Happy Birthday Dolly's and a Roller Skating Giraffe!

This weekend will be the first anniversary of Dolly's Tea Room & Wine Bar.  We started quietly and have become noisier as the year has progressed.  Having spent the first few month worrying that no one knew we were here, we are now delighted that people are still just discovering us.  At times we have been like an out of control giraffe on roller skates, but mostly we have enjoyed the ride, and the giraffe is now able to skate in a more refined manner, except for the occasional Triple Salchow.  We have been given a lot of advice and ideas over the year, the most successful being the cocktails in teapots and the Prohibition and Blitz nights.  The piano has added a wonderful side to the bar and we love it when people have the nerve to play it.  Be it Mozart's Funeral March (thanks Emma) to The Smiths and The Cure and of course our favourite - the theme from the Muppet Show!  

We have all of our original staff (except for Nicole who left to do a PhD in cabbages, as you do), who have contributed so much to the success of the business.  Staff training is more fun than at most companies as it involves drinking wine, gin and tea and eating scones and cakes.  We have had a lot of fun - exploding chestnuts at Christmas, the Thriller dance at New Year, dancing on tables, rodding the drains - crazy times.

Obviously is has also been incredibly tough too.  Setting up a new business in a recession is never easy and being in the centre of town is not the prime position that a lot of people believe it to be.  As Mary Portas says in her report on how the revitalise the High Street, make business rates for work the businesses, local authorities should use their discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses (and established ones for that matter) and local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes to entice more people back into the towns and not to the out of town supermarkets and retail parks where the parking is free.  If she had really done her research she would also have mentioned that having a friendly yellow Labrador wearing pearls on the premises would make people come back again and again.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us make our first year so successful.  Now for the Oscar Speech thank you's moment.....Wendy (what can I say), The Hollys (scone makers extraordinaire), Sarah, Nicole, safe hands Lillie and Vickie. Amelia (who sings like an angel), Hannah, Maddy, Mariya, Naomi, Rosa and Sharon.  Kev for the cocktails in teapots (and Robbie for drinking them), Ron from the Falmouth Bookseller for telling us what we should be doing (and Katie for keeping him under control), Paul, everyone from Amos & Penny, Fran, Adie, Adrian & Neil (wine quality control), Rupert and Adam (we haven't stopped laughing since New Year),  The Sellwood Clan, Nikki and Henrietta, Ruth (come back soon, we miss you), everyone at the Wheelhouse, Rob at the Church Street Deli, Gail, Clare and Jules (the bunting queen), and of course Hebe Dog who makes everyone smile,  and so many others who have supported us all the way.  Here's to making it through the next year

We are now VAT registered which is causing Dolly to have heart palpitations and she has taken to breathing into a brown paper bag, but on the upside this means we have had a very successful first year but on the downside means the prices at Dolly's have to reflect this. 

Now could someone please stop the rain - it is playing havoc with Gilbert the Giraffe's roller skating! 

;)