Page 22 of Barging In
Clem caught Victoria’s eye. “You have ideas when it comes to taking down the competition. At least, I assume the free hot drink offer was yours.”
Victoria looked away, but a smile edged her lips. “It was.”
“See? We’ll make a marketeer of you yet.
If the winter season caused you problems, you need to take advantage of it next time — it’ll be here before you know it.
Host a fireworks night or a Christmas market.
The courtyard would be great for that. Don’t limit yourself to what’s already here.
You’re more than a museum and a café. Think big!
Honestly, Victoria, there’s so much potential here.
Utilise the café space. You’ve got room to section off an area for groups.
Encourage knitting circles, puzzle clubs, and the local WI.
Get a book club in after hours, hold a quiz.
I assume you have an alcohol license, so hire the place out.
That large car park on the other side of the building, is it only for the apartment owners? ”
“No. They have reserved spaces, but the rest is for our visitors. And yes, we have a license,” Victoria confirmed.
“Then you’re set for meetings, parties, wakes, and even weddings.
Collect email addresses in exchange for a free hot drink and start a newsletter.
Offer loyalty cards. Get the kids in during the holidays with fun activities.
” She drummed her fingers on the worktop before adding, “More urgently, you need to sort your social media out.”
Victoria nodded, brow furrowed in thought.
“The museum must be popular with schools,” Clem continued, finding herself in a flow of ideas she couldn’t — or didn’t want to, if she were honest — put the brakes on.
“It’s a perfect place to combine the social history of corsetry with the industrial machine.
How many groups visit? Have the University of the Third Age been?
Retired people love somewhere to walk to, so become that destination.
Offer lunchtime deals, especially on pension day.
If you don’t give people a reason to come?—”
“—then they won’t come,” Victoria finished with a nod.
“Exactly,” Clem said, almost out of breath but relieved Victoria was finally grasping the underlying issues here.
A small part of her was a little jealous of everything there was to do. She loved a project, particularly a marketing one, and the wharf was a worthwhile venture, bursting with potential.
“Is this your way of telling me I need more than a few corsets and cake to survive?” Victoria said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, it is,” Clem replied without hesitation. “And this may not be the right time to say it, but… I’ve started serving sausage rolls and cheese scones. Sorry. ”
Victoria shrugged. “It’s a free world. That I do believe in. And you’ve given me food for thought on what I need to do — pun fully intended.”
Clem’s chest tightened as Victoria’s expression hovered between amusement and worry. She wanted to lift the burden from her shoulder, not pile more on.
“And there was me thinking you were just a baker,” Victoria said.
“I’m a marketing guru at heart, and I’m very particular about what I market these days.”
Clem took the gentle tilt of Victoria’s head as a sign she wanted to hear more.
“I worked in fast food until recently. Not only was the daily grind getting me down, but the ethics were, too. Or lack of. I couldn’t keep pushing people towards food I don’t believe in, food that’s engineered to be addictive and nutritionally empty.
” She stopped for a breath, then added, “I wanted to feel proud of the message behind a campaign, not cringe every time I saw it.”
“I can understand that. I can’t believe what’s in the cakes we were serving to people. I won’t be buying them, that’s for certain.”
“Good.”
“So, how did you wind up where you are now?” Victoria questioned.
“When they dangled a big promotion in front of me, I walked away. I used my inheritance from Gram to start over. Sometimes I wonder if she knew I’d lost my way and left it for that reason, to help me change course.
And who knows if I even made the right change, if I'm on the right course now.” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
“It pains me that it took her death to make any of it possible.”
“If she did,” Victoria said softly, “then I’m sure it brought her comfort knowing that she could help you in the future. Even if she wasn’t around to see it.”
Clem nodded, her throat tightening as her eyes moistened. The pain of Gram’s absence was as raw as ever. She looked away and wiped them quickly, hoping Victoria hadn’t noticed. “Let’s get this lot put away. It’s about time I opened Florence up.”
Victoria reached for some disposable plastic containers on a high shelf.
“These should do for the cakes,” she said. “I’ve got platters to serve everything else on.”
Clem suspected they had once contained chemical cakes.
“Great.” She began filling the containers with scones, which were now cool to the touch. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t get rid of me?”
“The thought never crossed my mind,” Victoria said with a mock-scandalised tone.
Clem chuckled. “If you say so.”