As part of WACA’s Learning Visits programme, we’re connecting with established community businesses to gather practical insights and lessons learned. These visits help us understand different models of community ownership and operation, providing valuable guidance as we develop our own local initiatives. Each visit offers a unique perspective on what makes community enterprises thrive.
Operating since 2014 as a Community Business Asset, this unique enterprise combines a shop, café and art gallery under one roof. Open from 9am to 3:30pm daily, Earlams operates with three volunteer shifts and is governed by a Management Group of eight people organised into three teams for the shop, café and art gallery respectively. Their staffing model includes a manager working five days a week, a relief manager covering two days, and approximately 40 volunteers who receive comprehensive training in areas such as alcohol licensing, health and safety, hygiene and allergen awareness.
The business has created a welcoming community hub that goes far beyond retail, offering children’s play areas in the garden, French Boules, regular ‘knit and natter’ sessions, and community courses in flower arranging and art. Their commitment to community involvement extends to purchasing a defibrillator and offering training, demonstrating how a community business can serve broader social needs.
From our discussions with the Earlams team, these valuable insights emerged:
Seek accreditation to strengthen funding applications (they achieved the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service)
Adapt your stock based on what people actually buy, not what they say they want
Maintain profit margins of at least 70% for café operations
Understand that community enterprises require more people to operate than initially anticipated
Their approach shows how combining retail with arts and community activities can create a sustainable business model that truly serves as the heart of a community, with funding secured from diverse sources including Manchester Airport, the Co-op, the Lottery and various arts organisations.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to John Novak for his time and openness in sharing the Earlams journey with us. His practical insights into adapting business operations based on real customer behaviour were particularly valuable. Our appreciation also goes to Ian Alderson and Vanessa Barry from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and documenting these important lessons about combining community retail with arts and social activities.
