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24
Dec 2024
‘I will miss the regulars’: popular Harrogate bar owner calls last orders
One of Harrogate’s most popular bars will call last orders for the final time tonight.
The Disappearing Chin, which was founded by husband and wife Jack and Hannah Woodruff, has served drinkers on the town’s Beulah Street for the last six years.
Serving a range of craft beers, cocktails and wines, the bar was home to a collection of loyal regulars, who knew it affectionately as “the Chin”.
But now, the couple are calling time on the pub.
Finding inspiration
Jack first came up with the idea of running a bar while travelling in Australia and south-east Asia.
He had spent time working a as a duty manager at a bar in Newcastle before moving to Harrogate with Hannah.
Before returning from travelling, he pondered the idea of opening a place of his own.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Jack said his time away had given him space to think about what he wanted to do next.
I was just trying to make that decision on what I was going to do next. I couldn’t really decide, but I always kind of thought that I wanted to own a bar in the long run.
Jack took inspiration from his favourite bar in Australia — The Little Guy in Glebe, Sydney.
Our favourite bar in Australia had this big bar. It was sort of like one room with a big bar. It had a little bit of other space, but everybody wanted to be at the bar.
You’re sat at the bar or you’re stood waiting for a seat at the bar, drinking and waiting. You wanted to be with the barman or barwoman. That’s what we wanted to replicate.
It was the first place where me and Hannah loved going.
Jack took inspiration from the long bar which punters had to gather around to order drinks.
The long bar inside the Disappearing Chin, which Jack took inspiration from Australia for.
The design encouraged people to drink and talk alongside one another and the Chin has the same feel. The long bar from one end of the room to the other is often packed with people speaking to each other or speaking to Jack himself.
The location on Beulah Street is also ideal, with one entrance from the town centre side and the other onto Station Parade next to the bus station.
But what about the name? Where did the inspiration come from?
We really tried hard to come up with a name. We wanted it to be unique and we wanted it to be memorable. If you saw it as a tourist on a list, you’d be like: ‘wow, that sounds interesting. I would like to go there’.
We couldn’t come up with anything that was any good, really. We had loads of ideas, but nothing grabbed us.
Then, one day Hannah said: ‘why don’t you name it after me?’ When she laughs, her chin goes into her neck. So, I said: ‘what am I going to call it? The disappearing chin?’ And, it stuck. Every time we returned to the conversation, we thought that it does everything that we want it to do. Let’s run with that.
Those looking for a locally brewed IPA, stout or lager would feel at home in the Chin. The bar has prided itself on supporting local breweries such as Turning Point, Daleside and Harrogate Brewing Co.
But Jack has also sought to bring in beers from further afield, such as Australia, to offer something new and different to punters.
Long nights and conversation
The last six years has been full of highlights for Jack.
Long nights chewing the fat with regulars and hosting the Battle of the Breweries, which had its last outing on Thursday, are among the highlights.
However, the late closes and 11pm clean downs have taken their toll.
The Disappearing Chin on Beulah Street.
On December 8, Jack and Hannah announced to their thousands of followers on social media that they would be closing for the last time.
In the post, the couple said they were “absolutely gutted” to make the decision.
Jack told the Stray Ferret that the time had come to close the Chin’s doors because he wanted to focus on his young family.
Realistically, it doesn’t quite fit our lifestyle anymore. With the late nights and weekends, being this sort of size, I need to be there for most of them. I’m responsible 24/7 for the place.
It doesn’t fit where we’re at. We’ve just had a little girl and priorities have switched. I’d love to keep it going as a distant manager, but it’s just not at the place where that could happen. I’m looking forward to having a bit more routine and family time.
He adds that it's a tought economic climate for local bars. Energy bills have gone up and the rising cost of living has impacted trade, with more people thinking carefully about going out for a drink.
Will he miss it though?
Jack points to the nights with a full bar which is brimming with conversation and people making new friendships. Conversely, he also points to the quieter days, usually a Monday or Tuesday, when he and Hannah have sat in an empty bar playing games or making silly videos.
I’ll miss that side of it. I won’t miss the stress and I won’t miss the finishing late. I definitely won’t miss the clean downs, that’s my least favourite thing.
But I will miss the regulars. Basically, the people who have kept us going for six years. I will miss seeing them as often as I do. The good thing is, we all drink in the same places other than here. So I know that all the people I’m going to miss, I’m going to see them again in the other places I go.
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