06
Feb
GALLERY: Harrogate wine bar and shop officially opens
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An upmarket wine bar and shop in Harrogate held an official opening last night (February 5).
Wine merchants Ake & Humphris opened the doors to its Oxford Street wine bar in December but last night celebrated the occasion.
Attendees included Tom Gordon, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Liberal Democrat MP, who was recently hospitalised after an ulcerative colitis "flare-up", and Fiona Movley, chair of the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals.
Ms Movley cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the site, which was formerly occupied by shoe shop Shuropody.
Ake and Humphris' Paul Auty said:
Independent businesses are the soul of the high street, and after 15 years, we are excited to finally come into the town centre.
Our business has always been built on people first, and we have hung our hopes on genuine human interaction. We hand-pick our way through thousands of bottles each year to ensure we are advocates for wine know-how, simply shared.
The opening was long-awaited, after Ake & Humphris revealed plans to transform the site more than a year prior.
Mark Hinchliffe, former owner of The Chapel on Harrogate’s Grove Road, designed the interior of the unit.
Founder Jonathan Humphris said:
In an era where many high streets seem to be giving way to takeaways and betting shops, the opportunity to offer something a little different is very important. We wanted to create an experience — a cosy getaway where you can enjoy good wine and good conversation in an environment a little better than the ordinary.
You can find photos of last night’s event below.
Leeds Road expansion plans
Ake & Humphris opened a small in-store wine bar at its Leeds Road site in January last year following an “amazing response” to an outdoor pop-up bar in 2024.
But the company wanted to expand further and submitted plans seeking approval to convert a storage area at the rear of the site into a bar.
It came after the existing outdoor seating area on the Leeds Road side of the site proved popular, and the company wanted to offer a bigger, more permanent bar that can open all year, no matter the weather.
Ake & Humphris proposed to serve a range of alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as cold meats, cheeses, bread and olives.
The application was approved in December.
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