British like day. 

With breakfast complete we were all raring to go and today we were set to learn all there is to know about Pellet Stoves. With the technical programming abilities that these stoves have there was a substantial amount to take on board.  As with everything once you know what you’re doing with it, it’s simple and with the technical guys from Piazzetta at the helm they breezed through it with relative ease.  Frantic page flicking and note taking resulted in most feeling fairly comfortable in taking these products home and installing them in people’s homes.  Low Carbon is aiming to gain it’s MCS accreditation for Biomass this year and therefore both Chris and I were very excited of the avenues this will open up for us as a business.

'Line' Piazzetta's new pellet stove

Lunch on day two, yes you’ve guessed it, three courses and the offer of wine!  Chris and I politely declined, with the prospect of yet more technical training in the afternoon session we decided it was wise to keep a clear head and thank goodness we did.  The technical aspect of the training had done it’s distance with me and I took the opportunity to have some dedicated time with Lucio who answered some of my (excuse the pun) burning questions on the standard wood burning stoves and their features. Chris pretty much buried himself in the data book for the Pellet Stoves.  When I came to find him at the end of the session he had his head in a stove examining the workings!

At 5.30 we were all done, heads full of new and useful information and feeling like we’d used up our brain capacity for the day.  With dinner looming we headed back to the hotel. When flying with Ryanair one doesn’t get to take a vast array of outfit options so we all sported our tidiest pair of jeans and jumped on the mini bus for a last night of over eating!  It was time to let our hair down and enjoy a glass of the local Prosecco followed by a Grappa or two, then back to a local bar for a night cap.

Thursday we headed home.  We had been well and truly looked after and blinded with brilliance.  The showroom was spotless, the factory immaculate, the professionalism and pride shone from everyone we came in to contact with and our confidence in this brand had grown beyond doubt.  On returning to good old blighty, as well as being grateful to get back to one course at dinner and a soft bed we were brimming with enthusiasm and looking forward to talking to some of our new customers about the possibilities these stoves can offer.  Piazzetta really do know what they’re doing!

Written by Caroline Southard