Time to start making the outside look like a shop. We start fixing up our wood panelling, which is made of recycled pallets supplied by the Southampton Wood Recycling Project.

Local graphic design company De5ign4 fit our lovely lettering onto the shop sign.

The stock starts to arrive…but the shelves aren’t quite ready yet!

Only a week to go, and we haven’t made our bread display unit yet!

Just in time - the bread display unit is completed and put in place. All ready to start showing off the delicious locally baked bread we’ll be selling.

Everything slowly starts to find its place in the shop. The display fridge and freezer are put into position; we’ve made the shelving for the fruit and veg, and our lovely wooden crates have arrived on time.

We start checking off delivery notices, and organising the stock room. Only a few days to go now!

The shelves begin to fill up according to our plans, and it starts to feel more like a shop and less like a building site…two days left to go!

Plenty of time left to learn how to use the tills…honest!

It’s the night before we open and it’s big smiles all round…or maybe just a bit of hysteria…