Shopwatch

By jnorman

SHOPWATCH aims to keep readers informed about what's happening on their local high street and down the road at the village stores and farm shop.

We focus on the positive, highlighting whenever possible the shops and businesses that are trying to find ways to keep the customers coming through their doors.

JUST dreaming about running his own business wasn't enough for Adrian Gatehouse. After too many years working for other people and boosting their firm's profits, he decided it was time to stop dreaming and start putting all that effort into his own show.

The result is Adelec Electrical Supplies Ltd, which opened last week at 39 Brickfield Business Park, Gillingham. Adrian is the director and working with him is his son, Sean, aged 20 and in his first full-time job. Sean is handling the technical side – such as computers and the website – and is also learning the business ropes from his father.

"I've worked for so many years in the electrical trade and been in managerial positions with a couple of firms and I was getting pretty fed up with making money for other people," Adrian says. "I thought it was time I worked for myself. You don't get better motivation than being entirely responsible for your own livelihood."

Adrian is Dorset born and bred. His father, David, who retired five years ago after 40 years driving dustcarts for North Dorset District Council, is something of a local legend. Adrian himself is well-known in the electrical business, having worked locally and at a regional managerial level for other electrical supplies companies.

Adelec is able to supply anything electrical to the trade and the public – from a fuse to a freezer, with sockets, light fittings, cabling, TV aerials and amplifiers and a host of other things in between. White goods, such as freezers, are offered even though they're not actually in stock because they can be very easily ordered in.

Adrian's contacts mean he has excellent access to competitively priced stock. "I have fantastic suppliers – they're brilliant, which is a great advantage," he says.

Adelec's customer base is huge, as Adrian explains: "My main customers are local contractors and any business that uses anything electrical. We're also very happy to serve the public, too, as we're not exclusively for the trade."

As a sideline, Adelec is continuing a service which Adrian first started 20 years ago – making vinyl signing. "It's an in-house service," he says. "Anyone can bring a vehicle here and we'll make signs to go on the side.

"What I think would be really nice would be if an electrical contractor was starting up in business and he brought his van here to have signs made and fitted and at the same time filled up the back of the van with everything he needed in the way of electrical supplies. That would be just great."

Contact Adelec on 01747 822218 or www.adelecsupplies.co.uk.

THE continuing success story of The Beadster, the Shaftesbury-based business whose little shop has big ideas, has just had another chapter added.

In recessionary times it is hard to imagine that beads would be so sought-after, yet they are, and increasingly so. Latest proof of this comes from the recent London Fashion Week when up-and-coming designer Jasper Garvida asked The Beadster to get involved in his spring/summer 2010 collection.

The collection was shown at the influential On|Off exhibition in The Strand and was met with critical acclaim. His 'Las Meninas' (Maids of Honour), took inspiration from such icons as Lee Miller and Picasso and translated the 1930s influence with a vibrant colour palette featuring glass and wooden beads.

One of the highlights of the collection, and certainly the most talked about, was the 'Asahi' dress that featured flattened beer bottle tops and an intricate neckline embellished with beads from The Beadster.

Owners Ruth and Dennis Hughes were delighted with the results. They say: "At the time we couldn't visualise how some of the heavier beads would work with the fabric, but when we saw how they were being used, we were completely blown away by the design and craftsmanship.

"It's been an honour to be involved in this project. Jasper is incredibly talented and we think he has a huge future."

The Beadster is at Sun and Moon Cottage at the top of Gold Hill. Find out more on 01747 858719 or www.thebeadster.com.

THERE'S good news from Dorset's county town, where a report by its Business Improvement District (Bid) project has found that in recent months more shops have opened in Dorchester than have closed.

In the course of 12 months, 16 retailers have gone but more than 20 new shops have opened their doors.

Bid project manager Phil Gordon says: "I think it would be safe to say that Dorchester is doing a lot better than most. The town seems to be bucking the trend.

"There aren't many empty shops in the town and of those that are currently closed, around half are under offer."

One of the newcomers in the town is Eureka, which has opened in Tudor Arcade, selling the work of Dorset designers alongside ranges from internationally famous names, such as Cath Kidston and Designers Guild.

Eureka is owned by Tim Altham, whose business, Design Connections, distributes stylish stationery and fashion accessories from a base at Corfe Castle. Tim demonstrated his faith in his home county's prospects by opening a sister Eureka shop in Swanage just three weeks before the Dorchester one.

He says: "We think we have something unique to offer Dorchester, which we see as a great place to be trading in the times to come."

Designers from Dorset are responsible for Eureka's greetings cards and wrappings, as well as a range of contemporary eco bags which, Tim says, are leading the field in colour and design.

He adds: "We have produced the most ethical range of eco bags on the market. The content is entirely recycled, from old plastic bottles, and no one else is doing that with folding eco bags."

Eureka, Tim says, sets out to offer "an infusion of colour and design, across a whole range of products" – as many as possible from Dorset designers. "We want to support local artists and designers, and we are always happy to talk to them about their ideas."

● If you're in business, let us know what you're doing to fight the recession. Or maybe you're starting a new business. Email me with your news: rjs@deadlines.eclipse.co.uk or call Rosie Staal on 07759 115299.