clean with baskets full of gorgeous-looking local produce, fruit, vegetables, herbs, a meat counter, shelves laden with chutney, jam, marmalade, a counter with scrummy-looking homemade cakes. Another page showed a café which was located in a barn, but not like our shabby-looking barns – this one had been decorated and looked authentic, but was spotless and bright with smiling teenagers in green aprons behind the counter.
‘And there’s more,’ I said and pressed through to another page which showed an area with goats and chickens. ‘We’ve got it all here,’ I said. ‘We have the barns, the stables, the land.’
‘Amy, love, this sort of venture costs a lot of money.’ Mum had her worried face on again.
I wasn’t going to be put off. ‘No problem. We’ll put together a business plan. Get a loan,’ I said. All that watching
Entrepreneur Challenge
with Natalia hadn’t gone to waste.
Mum laughed. ‘Get Amy – businesswoman of the year.’
‘There might even be grants for this sort of thing,’ said Josh. He’d sat through endless episodes of
Entrepreneur Challenge
when Natalia had stayed for sleepovers.
‘What do you think?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already got a tea shop of sorts but imagine if we made it nice and decorated it so that people would actually
want
to come here.’
‘Well, I
could
make cakes,’ said Mum. ‘And jams and chutneys. Start our own business . . .’ She had a dreamy look in her eyes, but then looked round and put her ‘we’ve got to be practical’ face on again. ‘Maybe . . .’
‘Mr O’Neill could bring his vegetables,’ said Josh.
‘Good idea, Josh,’ I said. ‘I don’t think there’s anything like it around here, Mum.’
Mum nodded. ‘There’s the supermarket in the village and the café at the back, but it’s not really very nice.’
‘If we could make it really fun and pretty, people would come here instead,’ I said.
‘You’re right, farm shops
are
all the rage these days,’ said Mum. ‘People want to know where their food is grown, where it comes from, what it’s been sprayed with.’
‘Though it hurts me to say this about my sister,’ said Josh. ‘I think you might be on to something, Amy. What do you think, Dad?’
I felt a rush of excitement. ‘But that’s not all,’ I said. ‘The shop and the café could make money. The money could pay for an animal rescue centre.’
‘Running a café and shop
would
see us through times when the clinic is quiet,’ said Mum. ‘I’m not sure about a rescue centre though, Amy.’
Dad still hadn’t said much but I
knew
it was a good idea. I wasn’t going to give up. ‘People are getting fed up with big supermarkets, and smaller places selling organic produce are becoming really popular. We did a lesson about it at school. And . . . and . . . Natalia’s going to send me some fundraising ideas. And I bet Caitlin would have some good ones, too. We wouldn’t have to rely totally on the shop. We could run events, special sales – I don’t know, we’ll think of something. I’m sure people will want to help. What do you say, Dad?’
‘It’s definitely worth considering,’ he said, ‘but it would be costly. I just can’t imagine how we’d make it work. But let’s try putting together a business plan.’
‘Natalia could help with the plan,’ I said. ‘She’s a whiz at things like that.’
‘How old are you again?’ asked Dad.
‘Eleven going on forty,’ said Mum. ‘Richie, I have a good feeling about this. I can see it. “Silverbrook Farm Produce”. We need to do some market research and see what the competition is round here. There’s bound to be some but, Amy, you’re right. I haven’t seen anything like it in the local area. Josh, maybe you could design us a logo for the labels and advertising. Something showing the farmhouse, maybe in summer, with roses growing up the arch above the front door so it looks countrified.’
Josh got up. ‘I’m on it,’ he said. He
‘And there’s more,’ I said and pressed through to another page which showed an area with goats and chickens. ‘We’ve got it all here,’ I said. ‘We have the barns, the stables, the land.’
‘Amy, love, this sort of venture costs a lot of money.’ Mum had her worried face on again.
I wasn’t going to be put off. ‘No problem. We’ll put together a business plan. Get a loan,’ I said. All that watching
Entrepreneur Challenge
with Natalia hadn’t gone to waste.
Mum laughed. ‘Get Amy – businesswoman of the year.’
‘There might even be grants for this sort of thing,’ said Josh. He’d sat through endless episodes of
Entrepreneur Challenge
when Natalia had stayed for sleepovers.
‘What do you think?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already got a tea shop of sorts but imagine if we made it nice and decorated it so that people would actually
want
to come here.’
‘Well, I
could
make cakes,’ said Mum. ‘And jams and chutneys. Start our own business . . .’ She had a dreamy look in her eyes, but then looked round and put her ‘we’ve got to be practical’ face on again. ‘Maybe . . .’
‘Mr O’Neill could bring his vegetables,’ said Josh.
‘Good idea, Josh,’ I said. ‘I don’t think there’s anything like it around here, Mum.’
Mum nodded. ‘There’s the supermarket in the village and the café at the back, but it’s not really very nice.’
‘If we could make it really fun and pretty, people would come here instead,’ I said.
‘You’re right, farm shops
are
all the rage these days,’ said Mum. ‘People want to know where their food is grown, where it comes from, what it’s been sprayed with.’
‘Though it hurts me to say this about my sister,’ said Josh. ‘I think you might be on to something, Amy. What do you think, Dad?’
I felt a rush of excitement. ‘But that’s not all,’ I said. ‘The shop and the café could make money. The money could pay for an animal rescue centre.’
‘Running a café and shop
would
see us through times when the clinic is quiet,’ said Mum. ‘I’m not sure about a rescue centre though, Amy.’
Dad still hadn’t said much but I
knew
it was a good idea. I wasn’t going to give up. ‘People are getting fed up with big supermarkets, and smaller places selling organic produce are becoming really popular. We did a lesson about it at school. And . . . and . . . Natalia’s going to send me some fundraising ideas. And I bet Caitlin would have some good ones, too. We wouldn’t have to rely totally on the shop. We could run events, special sales – I don’t know, we’ll think of something. I’m sure people will want to help. What do you say, Dad?’
‘It’s definitely worth considering,’ he said, ‘but it would be costly. I just can’t imagine how we’d make it work. But let’s try putting together a business plan.’
‘Natalia could help with the plan,’ I said. ‘She’s a whiz at things like that.’
‘How old are you again?’ asked Dad.
‘Eleven going on forty,’ said Mum. ‘Richie, I have a good feeling about this. I can see it. “Silverbrook Farm Produce”. We need to do some market research and see what the competition is round here. There’s bound to be some but, Amy, you’re right. I haven’t seen anything like it in the local area. Josh, maybe you could design us a logo for the labels and advertising. Something showing the farmhouse, maybe in summer, with roses growing up the arch above the front door so it looks countrified.’
Josh got up. ‘I’m on it,’ he said. He
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