Everyone know coffee shops are a dime a dozen. Everywhere you go, you'll find snug little cafes full of cushions and rickety benches, with cute blackboard signs in the windows and happy little green plants by the till. I'm pretty sure if you climbed to the top of Mount Everest you'd find one... attached to the gift shop.
But for us, the best part of coffee shops & bars has, and always will be, the people. You can fill a room with all the cushions, plants, blackboard signs & tasty cakes in the world, but what gives a place real character is people! Ask anyone who's ever worked in hospitality and they'll tell you, the best part about those dreary winter mornings, and the late late nights is knowing that come rain or shine, your regulars will be there! There's something familiar and predictable about 'that guy who always does the crossword in the newspaper', and 'those ladies who come for coffee before the school run'. It's such a great part of the job, to be a part of people's routine and daily life.
And then you get the special occasions! They're even more fun for us, when people have birthday parties (and always give us cake!), and some numpty decides to get the shots in...even if it's only Thursday night & the babysitter's leaving at 10pm. We take great pride in being a place where you can enjoy a bottle of sauvignon blanc with the girls the night before, and still be in with the kids to get your morning coffee the next day!
So it's in the name really, whatever we do, it's always social. We are, and always will be, a place for people. And after a whole year of being open (can you believe it??) we've gotten to know more people than we ever thought possible! We've had some interesting challenges (who doesn't prepare for a pandemic after all), but really, we've had a blast. So we look forward to the next year!
- Sam & Louise