ELEVEN months of rebuilding and repairs concluded with the opening of a town centre business’s new venture.
Chocolate Fayre owners Kenny Walker and his wife Sarah Wall bought the former Wilsons store next door to their premises and have overseen its conversion into a coffee lounge with outdoor garden to complement their existing facilities.
Entry to the lounge is either front the high street of from inside the Chocolate Fayre shop where a new door has been installed.
Kenny said the idea of the lounge came about as a result of covid. “When we moved across into number ten (Horsemarket) five years ago, we originally had tables and chairs in the shop,” he said.
“They had to be removed for covid and we never put them back in as they were getting in the way.
“Customers kept saying they wanted them back and despite having the secret garden at the back, the weather is not always ideal for sitting outside.”
When David and Pamela Wilson retired in 2022 after 15 years, Kenny and Sarah bought their premises.
“As well as providing an inside space for customers, we wanted to bring the building back up to a standard so that it’s here for decades to come, said Kenny.
“The whole interior was ripped out apart from one wall and it being an old building – the front part dates to the 17th century – there was a lot to repair. Just about every wall had to have something done to it.”
He paid tribute to the “creativity and construction skills” of the team involved in the project for creating a “fabulous” new space.
Kenny said the idea was to complement and not compete with other high street traders.
“It is a coffee lounge – a social space rather than a food space. The aim is not to be a cafe. We are not doing meals.”
