Wednesday, 7 April 2010

60 SECONDS INTERVIEW: Elliott Dodge

ELLIOTT Dodge’s family have been in the pub industry since he was a child.

His parents Brian and Gloria are successful publicans running The Poet Laureate in Poundbury and The Wiseman in West Stafford.

They recently took over as owners of The Market House in Bridport where Elliott is now the manager.

Elliott grew up in Bridport and West Bay and met his wife Sharon there.
The couple have a daughter Harriet, stepson Callum and a family zoo of pets.

After a previous life as a successful salesman with Volkswagen, Elliott took the plunge into running his own business two-years-ago.

He purchased Hair by David with his partner Sharon who had worked at the hairdressers since leaving school. After his success with running the salon, Elliott was appointed manager of The Market House.

Despite running two businesses Elliott still finds the time to nurture his love for music, running his own record label and presenting a weekly radio show in Greece.

WHAT does The Market House offer Bridport?
It really is the place Bridport was missing. We are not here to tread on other business’s toes but to attract more people to the area. With so much good local produce, the food and drink is excellent and the atmosphere is like nothing else around.

HOW have you been settling in at The Market House?
The ambiance of the premises are perfect, it feels like I’ve been here forever. We have a team of well mannered and professional staff, the business is running smoother and smoother and the food is getting better and better. It’s a joy to be here.

HAD you always planned to follow in your parents footsteps?
No, like a lot of things in life you never set out to do, opportunities arise and for me it was to grab the bull by the horns and go for it. My parents are not getting younger so I wanted to step in and eventually give them the well-earned break they deserve.

YOU run two businesses in the town, what is the secret to your success?
Both businesses need to be approached with complete professionalism; they are both different and run differently. You have to have the desire to take responsibility of your own future. I’m lucky that I have my wife Sharon by my side, we work as a brilliant team.

DO you prefer to be behind the bar or in the salon?
Honestly I enjoy both. My wife takes care of the front of house in Hair by David, there is such a nice atmosphere in both establishments, clearly there is no favourite.

BOTH businesses are very sociable, why do you think you were attracted to them?
I am very much a people person, I’m sociable, I like to talk to people. You can learn so much about so many things and I’m interested in what my customers have to say.

WHERE do you see yourself in five years time?
When I think back over the last five years so much has happened, Sharon and I have achieved a great deal together. I’m sure opportunities will arise, so with a lot of thought and consideration I will let you know.

WHO would be your three dream guests at a dinner party and why?
Keeping it simple, both my grandfathers, I would love to have a chat with them and I would have to invite Jamie Oliver, I think he’s a great chef and what a laugh he would be.

IF you won the lottery how would you spend the money?
I don’t do the Lotto, the odds are no way in my favour. But if I did and won, well I would make sure my family were well catered for.

WHICH three items would you put into Room 101?
First up would have to be man flu, get rid of that, just no need! Next up would be people who queue jump, the English have it off to a fine art, and last but by know means least would be caravans, sorry to all caravan lovers.

WHAT was the last book you read, film you watched and CD you listened to?
I’m an avid James Patterson reader, I try to read all his books. The last one I read for the second time now is Kiss The Girls a really good solid thriller. I do enjoy a good film, scary, funny or outright silly but I haven’t had chance to sit down long enough to watch many movies or go to the cinema. The last flick was Sherlock Holmes, it was good but not what I thought it would be. Music is a big player in my life, I also run a record label, where I release across the globe incorporating elements of electronic music. So I get the chance to listen to heaps of promotional demos months before release, every week I sit down and go through them picking out the ones I may release or I want to play on my weekly radio show that’s aired in Greece.

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