No. 214 High Street

The shop is starting to gain it's identity with all the doors and windows now glued in place.  In other Corner Shop kits I've seen done their creator usually places the store's name in the glass panel above the door.  I considered doing the same, but I've picked a name a little too long for the space (I'll reveal what it is next week).  The next most logical thing to have over the door is the street number of the shop.  I found some gold number stickers and randomly chose a two, a one and a four to create the address then used faux leadlighting paints to create a design around the numbers.

 I still need to get the signwriters in to add the store name above the windows, but overall the outside is now shaping up nicely.  I do have one problem however.  Now that the windows are fixed in place I can no longer reach through them to push the ceiling of the shop up to make the front pieces slide into place.  Nor can I wrap my fingers through the holes to get a good grip to pull them out again.  Downstairs, I can push the door open to do these things  but the top floor front has nothing at all to hold onto and no way to reach inside.  It is now almost impossible to get the top floor front open.  I wonder if all Corner Shops have this problem or is it just my alteration?  I have a feeling it's a flaw in the design of the C. Shop exacerbated by my alterations.  I've said before that I don't think DHE think through all their kits properly before releasing them and I'm rapidly becoming certain of the fact!

 I've been working inside the shop too with all the major structures of the ground floor now in place.  Along the back wall are three curtained booths.  The two at either end will become "fitting rooms" so the shop's customers can try on their wares in privacy while the centre booth will either be another fitting room or will showcase a gown on a mannequin.  The curtains are made from velveteen and pleated as usual by pinning them into shape on a foam board and spraying with starch.  In the far corner is a faux door leading out the back to the "stock room".

The stairs are still far from perfect, but I only have so much patience for sanding and by flipping them to rise from the back to front you can't really see the rough surface and resulting patchy paint work on the stair treads. Under the stairs is a built-in storage unit.  The lower section has faux cupboards while the upper section has open display shelves.  In front of this is a shop counter from my furniture stash with Dan filling in for the absent sales assistant.

In the centre of the floor is a round platform covered in more of the velveteen.  A display of dresses on mannequins will eventually stand on this.  A coat rack will go between the front door and the side window.  The only logical place left for a "husband waiting couch" is under one of the windows, but this means there can't be a display in that window.  I'm thinking it should be under the side window rather than the front one so that the blokes are further away from the counter and won't see how much money their ladies are spending.

My follower count is slowly climbing towards 200.  When it gets there, I'll hold a celebratory give-away as a welcome to all the newcommers and a thank you to all the older ones so please remember to keep an eye out for it to start.