Barely through the starting gate, and we seem to be encountering a few anomalies that need a sharp business skill set

Three weeks of to-ing and fro-ing the site and rush in to switch off the alarm, only to find its raw shadow on the wall. No actual alarm. Head spin moment. Where’s the alarm gone? Have we been robbed in the night? Who would break in and re-locate an entire alarm system? Very unnerved initially. Then after a frantic phone call, somewhat surprised to discover that some keys were still outstanding and that someone connected to the pharmacy had let themselves in and taken the liberty of removing what they believed was still theirs. In the fast world of business etiquette it seems that on occasions a fixture is not always a fixture.

Not long after the alarm taking a sabbatical, driving up the road towards the pharmacy on a nice bright afternoon. Double take. There appears to be a man up a ladder painting the gable end of the pharmacy. Surely I’m mistaken? Nope. That is indeed a man up a ladder painting my wall… and where is my sign? The huge 10 foot chemist sign that has been heralding the pharmacy site at least since the 80’s. Screech to a stop. Run up to said ladder man, “Excuse me, what are you doing?” “I’m painting the wall”. “Yes, I can see that. But who gave you permission to paint that wall?” “The owner.” “Well, that’s a bit difficult to understand, because I’m the owner and I didn’t give you permission”. “Oh, I see. Well, I was told the owner had given permission.” “Well, I didn’t. So please can you stop what you are doing, climb down the ladder and get in touch with whoever gave you permission to paint my wall and tell them I don’t want it painting? And where’s my sign?” “Oh, that. I think that’s long gone”. Heart racing. Ladder man calls his boss who calls his boss who meets me on site. Apparently its all a big ‘misunderstanding’. He was renovating his business and generously thought our wall could do with an uplift. Unfortunately my big vintage chemist sign was going to detract from his new signs underneath so the contractors were given a green light to remove the sign. My sign. Another example of modern day business etiquette that I need to catch-up on. A crushing example of one person’s treasure that is another man’s idea of rubbish.

How can a path lead to somewhere and nowhere at the same time? There’s a lot to understand about the boundaries at 382. Much has changed since the pharmacy was built in 1879. It’s fascinating looking at old maps and seeing the changes to the landscape surrounding it and the impact of development on the wider area. There’s a saying that ‘good fences build good neighbours’. But it’s increasingly clear after a couple of weeks owning The Pharmacy that the various ways that the surrounding spaces have been carved up over the years and developed mean that building good relationships in the community is much more important than building fences.