Entries Tagged 'Retail & Shop Fitting' ↓

Published: Monday, October 24, 2011 at 10:12 p.m. last Modified: Monday, October 24, 2011 at 10:12 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY – About 70 students, including some who were previously expelled from schools and some with arrest records, will be transferred into Manatee County alternative schools after the School Board Monday night canceled the district’s contract with Richard Milburn Academy charter school.

Facts IN OTHER ACTION

In other Manatee School District news:• Problems continue to plague the district’s new $700,000 computer system for grades and attendance.The system, called Focus, on Monday could not handle the volume of teachers entering student grades on a day when school is out and roughly 2,700 teachers are required to record grades for report cards.District officials sent out an emergency note extending the deadline for grades to be entered until Thursday. it also ordered elementary school teachers to wait until Wednesday afternoon before using the system.Teachers complained earlier in the year that Focus often crashes or freezes and that grades that they enter are lost.

The vote, which effectively closes the Bradenton school, came after an investigation found the school awarded students credits and diplomas they had not earned.

The majority of the students will be assigned to Horizons Academy, the school where students arrested on charges of violent crimes or students thought to be a risk to other children are sent. Some Milburn students will be transferred to Central High School, an alternative school for students who struggle academically in traditional high schools.

“Some of the kids, just because they’re so behind in their credits, would not fit into a traditional school,” said Verdya Bradley, district associate director of innovative programs.

Manatee school officials recommended the closure of Milburn after an investigation found that only 26 of 54 students who graduated in June had met district graduation requirements.

Children at the school were sometimes excused from assignments and tests, and the grading system was amended so that F grades did not drag down student grade-point averages, the report states.

The academy, a charter school since about 1999, tries to turnaround troubled and struggling students. it has smaller class sizes than traditional schools and offers flexible schedules for students juggling outside jobs or caring for children.

Some of its students are adults over 18 working toward high school diplomas.

Those students will be allowed to enroll at Manatee Technical Institute, where adults and high school students take classes in job skills like web design, car maintenance and cosmetology.

Milburn employed six teachers and three administrators, according to Donna Eldridge, vice president of Richard Milburn Academy’s high school division in Virginia. Their last day of work will be Monday.

School staff are preparing an inventory of all equipment at the school, located on 17th Avenue West in Bradenton.

More than 3,500 students attend other Richard Milburn Academies in Florida and Texas. The U.S Department of Education awarded the school parent company a $1.5 million grant in September to open six new schools in Texas.

“There were students who otherwise would have not have been in school and would not have received their diplomas,” Eldridge said. “To me, that is the most important piece of what Richard Milburn has done in Bradenton.”

The majority of the more than 100 downtown business owners who showed up to a public meeting Thursday night want the city to allow more signs in storefront windows. The green dots were part of an exercise set up by city staff, and they stood for “acceptable.” A mass of them were placed on a large poster board depicting a business window almost completely covered with fliers.

Axel Mercier, owner of New Union Tattoo, and other participants didn’t like the exercise and said the posters depicting businesses with different amounts of signs didn’t give a good representation of what downtown would look like.

“It’s back at them,” he said of the participants’ choice to load the picture with the most signs with green dots.

The purpose of the meeting was to both get business owners’ input on a sign regulation that prohibits them from covering up more than 10 percent of their windows and to improve communication between city officials and the public.

The city council voted earlier this month to hold off on enforcing the regulation after business owners erupted with frustration. The city in 2008 amended a regulation that restricted the number of signs allowed outside a building’s storefront to include the number inside. but the city at the time failed to enforce the change.

Deputy City Manager Tony Caudle will present the findings from the public meeting to council on Tuesday, but any changes to the ordinance would likely take months.

“Do not expect us to take immediate action,” Caudle said.

Downtown Business Alliance member Chris Andrews presented findings of a survey of business owners that showed the more than 100 respondents wanted to change the sign ordinance and thought the city could be more cooperative and supportive of businesses. Andrews said he was pleased the city was taking steps to better communicate.

“I think this is a pretty good indication already that it is improving,” he said. “This is not an us vs. them. This is about us coming together and working together.”

Mercier said the city’s approach to the sign ordinance perturbed the downtown merchants.

“Because of that heavy-handed approach you’re seeing very bad reactions from business owners,” he said.

But not everyone wants to see more signs in downtown windows.

Mike Loch, who co-owns Crescent Moon in the Cotton Exchange with his wife, said: “I have a concern for an overabundance of signs on some of these businesses, but that’s a personal preference.”

Kelsey Gibbs recently opened her store, The wonder Shop, on North Front Street and has been hesitant to put any signs in her windows. She said she just wants to be clear on what’s allowed and that it is fair to all sides.

Hunter Ford, owner of Momentum on Front Street, said he was upset no council members attended the public meeting and that a questionnaire handed out to audience participants didn’t include an option to check for how he found out about the meeting – a flier in a storefront window. City officials say it was not on the questionnaire because the flier was not distributed by the city.

Council will consider the business owners’s concerns and whatever change members make, if any, will affect all businesses in Wilmington, not just downtown.

Shelby Sebens: 343-2076

Twitter: @ShelbySebens

Greggs hits the road with motorway deal

8:00am Thursday 20th October 2011

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NORTH-East baker Greggs recent appetite for trialing new markets hit the road again yesterday with the announcement it is moving into motorway service stations.

The trial alongside Moto Hospitality is the third diversification in the space of a month for the Newcastle firm.

It comes after Greggs moved into the trendy coffee shop market in September and announced it was to start selling branded sausage rolls in hundreds of Iceland shops.

Earlier this month Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan said the firm’s aim was to make it easier for both existing and potential customers to get its products.

It seems to be paying off with a general rise in individual customer spend at Greggs outlets to an average £2.30.

following yesterday’s announcement Mr McMeikan said: “Making Greggs even more accessible to consumers as they travel will, I hope, be welcomed by both existing and new customers.”

The trial is being undertaken in two Moto services, the first of which will open in Lymm, Cheshire, in December.

if the first year is successful then Greggs could be rolled out to at least 30 locations across the Moto network.

Mr McMeikan added: “I hope this will be the beginning of a long and successful relationship.”

The trial will see Greggs outlets operated as franchises for the first time and the viability of running stores in this way will also be an important part of the trial.

Tim Moss, Chief Executive of Moto said: “The brand fits within our leading portfolio of franchise partners and offers even more choice for consumers.”

It is another example of recent moves to trial Greggs in new markets.

The decision to extend the sale of frozen Greggs branded sausage rolls to more than 700 Iceland stores followed a three month trial.

It came only a week after the firm opened Greggs Moment, in Newcastle city centre, its first venture into the trendy coffee shop market.

It is also a trial outlet with the potential to be rolled out further should sales go well.

Despite a general decline in footfall on the high street, earlier this month Greggs announced that third-quarter sales to October 1 were up 5.4 per cent and like-for-like sales up 0.8 per cent.

Read these North-East Business News stories

DramaLore of the SeaMaritime Museum

Living on an island has given the Maltese an indelible link to the sea and a rich maritime heritage which began with the arrival of the first prehistoric inhabitants and rose to its height under the Order of St John and later as an integral part of the British Empire, we helped Blighty rule the waves. the Rubberbodies Collective – a multi-disciplinary artist collective has collaborated with the Malta Maritime Museum on a project aptly entitled Lore of the Sea – a devised performance based on the artefacts at the museum. which prompts the quotation by Liam Gauci – the museum’s energetic and highly dedicated young curator: “For the first time, the artefacts housed in the national collection have inspired an artistic performance, thus transforming this fantastic collection of memories. Through the performance, artefacts and stories are brought to life, enabling one to learn and appreciate Malta’s immemorial sea!”

The scope of the Rubberbodies Collective is broad and its interpretation and creativity was equally broad. It was in fact, a continuation of their White Sea performance at St James Cavalier, earlier this summer. Lore of the Sea was preceded by a short tour given by Mr Gauci himself, of the incredibly interesting collection at the museum – which is a vast edifice in itself – once the Forces’ Bakery, still under refurbishment and reconstruction as large areas are suffered massive war-damage. the converted spaces are lovingly managed with funding from Heritage Malta and the highly entertaining tour focused on maritime social history of the “Did you know…?” fun-fact variety and not of the boring dates and battles which deter students from this fascinating subject. this was history as it should be taught – a memory of once-living, thriving communities whose culture and habits we have inherited and made our own. the tour focused on those artefacts which inspired the collective’s performance – from boats, rigging and diaries, to dice, gambling and a dolls’ house – set to original music composed specifically for the event by Mario Sammut, with props and costumes by Matthew Pandolfino under the direction of Jimmy Grima.

Mr Pandolfino’s basic costumes were crucial to the idea of a flexible rubber body – baggy, elastic and flesh-coloured; they were the perfect medium to use in a quasi-sculptural manner to create a versatile combination of accessorised costumes and shapes.

The two moustachioed performers – Rebecca Camilleri and Ira Melkonyan portrayed two Maltese sailors (Mr Grima’s tour had previously enlightened us to the fact that only Maltese sailors were allowed to grow a moustache), who were smartly corseted (yes male sailors wore corsets for the sake of smart uniforms) and toiled at the mercy of the foreboding figure of Captain White (a mannequin in a naval uniform, painted a stark-white). Relying solely on the prepared soundtrack and on a mixture of mime and interpretive dance with a dash of tableaux-acting thrown in for good measure, the two performers managed to convey a flow of sensations and experiences related to the items surrounding the performance space – sometimes using the artefacts themselves as part of the performance. this was truly hands-on theatre and interactive history beyond the confines of warning signs and velvet ropes. the collective managed to weave a strong narrative thread by combining vastly different objects into one outpouring feeling of a life unravelling in constant motion. At a point corsets gave way to hoop-skirts and the sailors transformed into tow giggling young ladies, still sporting moustaches, before becoming startlingly aware of their drag and snapping out of it. this androgynous feeling goes beyond cultural and societal definitions of “standard” sexuality, if you will, and moves more towards the development of a humanistic thread unshackled by labels.

I particularly enjoyed the final scene where the two sailors first swim and then attempt to launch a boat, struggling as they do, against the hungry, foaming sea – physically translated into a visible aesthetic by means of a large roll with strips of paper which cascaded down into the performance space and which the two sailors lost themselves in – struggling against the waves and the choppy heads, and merging into animals (through the use of masks) into a fluid, visual performance. Completely textless but highly scripted, with the highly creative and effective lighting that was crucial to its success, the performance piece was a pleasure to watch because it hybridised several forms of artistic output in a very effective manner. Added to this was the beauty of the Vittoriosa Waterfront as a stunning backdrop to the post-performance drinks on the terrace of the Maritime Museum, making it a truly alternative and highly enjoyable night.

I mailed my credit card payment Sunday from St. Louis and it was going to N. Dakota it still hadn't made it there and i'm a little worried because it has never taken this long to make it there. is it possible that it was lost in the mail?

It could be delayed mail…
Credit card companies LOVE late fees and will do everything in their power to get them….they could be holding the mail in the mail room until after the due date.
Bottom line: use online bill pay to prevent problems.

Yes, it is possible – but not likely. Don't forget that it wasn't even picked up from the mailbox or mail slot until Monday.

I am looking into buying one or two reasonably cost snack vending machines. Preferrably under $1200. I would like to inquire about reputable companies that sell these machines, who are they?
Where are some good places to locate the machine and is a contract or fee paid necessary to the owners?

They are good money, but they work a couple of ways. You own one in your own location, and you stock it, its your own expense/proft. Or you get a company to come in to your location, they service, and fill, and pay you a portion of the sales. Depending on who you find, you don't pay anything and just profit share.

I have a child with a mild form of autism and have discovered over the years that some supplies or toys are hard to find and/or I've had to order them on the internet. I would like to open a store where someone could walk in and see the items/toys/books that are now available and can buy and walk away with the items immediately. there is so much available today but no shop to walk into and buy. Where do I even start with such a project? How do I find vendors? is this even a good idea? HELP..I'm passionate about this…

Start first with money.

Starting up a business tends to be very expensive and unless you are wealthy you will likely need outside investors (most often banks).

Before anyone in the financial world will invest in you, they will want to see a business plan.

The business plan blueprints all the details of your business. You will describe how your store will be set up, how you plan to make a profit, your market size, your supplier, etc. a well written and researched business plan can attract a slew of investors while a poorly written plan can leave your dream dead in the water.

Many communities have small business development departments designed to help people like you with business plans as well as the other schematics of starting a business.

Do your research and prepare yourself. done right, owning a business can be incredibly satisfying. however poor planning and lack of execution can literally bankrupt you and completely drain you physically and emotionally.

buy a few of those items you are most passionate about and put them on ebay. make a commitment to selling on ebay first. But before you even do that study ebay for a few months. Join some of the groups and learn from the mods. go to the post office and learn about flat rate shipping. Put a lot of thought and detail into your intro page on ebay. when you are ready test the waters. It will take about a year of so to find out if you are cut out for this type of work.

After some time you will either open an ebay store, or a brick and morter store. But there is a lot more to this than being passionate and selling items you like. It is a lot of hard work and money. not to mention time. can you take the time now to do this job?

You can also buy a few itmes and set up a paypal account and develope your own web page. I recommed Officelive.com It is a smaller start. Easy to use.

I need to know what would be the best cast vinyl for a decal to make for a car window?

Cricut vynil! For the Cricut machine! They sell it at walmart. I've used it for quite some time and I think it's the best

The kit, which contains two posters and a consumer-facing leaflet, outlines the positive role red meat has to play in maintaining general health and wellbeing throughout life.Butchers who are members of the Quality Standard scheme can request a kit by calling the scheme hotline.one thousand kits are available on a first-come-first-served-basis.Mike Whittemore, retail project manager at Eblex, said:

4 math books, 5 chemistry books and 3 language books are displayed on a shelf with math books together, chemistry books together and language books together. in how many ways can this be done?

?P? FORMAT

Do not be confused by the numbers. this question is not about 12 books. It is about 3 groups of books. Since the books of each group must stay together, there are only three things to sort.

There are 6 ways you can organize 3 things.
1 2 3
1 3 2
2 1 3
2 3 1
3 1 2
3 2 1