Chapter 13:
Preparing for Opening Up Shop
TO OPEN A SHOP IN THIS KINGDOM, ONE HAD TO register with the commerce guild, which was managed by the government. The main requirement was that the person registering must be at least ten years old, so I still had two more years to go. I had plenty of time left, but I thought it would be good to prepare everything early.
Meanwhile, I needed to decide what kind of shop I wanted to run, who my target customers would be, the layout I wanted, how large a garden to maintain, and from there figure out what sort of property would suit me best. Once all that had been decided, I would start looking for the right location to open my shop.
The only issue was the budget—or so I thought until I calculated how much money I actually had. Then I was speechless.
This is way too much!
I could afford property in the most prestigious part of the capital with this sum and still have enough to buy all the equipment I wanted, even fancy, custom-made stuff. Well, I had asked Father to save for my independence, so I supposed it was fine to use it for that purpose.
As I sat in the sitting room scribbling notes and sorting through ideas, Miina came in.
“I’ve made a new type of Danish. Would you like to try some as an afternoon treat?” She offered me a small dish with two dainty square-shaped Danishes, just the right size to pick up between two fingers. They were topped with custard cream and fruit, one with apples glazed with cinnamon and the other one with peaches soaked in syrup.
“Wow, they’re adorable!” I clasped my hands in front of my chest, delighted.
Kate had just prepared tea and set out a finger bowl for me as well.
I picked up the Danish and took a bite. The crisp, flaky pastry gently crumbled, blending the smooth custard cream with the tender sweetness of the simmered peach. The cream melted together with the pastry in my mouth. I took another bite, polishing off the peach one.
“It’s delicious!” The sweet Danish received high marks from me.
“Oh, I’m so glad! I came up with it myself and made it all on my own!” Miina beamed, her smile blooming like a flower.
Huh? She did? “Did you roll out the butter by yourself, too?” That part should’ve been quite difficult for a little girl, as I remembered.
“Oh, I sliced the butter thin from the start!” she said with a bright smile. “That way I could manage it easily!”
Wow, that’s clever.
Incidentally, Minna had received the Occupation of Cook at her Baptism. I couldn’t help but wonder if Occupations granted by the gods also influenced things like creativity and skill development. Both Bob and Maria had gushed about Miina and how quickly her cooking skills were improving.
“Were you working on your future workshop, Miss Daisy?” Miina spoke politely, but her curiosity got the better of her.
“I am,” I said. “There’s still two years to go, but I thought I should start planning what kind of shop I want. Oh, since you’ll be coming with me, do you have any requests?” I’d already wanted to check with Miina on the kitchen’s specifications, so now was the perfect time to ask.
But her reply was quite unexpected.
“Um… Do you think it would be possible to have a bakery attached to the workshop?” she said, fidgeting nervously. “I really want more people to try these delicious breads you’ve created, Miss Daisy! People could buy some to take home, or hungry adventurers could eat there. I just thought that would be nice…”
Bread was something both nobles and commoners often baked at home. It didn’t tend to rise well, and it was always flat and didn’t taste very good. Bakeries didn’t really exist yet as a concept. But it sounds fun!
“A bakery, huh? That’s really original!” I said. “It could fill the whole neighborhood with the smell of freshly baked bread, don’t you think?”
The aroma alone might be enough to draw in more customers. Miina nodded enthusiastically.
“Would you sit next to me for a bit, Miina?” I patted the empty space on the sofa beside me.
“Excuse me, then.” She bowed politely and hesitantly sat down.
I pulled out my notebook and began to sketch. First, there was the workshop building. Customers would enter through the front door and order at the counter. I would need special shelves for storing potions, enchanted to prevent degradation. The lab in the back where I practiced Alchemy would have to be much bigger than my current lab. I’d need space for bookkeeping and accounting as well. And to the left, there could be an open area with a few tables and chairs for people to sit and eat fresh bread. There would be a shelf to display sample loaves and a separate, sanitary shelf for the actual goods customers could take home. That’s where Miina would work. Finally, the second floor would be our living quarters.
I did my best to draw it all clearly, although my art wasn’t the greatest. Tee-hee!
“Wow, it’s amazing!” Miina’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she gazed at the drawing, her fluffy tail wagging wildly against the sofa. “Ack!” She quickly pushed her tail down, flustered.
She’s so cute!
“The building will have to be bigger if we add a bakery,” I said. “The kitchen will need a large oven so that we can bake several loaves at once, and maybe a smaller one for our own personal meals. And with a bigger building comes a bigger backyard, so I could have a larger garden.” I turned toward Miina. “If we do add a bakery, that means you’ll need to study cooking and baking even more seriously. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes!” she answered cheerfully, her eyes sparkling.
On the other hand, I would need to start studying bookkeeping and business management if I was going to run a shop.
✦ ✦ ✦
It’ll be a lot of work, I thought as I bit into the apple Danish.