That was the week that was

Here is a photograph of me ( middle )with some of my team at Saab Design 2005

I am not sure whether this was a good week or not.
There is no question that it will be one to remember.
Decision made, it was a fantastic week.

This is going to be an enormous flywheel that could be difficult to get going at first but the inertia that will be created will make it difficult to stop.

Plans B,C& D are now on ice. Sorry Trollhattan no fish & chip shop just yet. You'll just have to make do with Pizzas and kebab.

Back in 2005 GM announced that Saab Design would close and move to Russelsheim which it did in 2006.
Both my studio colleagues and I went through exactly the same agony.What were the alternatives ?? Russelsheim was not an option, A dark grey city in the middle of a country that I have never been particularly fond of living. ( My apologies but I miss the elements that makes Sweden special for me )

All possibilities were open for future career opportunities.
Within my team we discussed it almost every day.
More as a joke than anything else I got locked on two ideas.

1. A fish & chip shop - As I mentioned in an earlier blog Pizza,Pizza & Pizza is on the Trollhattan take away menu.I have a friend from my childhood whose parents had a F&C shop close to where I lived. Eventually he took over and created a chain of F&C shops and made a fortune. It was called Pete's Plaice. I could do this over the whole of Sweden and maybe compete with Ronald Macdonald. The one thing that deterred me was that I didn't fancy the idea of smelling of old frying oil.Prada and Versace are more in my line.
I will continue this story as it is connected to idea number 2


2. Idea number 2 was an internet launderette. For those who are not familiar with launderette's it is where you can do your laundry.
The concept came to mind as Trollhattan high school was become a university.
An influx of 10000 new students mostly from 18 - 22 were to descend upon the town.

The concept was to offer a cafe with internet connection where the students could sit while doing their laundry, chat,mingle,surf or whatever.
This was a sure winner as here in apartment dominated Sweden you need to book a time in the communal washing room. I figured students would find it difficult to work with this concept preferring more to " drop in "


The reason these two ideas are connected is that one of the guys who worked for me ( Erik ) was one of life's wonderful characters.I have my arm around Erik in the photograph. The whole team had hours of fun at his expense. Never cruel he enjoyed it,he felt loved and wanted which he was.
I teased him that he would be the ideal person to run my two money spinning ventures.
Erik is a jolly good natured man who can talk and laugh for Sweden. If laughing was an officially recognized sport in the Olympic games he would win gold for sure.
Erik would be the perfect front man to success.

In addition I teased him about running the launderette.

The design of the cafe would be such that it could take 20 washing and 10 drying machines. There would be a room or passage way behind the row of machines that when people put the money in it would go straight into Erik's pocket..black money.

Erik's bonus I assured him was that he would get the additional benefit of dealing with attractive young girls and their various forms of ( minute ) clothing

Pure fantasy but we had a lot of fun.

This journey has not been at all the same. Much more serious and much more concerning, but today I feel great. It is both Friday and I can put the last 13 months behind me.
This definitely was that was the week that was.

OKSAAB