An artist and designer have combined their talents to open a gift shop in Harrogate.
Katie and Howard Shelmerdine opened Lighthouse Lane on Royal Parade.
The couple, who have two other shops, describe the venture as a “design-led gift, art, homeware and greetings card brand”.
Katie is responsible for the artwork and Howard specialises in the Yorkshire product range.
About half of the products are designed and often made in house.
Katie said:
“We opened our first retail store in Haworth in 2015. After welcoming our first child, we left our jobs working for a high street bank and decided to give running a business a go.
“We had no experience in the creative world but knew we were passionate about it and decided the time was as right as it could have been.”
They opened a second shop in Skipton in 2019 and have now set-up business in Harrogate. Katie said:
“We are very excited to become a part of the community of vibrant Montpellier independent retailers, cafes and bars.
“We hope that our store is a welcoming, fun and relaxing place to visit where you might find that special something to treat yourself to.”
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Harrogate McColl’s to reopen as Morrisons Daily
A Harrogate convenience store is set to close temporarily next week for refitting and rebranding works.
The McColl’s shop on Royal Parade, opposite the Royal Pump Room Museum, will close at noon on Tuesday, September 12 and reopen 10 days later as a Morrisons Daily. The changes will include complete rebranding and alterations to the internal layout of the shop.
The new-look store is due to reopen at 7am on Friday, September 22.
A Morrisons spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:
“The new Morrisons Daily fresh food convenience store in Harrogate will offer customers a carefully tailored mix of Morrisons own-brand products alongside branded favourites.
“As well as new ranges, the store will receive a complete redesign internally and externally, incorporating Morrisons bright, modern branding. Fresh food is at the heart of the store, and we hope customers will love it.”
The revamp of the Royal Parade shop is part of a rolling programme of works, as McColl’s shops are converted into Morrisons Daily stores following the acquisition of McColl’s by Morrisons last year.
McColl’s had 1,164 shops when it was bought out of administration by Morrisons in May 2022. Of these, Morrisons said it would sell off 132 which were loss-making, including the one on Harlow Hill. The rest – such as the Bilton store, which was converted last year – are to be rebranded as Morrisons Daily stores.
In a second-quarter trading update issued in June, Morrisons said the 400 stores it has converted so far had seen increased sales. It added that it now has almost 650 Morrisons Daily stores across the UK, and expects to have almost 1,000 by the end of the year.
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Brew Bar owner opens new Harrogate coffee shop
The owner of Brew Bar has opened a new coffee shop in the centre of Harrogate.
Simon Somerville-Frost, who has operated his original venture on St Winifred’s Avenue since 2018, opened the new coffee shop on Royal Parade this week under the name &… Harrogate.
&… Harrogate provides lunch and brunch as well as a wide range of coffees, pastries and bakes. It plans to transition to also operate as an evening bar in the weeks ahead.
It took about nine weeks to transform the former Gron building, which closed last year.
Mr Somerville-Frost said &… Harrogate was designed to look and feel completely different to Brew Bar, which has established a reputation as a community coffee shop in the saints area of Harrogate.
He said:
“We just decided to something totally different. It’s a completely different look from Brew Bar and a really nice space.
“It’s a natural evolution from Brew Bar. I didn’t want the space to look too ‘coffee shop’.We’ve gone for a quite darker aesthetic so we can transition easily into an evening bar.
“People feel comfortable in both environments and we are excited to get going.”
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