12 minute read
New Faces
Cassia
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Cesar's Coffee Bar Yarn For The Soul
One of the few positives to come out of a tough last couple of years is the emergence of a good number of new businesses breathing new life into our towns. Here are some of the new faces that have been making a welcome appearance on our high streets…
SpaNation Studio Bacchus Noah's Pantry
The Corsham Gallery
RETAIL CORNHYLLE
High Street, Warminster Cornhylle, which opened last July, is a tiny independent emporium of handmade crafts situated on Warminster’s high street. It is proving a popular destination shop with locally made ceramics, cards, lampshades, cushions and lino prints displayed alongside specially curated pieces ensuring that every visit is extra special. The unusual name is a nod to the history of the area ‘Corn Hill’ where farmers sold corn in medieval times. Owners Gaynor and Sarah are keen artisans themselves, and make prints, coasters, scarves, jewellery and wooden hares for the store too. Cornhylle is a vibrant hub for retail and definitely worth a visit! • instagram.com/corn_hylle
THE CORSHAM GALLERY
Martingate Centre, Corsham Following on from success at the Peacock Arts Trail in 2021 a group of seven artists have joined together in collaboration to open The Corsham Gallery at 15 Martingate, Corsham. The venture has been hugely supported by both the landlord and the town council. The artists involved are: Ali Haynes - Oil paintings and Resin Art, Joanne Spencer - Reduction Lino Prints, Emelie Hryhoruk - Contemporary Well Being Artist, Libby Mornement - Bloemen and Blue Cyanotypes, Jo Moorshead - BSPK Jewellery, Cheryl Cork - Ceramics and PJ Buchanan - Fused Glass.
These seven have formed a team of resident artists that will permanently exhibit in the gallery. They are also looking to work with emerging and established guest artists who will be able to have a space to exhibit their work in the window. • thecorshamgallery.co.uk
Cornhylle is a popular destination shop
DOROTHY HOUSE
Market Place, Warminster Local hospice provider and charity Dorothy House opened a new shop in central Warminster at the end of last year. The shop stock’s quality pre-loved furniture, clothing, brica-brac, toys and a selection of new goods.
Rowena Midgley, Head of Retail for Dorothy House said “We have had a presence in Warminster for some time and are delighted that our relocated shop is now open. It is exciting to welcome back both existing and new customers and has been really well received. Not only do our shops provide a large part of our income, but they are an important way to promote the Dorothy House brand in our local area. Please do pop in to drop off any quality pre-loved donations, to browse through our fantastic stock or just for a chat. Our team will be delighted to see you.”
The shop’s trading hours will be Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 5pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm. Dorothy House will be recruiting additional volunteers to work in the shop. If you are interested in a position, please pop into the shop or visit the Dorothy House website. • dorothyhouse.org.uk "Not only do our shops provide a large part of our income, but they are an important way to promote the Dorothy House brand in our local area."
to create a supportive workspace for small businesses and freelancers. • studiobacchus.co.uk
FOOD & DRINK
Yarn For The Soul's new premises has space to sit and enjoy a cuppa while you craft
YARN FOR THE SOUL
East Street, Warminster Yarn for the Soul is a multi-award winning shop specialising in natural fibres, hand dyed luxury yarns and beautiful knitting, crochet and spinning accessories. They stock West Yorkshire Spinners, Sheepjes, HiyaHiya, Soak, Knit Pro, Sirdar, Rowan and of course their very own brand of hand-dyed yarn.
Yarn For The Soul has just made the move to larger premises! Now in the centre of Warminster, the new shop has space to sit and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while you craft, a regular knit and natter group and room to run more of their very popular classes.
If you’re stuck for a gift for the crafter in your life, look no further! With gift vouchers and subscription clubs available there’s bound to be something that’s just right and if you can’t see it, Katie is more than happy to help put something special together. Call 01985 219737 or go to the website for more details. • yarnforthesoul.co.uk
WORK SPACES CASSIA
Avonworks House, Bradford on Avon Cassia is a co-working café on a mission to change how we work, eat and socialise, and after opening in Bath in February 2021, a second Cassia has now opened in Bradford on Avon. Cassia BoA is an adults-only café during the week, open to all and welcoming those who want to pop in and work for an hour or two. Upstairs they have sixteen desk spaces for hire, which will be opening next month, as well as a Wellness Studio with regular yoga and Pilates classes. Owner Anna Sabine says “I live in Bradford and I know that it’s been a bore being stuck at home during Covid. I’m hoping Cassia will help lure in the many professionals who live in and around the town and want to meet some new faces.” • cassiacollective.co.uk
STUDIO BACCHUS
Silver Street, Bradford on Avon Studio Bacchus is run by Ruth (an art therapist and artist) & Klas (an architect) and it provides opportunities for those who’d like the opportunity to work alongside like-minded individuals within a comfortable and relaxed environment. Housed within one of Bradford on Avon’s beautiful historic buildings with eight carved stone heads of Greek gods along the front façade, including Bacchus himself, the studio is just a 5-minute walk from the train station. They offer three different ‘co-work’ memberships starting from £16/day where they aim
CESAR’S COFFEE BAR
The Gateway, Trowbridge Cesar’s Coffee Bar has been earning a great reputation for its delicious Colombian coffees – served from its mobile coffee van – whilst appearing at local markets across the region. Now fans will be delighted to hear that in January Cesar’s opened its first coffee bar in Trowbridge! Located in The Gateway, just opposite the train station, Cesar's speciality Colombian coffee is ethically sourced, directly imported at a fair price and handroasted by Cesar himself! As well as fantastic coffee there are delicious freshly made sandwiches and lots of sweet treats on offer too. Cesar’s is open 7am to 5am Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sundays. • cesarscoffee.com
NOAH’S PANTRY
Bradford on Avon Marina Noah’s Pantry is an artisan grocery and coffee shop that opened in Late October in Bradford on Avon Marina. This new independent family business is the brainchild of Jacqui and Steve Hargreaves, who share a passion for good food and supporting local businesses, Noah’s Pantry is geared towards making the most of the region’s rich bounty, with no products travelling more than 30 miles to the store. As well as teas, coffees and tasty breakfasts and
lunches, they stock a range of home essentials that care about the planet, freshly made treats, homemade breads and more. Steve says, “The best part about shopping with us is you’ll know exactly where the products in your basket have come from; we aim to put the planet and its people first. This means we source with both miles and seasons in mind. Our produce will reflect what’s around us, ensuring we offer the real taste of Wiltshire and Somerset.”
In the weeks since they opened the welcome they have received has been superb. Jacqui added, “We are thrilled to have had a huge amount of support from the local community and reviews have been fantastic. Our aim is to be known for our great quality coffee, food and local produce so come and find us and give us a try!”
Noah’s Pantry is open daily (except Tuesdays) from 10am to 4pm. • noahspantry.co.uk
ESTATE AGENT EWE MOVE
Hill Street, Trowbridge EweMove Trowbridge has just opened a new office on Hill Street, Trowbridge, enabling the multiaward-winning estate agents to bring their expertise to Trowbridge high street!
The highly successful sales and lettings brand has recently won Silver Hybrid Estate Agency of the Year at The Negotiator Awards and Best National Lettings Agent at The Best Estate Agent Guides, both as recently as November 2021. EweMove Trowbridge is actually approaching its 6 year anniversary. Brian Marsh, Branch Director and owner, commented “We are really excited to be bringing our brand to the streets of Trowbridge, we have
had great success since launching and plan on continuing this with our new office where customers can call in for a friendly chat, free advice and guidance for any property matter. It is a great chance to meet and get further involved with the local community and bring our trusted award-winning service to even more people locally!”
EweMove operates a 24/7 service to ensure any viewing, enquiry, offer or application is never lost. With most people searching for houses online when they’ve finished work, or at weekends; this is when most agents are shut. However, EweMove clients don’t miss out and they get lots of enquiries during these periods.
Locally, EweMove has received a number of five-star reviews on Trustpilot with comments such as; ‘We had the pleasure of having Brian and Penny of EweMove Trowbridge selling our house. We spoke with a few agents to begin with but Brian & Penny were by far the best. Brian was excellent throughout the process. We had many viewings in the first week which ended up with us accepting an offer after only 12 days on the market’.
To find out how much your home is worth visit the website to do a free online valuation of your property or call 24/7 01225 430776 to book an appointment. • ewemove.com/trowbridge
LEISURE SPA NATION
Home Visits There are few things more relaxing than slipping into a luxury hot tub and letting the warm, bubbling water wash over you. A hot tub can be the perfect way to unwind. More and more people are hiring hot tubs from SpaNation for special occasions, including birthday parties, anniversaries, and romantic evenings with that special someone.
SpaNation is one of the leading hot tub rental companies in Wiltshire, offering spas perfect for home use and private events. Hot tubs can be customised to your needs, with various optional add-ons ranging from gazebos to lights and Bluetooth speakers. The team aim to provide the ultimate hot tub experience for their customers, providing a professional and stress-free service from start to finish.
SpaNation’s Long Weekend package is proving highly popular. With this generous package, you can enjoy a hot tub from Thursday all the way through to Tuesday, giving you a whole five days of use. Whilst everyone else is huddled indoors, you could be enjoying the warmth of your own private hot tub! • spanation.co.uk
INDEPENDENT THINKING
TOM O'HARE of SofaCo Plus discusses the challenges his and other independent businesses have faced during the pandemic.
The last two years have been eventful with the pandemic being the main event…. not mentioning a little heart attack! As a “non-essential “retailer we had to close our doors; our recently added garden furniture ranges did mean we were able to sit in the garden area in great comfort though - every cloud and all that!
With disruption to opening and changing government rules it wasn’t easy to plan a way forward. Meanwhile, a detached retina (and ensuing eye surgery) put a stop to me building my new website!
As if that weren't dramatic enough my manufacturers have endured an even tougher time. Staff sickness and raw material shortages had a huge impact on supplies, meaning the delivery of furniture increased from 6-8 weeks to over 20 weeks with some suppliers! Driver shortages then added another complication. It has been a testing time in all areas!
The good news is we are still here and trading thanks to the amazing support of past and new local customers. As many of you know my business is also my home, living above the shop (maybe I should change my name to Arkwright, Open All Hours!!!! Nooooo!!!)
As least being forced to close every day allowed some time to put some planned maintenance works into action. Firstly, we had the roof over the conservatory replaced and insulated, creating a better showroom space. We gave the place a fresh coat of paint too. With new items ready to come into the store, there are also some beautiful pieces on sale at bargain prices - come in to take a look! Our new website is also under construction and we are looking forward to launching in the coming weeks.
Recently, a customer, who is now a good friend was talking to me about my shop, and mentioned that his impression of my store prior to buying from me was that we were going to be way outside of his budget, and he was pleasantly surprised at the different ranges we offer at great prices.
In our 12 years of trading we have gained knowledge from our suppliers and feedback from our customers of what they like. As the pandemic eases, we take precautions to keep you safe within the store, and look forward to you coming in to browse, and are also on hand to offer help guiding you through the models and fabrics available. Finally, thank you for your continued support; we look forward to supplying Warminster and surrounding for many years to come.
Pop in and be surprised by the range of options and prices available
Tom (and Tosca)
...thanks for shopping local fti
LOVING YOUR SUPPORT... GREAT DEALS THROUGHOUT 2022!
01985 847031 • sofacoplus@yahoo.co.uk • sofaco.co.uk • 15 George St, Warminster, BA12 8QA
