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05
Sept
Fantastic response to new Bilton coffee shop
The owner of a new coffee shop in Bilton has said it has had an “incredible reception” since opening last week.
Barnaby Skivington hopes that Ted’s On The Corner will become part of the community, a place where people can get together and watch the world go by.
Inspired by Harrogate town centre coffee shops such as Hoxton North, Mr Skivington is aiming to bring the same vibe to Bilton, where he lives. He said he has been delighted with the response so far, adding:
The area is very vibrant, with lots of people popping in while walking their dogs or taking their children to school. People who work from home have come in for a break. Everyone loves a coffee and a chat, and it’s the main reason we are here.
The dog-friendly cafe, on the corner of King Edward’s Drive and Bilton Lane, opened on Monday last week.
It offers a range of coffees and other hot drinks as well as cakes. Mr Skivington is also planning to introduce breakfast rolls and sandwiches in the near future. He said:
We thought it would be popular, but we are really surprised at how well it’s going already. A lot of the feedback we’re getting is that people like to have a local place to meet and grab a coffee.
It’s taken Mr Skivington longer than expected to launch Ted’s, after a change of use application was granted by the council in August 2020 following the closure of T C Tanning Salon.
He said the effects of the pandemic and the need to focus on his full-time work in the corporate world had affected his plans to open sooner, with the project “kind of limping along”.
After being made redundant from his technical sales role in March, he had more time to focus on finally getting the coffee shop open. He said:
I’ve never done anything like this before, but my partner and I saw a sign when the premises was up for rent and thought wouldn’t it be great as a community café. We’ve had an incredible reception and I’m enjoying it so much I’m not in a rush to get back to the corporate world.
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