So I think we’re ready…
Another dash to the finish line, another To Do list to be ticked-off one-by-one, another Herculean effort buy the fabulous, fabulous Dock gang…
More sofas, new art, new tables and chairs, more Titanic stuff…
Loads of locally sourced ingredients – fresh buns and traybakes from the bakery, locally-produced coffee and tea…
Dock cafe is ready! Opening tomorrow at 3. Miss it at your peril…
A quick little blog before I hit the hay tonight. Dock Cafe is looking awesome as the team pull out all the stops to be ready for the Grand Opening on Thursday afternoon; over the last few days, more artwork has arrived, we’ve got some extra tables and chairs, a rather swish new leather suite, a working stereo system, a step at the entrance door, and a even a fishtank… (the names of the fish shall be ceremoniously revealed at the Grand Opening).
So just a quick message tonight to ask all you wonderful people of The Dock for help, on three fronts:
One – the final countdown! From 2:00 onwards tomorrow (Wednesday), we’ll be putting the finishing touches to the space to get ready for the opening. Whether you’re free in the afternoon or evening there’ll be plenty to do – wear old clothes if possible and arrive any time. By sundown tomorrow night Dock Cafe will be ready!
Two – brother, can you spare a dime? Dock Cafes don’t grow on trees – but it’s amazing how much difference some of your donations have made. Think of it like this: a £10 donation buys one Ikea floor lamp; £20 a barstool; £25 a gas refill for the heater; £50 buys the fridge (thanks Gumtree!); £100 a good-quality secondhand squashy leather sofa; £150 a heater… you get the idea! To make things even easier, you’ve maybe noticed that there’s a new ‘Give’ tab on the Dock website homepage; you can send a cheque as always, but now you can use the wonders of the intranet to donate through paypal without leaving your sofa. To everyone who is helping us make the Dock vision a reality and bring Dock Cafe to life – thank you.
And three – unleash your inner barista. Tegan, the wonderful Captain of the good ship Dock Cafe, is putting together a team of volunteers who can spend some time helping out behind the coffee bar. Much good craic, flowing coffee, interesting people and great times are guaranteed. You even get first dibs on the tray bakes. Just get in contact if you’re up for helping out…
That’s all for now – g’night! Up early tomorrow to meet the guy who’s connecting the water supply! They never trained me for this in minister college…
Yep – we’ll be seeing some great sights from Dock Cafe ‘s window these next few weeks…
Having a deadline worked out well for us in getting the basics of Dock Cafe up and running in time for Eamonn, so we’ve given ourselves another one! Next Thursday at 3pm is when Dock Cafe will open its doors. There are a few trifling little matters to sort before then, like having running water – but we’ll do it!
But I want to invite all you people of The Dock to get involved in more than just the grand opening. Dock Cafe isn’t just a one-off next Thursday; it’s a daily space for friendship, conversation, coffee, questioning, relaxing, connecting… It will be open 11-7 Tue-Fri and 11-5 Sat; the kettle will always be on; the local art, local music and local creativity will always be on display.
So make it your local! Call in for a coffee, or a chat, or just to read the paper and enjoy a bit of space.
We’ve been asking some local people (especially the ones supplying our tea, coffee, bakes, artwork etc) to provide a few quotes to display around the room – and Cupar Pilson, whose art will be on display in the unit, summed it up perfectly:
In our busy lives sometimes we must stop, relax, and enjoy two simple pleasures…looking at interesting art with a cup of good coffee!
Six days. An empty shop unit. A Meanwhile Lease. A vision for a pop-up cafe, a warm, friendly, beautiful community hub for this epic year in Titanic Quarter. And the deadline of a Songs Of Praise film crew, arriving to film some of their links and cutaway shots in a Dock Cafe that didn’t exist yet.
But our hearts did not fail or quaver: we knew who was waiting at the finish line.. He deserved our best efforts, our bravest attempt, our most courageous race to the end. We would…