Tag Archives: Yell

Ministry of Found RIP

18 May

So…that’s it.

It’s been an emotional (and sometimes stressful!) journey. It’s been like a surreal dream from thinking up the initial idea of starting my own pop up shop, to seeing it actually come to life. Not to mention working with some of my 90s music idols and organising a celeb-studded launch night. Madness!

Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. There are so many people to name, but special thanks go to the guys at Yell for supporting the venture from the start and all the experts who offered their pearls of wisdom – Savannah Miller from Twenty8Twelve, Lee Lapthorne at On|Off, Taryn Ross from Urban Junkies, Aysun and Morag at Selfridges and Dan Thompson from the Empty Shops Network. The team at Mixmag have been great supporters of Ministry of Found too and their help in getting the word out was invaluable in making it a success.

But most of all I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to read the blog and leave positive comments, all of you who came down to the Ministry of Found and visited/bid on my eBay auction. It’s been such an amazing experience and I’ve learnt so much. Plus, it’s all been in aid of some worthy causes: Centrepoint, Oxfam and the Jamie Oliver Foundation.

Keep an eye out for my next venture, whatever that may be. Thinking about it, the shed could do with a clear-out…

Some dance inspiration!

22 Mar

As you may have seen in one of my earlier posts, one of the things I have on offer down at Ministry of Found is 90s dance lessons… My choreographer friend, Emma is making up an awesome routine featuring some classic 90s moves to the tune of Day V Lately’s Pulse and Thunder. She has more energy than anyone else I know so be prepared to break out a sweat if you come along.

Anyway, to get you all in the mood, I hijacked a couple of offices last week and got people to show me their favourite 90s inspired moves… with hilarious results. Check out the video and book into a lesson via the Yell Facebook page.

Ministry of Found Dance & Music Exchange is coming!

11 Mar

Wow. It’s all go. So I’ve sorted the location, I’ve got the holy grail of dance music, Mixmag, on board and now it’s out there in the public domain – Ministry of Found Dance & Music Exchange is coming to you!

Pretty mad to see it all come together and announced on the Yell Facebook page. There’s no backing out now. We’ll be open for business on 1st & 2nd April, 11am- 6pm at Dray Walk in Brick Lane, London, with a pretty impressive list of stuff going on both days (even if I do say so myself).

There’s going to be rave dancing lessons with Mixmag and a choreographer (TBC) where you can learn or ‘refresh on’ some of those legendary 90s dance moves such as ‘Little Fish, Big Fish’, ‘Heavy Shopping’.  I might have a go myself, although not sure anyone needs to see that…

The rare vinyl exchange is finally going to make some space in my attic. If you come along to the store you’ll be able to rifle through my old records and potentially dig out some rare finds.  Or you can exchange some of your own collection for another record which catches your eye (of the same value, of course! We’ve got some top notch vinyl experts on board who’ll be on hand for advice on how much they’re worth). All proceeds will go to charity, but I’m still trying to decide which.

But the icing on the cake and what I’m most excited about is managing to wrangle a visit to the store from my absolute idols, Utah Saints! They guys will be down on the Friday for a Q&A session – I’m going to have to restrain myself for this one, I am probably their biggest fan. Make sure you get down to the store sharpish if you want to see them, there’s only so much room within the shop and if everyone is as keen as me, the place will soon fill up!

Still finalising some more details and speaking to some more DJs. Watch this space for updates. In the meantime, you can find out how to book your free rave dancing lesson at www.facebook.com/yell or email found@davylately.com with DANCE in the subject line. Get in there quick as spaces are limited.

Day V Lately and the new Yell ad

6 Feb

Wow! I’ve opened the papers today to see my old mate Day V Lately‘s face all over them! Well, a few of them at least. He said he had something exciting on the go but he didn’t mention it was the starring role in the new Yell TV ad. I should have guessed when he tweeted me looking for a copy of Pulse & Thunder…

The ad’s on ITV tonight at 6.55pm apparently. But it’s already on YouTube so here’s an early peek. Nice one Day V!

What’s that in your window?

18 Jan

I’m on a roll…

These guys really are the business when it comes to making your shop stand out… I learnt a number of great pointers from the window dressers at everyone’s favorite department store, Selfridges. Check Aysun and Morag’s top tips on making the biggest impact with the design of your pop-up store. The most important one…? “Don’t hold back!”

I shall bear that in mind.

So much to get sorted!

31 Dec

Blimey. I feel like I’m planning the opening of a new branch of Tesco. Except it’s more difficult for me, as I’ve never done it before and they’ve had loads of practice!

Seriously, who’d have thought that opening a little record shop for a few days to sell a couple of thousands of records would involve so much? I mean it might only be a temporary shop, but I’m having to think about everything you need to sort out when opening a permanent one. Which, it turns out, is a lot.

Given I already know what I’m selling – my vinyl record collection – the most pressing issue is where to open the shop. Location has got to be the most important thing to any shop, hasn’t it? You need to find somewhere where lots of people are likely to pass by. It’s also got to be close to where people who might be interested in buying something from my old collection live, or at least easy for them to get to.

I need to work out how the shop’s going to look. Do I want it to be basic and functional or entice people to hang around a bit longer by being more comfortable and welcoming? It seems to me that lots of pop-up shops are designed to be places where people get together, hang out and chat.

How am I going to make sure people hear about it and get them to come along? The shop’s only going to be around for a few days so I can’t rely on word of mouth over a long period. Promotion’s vital. Advertising, PR, online…I’ve got to work all of that out.

Last and certainly not least, how am I going to make any money?! I’m going to need to work out pricing that means I’ll not only get shot of all the records but that I’ll cover my costs and make a bit of profit too. That’s no easy task.

I’m going to need some advice. Luckily, the kind folks at Yell put in touch with some experts in the area. Together we’re going to pull together some useful hints and tips. I’ll be sure to share them here when they’re ready – and if anyone out there has any advice of suggestions of their own I’d be delighted to hear them!

Until then, it’s back to my list. Hope you all have a great New Year’s Eve!

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