A Santa-stic Day!

Hi Again

We had a great day on Saturday. I have never seen queues like it to see Father Christmas. It was simply amazing to see all the kid’s faces. The queues were so big my son Bobby had to give the kids AND adults sweets!  The kid’s loved the reindeers and horse and cart and Our Father Christmas was amazing , he never stopped all day, didn't even have time for a pee, although maybe I should check the grotto to make sure! He treated the last four kids the same as the first four . He worked flat out from 11.45 to 4.45 smiling and talking to all the kids and I owe him and the three elves a huge big Thank you for all their hard work.

The list of people to thank is endless. We had the Eastbourne AM Rotary Club here along with others bag packing on the day who managed to raise over £600 pounds for charity. The charity was Breakaway- a weekend break for around young disabled people. Everyone  was amazing . The day was co-ordinated by Peter Lindsey who worked tirelessly to ensure that the day was a huge success. Thank You Peter. We had Rik Scott from Sovereign FM , The Mayoress of Eastbourne, Carolyn Heapes, Christina Ewbank president of Chamber of Commerce and Mercedes Benz from Eastbourne, Sue Mulvey from the Esperance Hospital, Stephen Lloyd our local MP, Councillor David Tutt, Beverley Thompson from Southern Water here all bag packing.  A BIG Thank you to you all and to all the Rotarians that also helped to raise money for such a worthy cause. I would also like to thank Hayley Scott who was a real trouper and the staff from the Eastbourne Herald who took photos on the day,  the face painters and magician  Al Plonko who worked non- stop to entertain the queues of people. I would like to thank all the staff and management. I am sorry if I have left anyone out.  THANK YOU TO YOU ALL.

You can see loads of great photos of the day by clicking HERE

Seasonal Greetings to you all.

Bob

Thanks to All of Our Customers

Hi Again.

I would love to say a big Thank You to everyone who supported us in our Halloween project this year. What a wonderful success after 10 years without doing Halloween. Most of the staff in Eastbourne dressed up and looked the part which was great. Watch out for next year we know what direction we are heading.

Don’t forget our Father Christmas will be arriving in store on Saturday the 26th of November with his REAL reindeer. Come and see him and the grand opening of our Christmas Grotto at 12.00 pm. Bring the children it’s only £3.00 .  They get to see Father Christmas and a present. Great value for money.

David (you may remember him from earlier posts, the one with the hat) has come up with a fantastic idea for the disabled. We will re-open on the 6^th of December after the store closes at 5.30. We will specially re-open the store at 6pm till 8pm for Blue Badge holders and their carers. They will receive nibbles and a drink and more importantly have the store to themselves for a couple of hours to browse and do any shopping. If you are interested in coming along ring the store and let us know .

We have a great announcement to make: By the end of November we will start operating online sales. We are still currently developing the site so please be patient but it is definitely a step in the right direction for all our customers. Just key in www.esk.co.uk.

Don’t forget  we are still regularly updating our book section. Paperback fiction novels are £1.99 each or 3 for £5.00. We also have a great selection of coffee table book’s, autobiographies and children’s books all at great prices. Just in time for Christmas.

We have had Peter the poppy seller in store with his table of goodie’s. He sits there for 14 days on the trot voluntarily.  He does a grand job for a good cause. One year we tried him as Father Christmas but because of his shape we had to stuff him with cushions! Yes you’ve guessed it his trousers fell down, so I am sure you agree it’s best he sticks to selling poppy’s.

When it comes to this time of year it takes me back to when I used to work on the fairground’s in the summer I would be scratching around trying to earn a living which I did by selling Xmas paper on the street’s. I had a friend who had a café, his name was Jonny Mouser who we knew by the name of Micky. I would look after his café when he went on holiday. He was a really funny fellow and one day he asked me to help him down the stairs from his flat to the ground floor with a piano. We got out of the door and along to the landing OK until we came to a set of stairs. This chap came out to give us a hand and unfortunately we dropped the piano on him. We were horrified. He kept making these funny noises and we thought his was messing around and the more we laughed the more we squashed him. Little did we know at the time that he was deaf and dumb! I bet he has kept away from piano’s ever since. We got the piano down to the ground floor in the end and he saw the funny side and was a smashing bloke.  

Anyway, Thank’s once again for your support and hope to see you soon.

Bob

Bob & His Team Get Set for the New Season

Hi Again

Sorry we are running a bit late but we have been very busy. We have laid a new floor in our promotional area where we have also built a massive house for our Xmas products which everybody loves. We have also built a new Halloween Department at the back of our store with unique Scream Machine products it looks fantastic and is very very scary, the feedback from people has been amazing . We have really gone to town this year with Halloween after not running it for 10 years we decided to do it again in style. There is something for everyone at very good prices.

The Massive Halloween Display at our Eastbourne Store

We have started to put our Fireworks out also in store . Again the new range is absolutely amazing. We have big packs of Giant Rockets, Roman Candles, Barages, Mammoth Sparklers, Cake Fountains, Catherine Wheels, Pyro-Mesh Rockets etc etc. This Year we have a giant tv showing the impressive fireworks on sell.   On Saturday the 26^th of November we have got our very own Father Christmas visiting the store at 9.30 with a horse and cart to ride around the town a few times playing Christmas carols and waving to all the children It will arrive back at ESK for 11.30 for him to feed his reindeers. At 12 o clock we will have the grand opening of our Christmas Grotto where the children can visit Father Christmas and get a present. Tickets will be on sell for £3.00 at customer services beforehand. We will have our two face painters and resident majician Al Plonko performing free of charge too.

On Tuesday the 6^th of December we are opening the store between the hours of 6pm – 8pm for Blue Badge Holders and their carers . It would be helpful if this is of interest to you if you could email us to let us know if you are coming so as we know roughly how many people to cater for.

Getting Crafty!

Hi again.

Well we have had a busy summer, we have almost built the front to our Christmas Grotto and we are well underway with our firework department. This year I am pleased to say that we have our largest ever selection of fireworks where they will be displayed for all to see on a television. We are also getting ready for Halloween where we have a very impressive display for all to see and great competitive prices and choice available. We also have our brand new range of Windsor and Newton artists products available in store due to popular demand with all our lovely customers. Come and see our very impressive products.

Dave and Vanessa have been away on a buying trip to Holland and sent us back a picture:

A Nice Pair of...

                  ...Dave is the one on the right wearing the hat!

They were supposed to be working!!?

Well what do you think of all the riots and looters. We had a tip off that they were going to mob Hastings so we cleared the shop windows and filled them with security guards with baseball bats. You should have seen their faces they didn’t want to play. They didn’t need to be wearing hoodies when they looked in our windows one quick glance and they were off! We didn’t need to worry as the police did a fabulous job and kept them moving, so well done Old Bill. I heard a couple got put in prison for four years they should do the same as China. They don’t get fed until their families come and pay. It certainly isn’t like a holiday camp over there. I remember a few years ago three English guys went skint and stuffed a Chinese firm for a few quid and four years later they stupidly returned to buy again and got recognised and put in jail (not a nice place) and were not released until their families sold their homes and paid the debt. If you get shot in prison the first thing they send you the bill for is the bullet!

Don’t forget we have a free demo day in Craft on the 1^st of October from 10.30 till 3.30. Gaynor , Mandy and Ann will be demonstrating our new products and giving you the chance to shop for those hard to find materials and learn new things obtaining professional advice  remember  it is  a great day, free parking  with  free advice from Gaynor and her team.  Gaynor’s team have also offered their brilliant services to demonstrate at the 65^th birthday celebrations at Help The Aged store in Eastbourne town  from 10.30am till 3.30pm on Thursday the 13th of October. Esk helping the community again.

Don’t forget any of your Football Clubs and Sports Clubs if you are trying to raise money for new kits or funds  you are welcome to a day bag packing . Phone Linda or Scott on 01323 435500  to book a place.

Frites and Frights

Hi Again

I am having a break in France which is good as it gives me idea’s to improve the business and make it interesting.  One night in France we went to a street market and put out long benches and French and English people all mixed together with music and street entertainers. A bowl of mussels and chips for  8 euros and a bottle of wine  for 6 euros. It was a lovely family night with no yobs ruining things. Let me know your thoughts on us having a Thursday Moule and Frites night at the Craft and Gardeners Club.

 We are on the drawing board for our Halloween . We will be stocking approximately 160 items at great prices with a large range of £1.00 lines. You will love it!  Our store manager Scott Ellis is getting  measured for his mask and bat man outfit as we speak. Harry Potter has got nothing on us. The products will be on the website soon for you to view so let us know your thoughts we will have one of the best ranges in town. Don’t forget our large selection of Fireworks on sale all year round and our new Party and Tableware section  and our great selection of books which are updated regularly. 

We also have a vast range of Artists' products coming in soon  to run alongside our busy Craft Department. We will be stocking many lines from Winsor and Newton, all great quality for all you budding artist’s out there. We will catering for people on all levels. 

Have you noticed our advert for our range of Bordeux Furniture it is so good we have even been selling it to our French customers. Bloody Amazing. If you haven’t  seen it yet pop and see, its great value for money.

I feel like all my Christmases have come at once as the roadworks have stopped and the road is now open …. so no more delays in getting here and no more watching the work men leaning on their shovels, I mean digging up the road. Thank you for your patience.

Come and visit us, don’t forget we have a huge free car park, where you can even get your car cleaned at the same time.

Once again I would like to thank everyone who has emailed me and I am very grateful for all your interest and support.

Thanks Again

Bob

Whether the Weather...?

Hello All,                  


Well what’s happened to the weather? It’s shocking -we don’t know whether to stock flip flops or wellies!

I tell you what we are selling in  large volumes  - BOOKS - and  just in time for the summer holidays. At the back of our  Eastbourne store we have a large selection of paperbacks  priced at £1.99. There is also a great selection of authors such as Linda La Plante, Maeve Binchy, Susan Lewis, Lesley Pearce . We also have a large selection of children’s  and cookery books all at very competitive prices.

Don’t forget we stock the biggest party range for miles, to suit all your summer party and bbg needs.  We have a great range of grass skirts  and Hawaiian products  too and we’re are  licensed to sell fireworks all year round.

 Ozzie should be smiling at last, now he has stopped giving away free teas and coffees. To look at his face anybody would think we had asked him to give £10 notes away with each free drink. Poor chap!  If you visit our store I bet you can’t make him smile.

Last week we sponsored a Human Table Football Fest with Beachy Head Rotary Club, which was held on the seafront’s Western Lawns. The wind was so strong it blew one tent away and broke the pole on the main marquee. The only good thing  was my wife Marie was going to do face painting. She practised on past president Ray Groves.- what an improvement!

Before I go I must thank all you lovely people who have emailed me. It is lovely to receive your comments and support.

On a sadder note we brought some trees to plant on the boundary which looked very nice.  On Sunday night some yobs broke them. I can only assume they got pleasure out of it. (bring back the stock’s, that’s what I say!)  I do wonder what’s happening to the world sometimes …….

Regards

Bob

Getting Crafty!

Hi  it’s me again.

We have had our staff out on the streets of Brighton giving out brochures and promoting ESK. I sent my wife Marie along to keep the staff out of the pub and out of the bookies!  They like a bit of Bet Fred! Especially our own Handy Chair from Hollington.  She can also run fast which is good because they got moved on a few times! They got a very good response from the people who had heard of us and that knew about ESK.

The lads at the car wash have been very busy and have done really well with the discount coupons and Ozzie’s chin is even longer because of all the free teas and coffee’s. We can no longer call him the “Grinning Turk” but he is still selling his lovely cakes and freshly cooked meals.

Let’s talk about Craft. We are putting a new Artist section in consisting of paint brushes,oils, water colours, acrylics and canvasses. You let us know what you require. Just email info@esk.co.uk 

Continuing with Craft we have been full up on our Thursday club night but we still have spaces on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10.30 – 12.30. Please book , you will be made very welcome. Our next demonstration day is Saturday the 23^rd of July. Our demonstrators are Gaynor White, Ann Hyde and Mandy Russell. There are lots of new product and remember it’s absolutely Free of Charge. 10.00 -3.30. 

Please come along and bring your friends.

On a sadder note it is very sad to see the amount of shoplifting going on. The trouble is it’s what pushes the prices up, we all pay more, we catch them red handed and we ALWAYS call the police and have them arrested. The crown prosecution drop the case …..they wouldn't  if it was their own money. However it does not stop us giving them a red face. 

Serves em right!

Going for GOLD!!

Hi back again,

Didn’t little big head do well (only joking)? I am, of course, talking about our Famous Green Fingered Fred. Our resident garden guru was exhibiting at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show last month (May). He spent most of the time having his photo taken with the likes of Ringo Starr (bet he told him how to play the drums), Nigel Havers, Gloria Hunniford, and various other assorted big-wigs.

But what an achievement for him and his team to pick up a GOLD MEDAL at Chelsea, unbelievable.

Talking about gold! A friend of mine was mayor of Bexhill-on-sea, had a wonderful year, did a wonderful job  he had to hand his chain of office back I hope they counted the links, sorry Jim or should I say Councillor Carrol.

In my job I have to plan a long way ahead. At the moment I am working on our Halloween products because this year we are going to have the best Halloween display in the Eastbourne area. We have so many ugly people working here we must use their looks and mine to promote Halloween (I hope they still work here after reading this). We're also planning on building a huge Xmas grotto with a live father Xmas. I would like to hear your comments please. E-mail me at info@esk.co.uk.

Exciting Times!

Hello again


We have just got back from China, absolutely Cream Crackered I must be getting to old for this job if you have a nice steady job don’t try and nick mine. The prices are going through the roof. The shipping is getting expensive the hotels are getting very expensive (they double the hotel rates & exhibition times) if you want western food you have pay, we are up for breakfast at 7am have breakfast catch the boat just after 8am start work at 9am and walk, walk and walk talking looking for new ideas you find products then find they are not suitable for UK market.


You might negotiate for a hours and then find thy have made a mistake with the price that is why I pay for my kids to learn Mandarin most of the Chinese are nice vulnerable people but they do you no favours in business. We catch boat home to the hotel about 6pm have Shower go out to restaurant (very casual)then we meet fellow traders from all over the world socialise(no favours) we are very lucky Michele our agent has been going to china over 30 years and looks after our interest when we are not there , can
you believe( a cockney bubble and squeak) looking after us it was good to come back to busy store Fred has made our garden club so busy he really is a star(famous Fred) if you come to our garden club slip him a tip because he need a new suit for Chelsea Flower Show where he is showing his new gold leaf Clematis 9what a star) the Queen, Alan Tichmarsh, Peter Seabrook might as will stay at home that all for now see you soon. 


I must tell you we have a Lady called Luscious-Lucy who is in 70-s has semi retired jus does 3 mornings a week she has been with us 16 years we rescued her she was the pole dancer but she did not like the heights she just drive her husband “boot leg George” mad rest in peace as a special privilege we still let her keep her dirty books under the till.


Bob

The Story Continues

Hi there, back again. Hope you enjoyed the first introduction. It was good to see so many people at our last gargeners club day!

I haven’t seen the store so busy since we opened twenty years ago, we were mobbed! The car park was full to capacity, we had so many compliments and even Ozzie in the restaurant was smiling, which he doesn’t do very often.

Don’t forget our gardening club every Thursday 5.30 - 8.00pm. ‘Green Fingered Fred the Gardening Guru’ and his team of helpers and celebrities are on hand to give help and advice. Our next “open Day’ is on 11th June so make sure you put it in your diary.

Our Craft Club day went exceptionally well. By popular demand we have classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10.30am - 12.30pm. We also have a ‘Card Feast Day’ call Gaynor for details on 01323 435537. Gaynor will be demonstrating all our new products every Bank Holiday Weekend so don’t miss them. All those years ago when I was selling Christmas paper on street corners, all I used to worry about was getting my collar felt and getting moved on by “old bill’. How times have changed.

Off to China soon to try to source new lines and bargains for you all. When I first started travelling to China 20 years ago the food consisted of chicken claws, beetles and locusts. We couldn’t get western food on the street, although we managed to find a McDonalds. I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. By the time I returned to England I thought I could never face another Big Mac ever again!

My general manager, Dave, has been going to China with me for the last 15 years. He’s 6ft 5ins and really stands out from the crowd, the locals are amazed at his height. I never lose him in a crowd - his shiny bald head stands out like a beacon.

We now have a brilliant carwash and valleting service at the Eastbourne store which will leave your car sparkling, clean and tidy. Best in the area!

I look forward to seeing lots of new faces. Please come and ask to speak to Bob - I’m never too busy for a friendly chat. Good luck to all my dear friends.

Bob.

The Story Begins...

By Bob Beevis, Managing Director of E.S.K

Welcome to my Blog. I thought it was about time I told you a little about me and my company, and shared a few secrets with you.

Ever wondered what E.S.K. stands for?  Extreme Sensual Karting. Only joking, it actually stands for the two key trading counties for us, namely East Sussex and Kent. The full name did not sound snappy enough, so I started using the initials instead. It worked well for us and we've been E.S.K. ever since.

I started E.S.K. on August 16 1977, the day Elvis Presley died. There was only room for one of us. Over the past 34 years, I travelled many miles and met thousands of interesting people. Some were inspiring and helpful, others were less so. I am still in contact with loads of people with whom I've done business with over the years.  I've also visited countless countries, and still do. 

Anyway back to 1977. I had £500, a belief that I could do deals with people and the knowledge that I could sell. My first lucky break came when I saw an advert in a newspaper for a firm in the Midlands selling something called "continental quilts". This was cutting-edge, nobody had heard of the product before. 

I bought some quilts, pushed them in the back of a borrowed Transit van and  drove down to Hastings. Within two days I had sold them. Result! I repeated this process a few times, making a little bit more money each time.

My second lucky break came when a customer asked for 250 quilts. My initial reaction was "You must be joking!", but I quickly composed myself and assured him that would be fine. That customer was Brian Reade and his mother. Brian was to become a massive influence in my business life. 

I hired a lorry, went up to the factory and started loading the goods. The factory owner saw me at work and asked why I was only half filling the lorry. I explained that I had no money to buy extra. Without a second thought, the owner allowed me to have another two hundred "on account". Amazing.

I couldn't believe my luck. So I left the factory in the hired lorry, filled with 500 quilts. My next problem was that I didn't have enough money to buy diesel for the return journey. I pulled into Corly service station and sold a few quilts to other drivers form the back of my lorry, and to some of the ladies on the till in the shop. It was like taking candy from a child! I filled up the lorry, walked in the service station and got some dinner. It was the best food I'd had for a while. Egg and chips had never tasted so good.

I continued selling quilts to the lorry drivers twice a week for a couple of years. I'd earned enough money to open my first little shop in Hastings, called Jumbo Disco.  

In 1992, I teamed up with Brian Reade. We opened up our piggy banks and bought a site in Courtlands Road, Eastbourne. E.S.K Warehouses was born. It has served us well ever since. We have a great customer base and enjoy a strong relationship with the town.

Business went well and  a  few years later  in 1995 Brian and I found a great site in Hastings.  We bought the site and have been going strong ever since.

For those of you who haven't been to E.S.K., you don't know what you're missing! E.S.K. imports items from all over the world, real value for money. We stock approximately 45,000 items. There's a furniture department, rugs and carpets, household textiles, linens, stationery, garden furniture, pots, pans and cook wear. There is also a wide variety of children's books and toys. There's probably the biggest range of picture frames in the county.

We sell mirrors, big paintings, lighting and bedding. We believe we have the best range of pet products (excluding live animals, we leave that to the breeders). We have our own team of extremely talented resident demonstrators for arts and crafts in our Eastbourne store. We hold a Craft Club and you can email us for more information and even free membership. We've had a range of Sky TV stars along to the Craft Club to demonstrate their skills, including Allan and Barry, Dawn Bibby and Michelle Saxon. 

We also introduced some extra services for our lovely customers. We have a super fast car wash team waiting to give your vehicle a bit of TLC, and we have an excellent cafe and restaurant offering cooked breakfasts, lunches, snacks, teas and coffees.

Last, but definitely not least, we have the all-important superstar, Green fingered Fred. He runs a huge gardening department and is always busy. He has the best value plants and the freshest displays you have ever seen. He will be sharing his knowledge through a column starting soon in the Eastbourne Herald.

That's all for now, look out for my next blog.