From Monday 27 October to Saturday 1 November 2025 we ran a unit at Half Term Harvest, St Katharine Docks' autumn takeover, serving 11am to 5pm next to the Coronarium terrace.
Marina, half term, a dockside dressed head to toe in orange, and the longest continuous run we'd done to that point.
Most of our bookings are a single day. This was six on the trot, with a set pitch and set hours — closer to running a shop than working an event. Different rhythm entirely: you learn what sells on a Tuesday versus a Saturday, you restock every night, and you build regulars inside a week. Several people came back three or four times across the run.
We built a seasonal menu for the week: cinnamon lattes, pumpkin spice lattes, hot chocolates and the full espresso range, with the pumpkin and leaf latte art to match.
The Docks ran pumpkin carving alongside us all week, which made the whole thing family trade rather than commuter trade — parents on half term, kids covered in pumpkin, everyone stopping for a drink on the way in or out. It's a reminder that the coffee doesn't have to be the reason people come. It just has to be there when they do.
A single booking is a day's takings. A six-day residency is a week's trading with one setup, one negotiation and one pitch — and the second half of the week always outperforms the first, because by then people know you're there. For an operator, a run like this is the closest thing to a shop without signing a lease.
If you manage a site, estate or seasonal programme and want a unit for a week or a season, get in touch.
