Thank You

Those of you who may be living in a media free world might not know that Big Maggy’s Coffee Shop is now up and running. Our first customer was at 0650 on Monday morning and had a cappuccino to take away at ten minutes before we were supposed to open, (the only time recently that I have been ahead of schedule ) .)
I need to put in writing my sincere thanks to everyone who has been involved with this project and helped us take it from an idea and discussion point a few months ago to where we are now. A great many ‘friends’ have given up their time, and sometimes part of the profit margin, to help us out over the past three months and I really cannot thank you enough, but you all know who you are and more importantly where I am when it comes to payback.
All of the co-ordination of the painting, decorating and patching up has been done by Mike Mitch and we would have been stuffed without his help. He has managed several days of multiple painters and worked into the night on a number of occasions to get it right. Last Sunday I bought lunch for seventeen painting people and I know i had a few who were going home for a roast. Thank You Mike.
I am not sure that I have come across many thirteen year olds who would give up their entire half term holiday to paint garage doors, emulsion walls and sand window frames but Ryan did. Several times he put in days of 9 and 10 hours and by last sunday he was looking a bit tired. Notes to Ryan – Remember your homework, Tomato on a Pizza doesn’t count as one of your five a day and don’t answer your mother back as she has the power to ground you and take your bike away.
The Keighreys, Mike & Jules – the photos from New Years Eve are still safe so don’t worry. Painting in the sleet and snow has to be one of the more stupid things we did on this adventure of Big Maggys. Last Saturday at about 1530 the shop/cafe area started to take shape of its own accord. Jules was shifting furniture about with the help of Cherie (Keiths new squeeze and the kind person who drove me to hospital after my ‘horse’ incident last year) and it just kinda worked. Both Keighreys have been on hands and knees and in various positions over the last few weeks with a selection of paint brushes to get to the more intimate bits of Big Maggys.
The Laugeards – Neil & Sandra, telecoms and painting and filling and sanding and helping to sort out mess.
Peter and Gemma Derrick – lots of hours of support, child minding, painting, shifting things, New Years eve help, keeping Susan company so I could spend more time at Burrard street etc, etc
Peter Mitchel – Coffee at the Bean and a lot of painting and stripping
Design ace Des McClelland – From the start on the deconstruction sunday through the design phase of the wheel display products and the prototype bike storage system and bike display units.
John Pallot Brown & Kev Mahoney – never more than a phone call away and have shown Moffs the advantages of using power tools to get a job done a bit quicker. (Note to Moffs – on BM2 we buy power tools and a NAILGUN ) )
Keith Davis & Cherie – as previously mentioned plus a whole load of IT, AV and telecoms/apple stuff and a load of painting
Tim & Victoria Barnes – Sanding and painting and victoria is not quite a teenager yet.!
Nick & Jo LeCocq, Donna LeBlancq – more painting
Colm Bloomer (and his crew of people with robot legs for doing ceilings) – plastering and filling of holes and making good all the mess we caused.
Dave Wilson – Tiling and grouting and creating some exquisite bathrooms/shower areas
Arron Want (and team) – electrical services and a lot of VERY late nights to get the fire system in and the shop opened ontime
Satellite Steve – AV installation and late nights and a weekend doing so
Lee Holley – HR, recruitment, running about like an idiot doing all the little bit that we forgot.
David Warre (Cooper & Co) – explaining in words of one syllable how to ‘do’ a coffee shop and for a shed load of Barrista training
James – Marco’s sidekick who has endured hours of puffed up eyed because of allergies to Marco’s dog for driving the truck to and from the dump/Normans/Romerills/Ironstores/B&Q etc and for digging holes and creating dust.
Mike Moffa (Tony’s dad) – wallpaper hanging, keeping his sons in line and keeping Marco on the job
Marco Moffa – He is a plumber !!!!!!! only kidding, somehow he has kept up with unending grief from everybody around him and managed to work with his brother (for a change) to create Big Maggys. Thanks Marco
Martin McCrossan – Ideas, leads and door opening to a world of commercial cycling
Magnus Backstedt – for having the faith in the idea of a couple of unknown blokes from a small island to create a cycling based coffee shop and use your name above the door
Jemima – keeping with it and keeping Moffs the right way up, lots of painting and calling in of favours
Susan – support, support and more support. For being honest about things that were obvious to her but not to me, for not grumbling too much when I got home the wrong side of midnight or spent hours of an evening on the pc buying, mailing and blogging. Oh and a lot of painting. As I write this I know I am pushing it again and I’m sorry.
Tony/Moffaman/Moffs – for the immortal words ‘put your money where your mouth is and lets do it’. You and your skills have saved us a whole heap of cash and without that we would have been really seriously over budget rather than just seriously over budget. You really can wear your pants outside your tights (but not in the shop) and call yourself a hero.

It is always dangerous to create a list like the one above as I am sure there will be people who I have inadvertently missed off so I apologise now if you are one of those, it was certainly not intentional and I thank you so very much for your help.

Please remember that we are open for business and that we are primarily a coffee shop that is open from 0700 till 1900 (sunday 0800 till 1900) all year round. We accept cash and will be accepting cards very soon and we certainly accept sweaty cyclists who want to watch cycle racing on the tellybox with like minded company whilst drinking fantastic coffee and eating swedish styled cakes.

Big Maggys was created to be a cycling centered Coffee shop where the cyclist wasn’t expected to leave his/her pride and joy strapped to a lamppost. We are designed to cater for 30 or 40 cyclists turning up after a race or club run and in due course we will offer the Bacon Roll service we all desire. We offer a bike fettling service where we will sort those niggling problems of gears and brakes, tyres and wires before a club ride. The workshop will be open on a saturday from 0800 till 0850 for just those sorts of little problems. The answer to any ‘can you get me’ question will be yes and we will endeavour to be seriously competitive with all products that we sell.

Thank you again to all of you for all of your help over the past few months, there is a part of Big Maggys in all of you and I know of a large Swedish guy who was also really touched by all your efforts.

We look forward to serving you very soon.

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• March 3, 2010
• BY Ian Williams
• IN