It's seven years ago since the Old Flower Shop opened as a craft beer bar. But a lot has happened in the world since then so the owners have decided it's time for a change.
The bar, in Woodborough Road, will close for around 10 days from 5pm on Sunday, September 11 for a £175,000 overhaul. Co-owner Callum Wightman said the end result would make it look like a brand new bar.
There won't be any major structural changes but when it reopens the Old Flower Shop - they are keeping the name as it's so well known in Mapperley - will have ditched the wood-heavy interior. Instead, the bar will have a "softer" look with a palette of green, pink and gold decor. And living up to its name there will be blooms, flower pots and a faux living wall. The televisions, which haven't shown sport for a while, will be removed.
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The outdoor seating area is also having a makeover to make it cosier and more inviting. But the different look is only part of the new direction. The bar is busy on Friday and Saturday nights and for brunch at the weekend - and that will remain the same. But a greater emphasis will be placed on the daytime trade, especially now more local residents have swapped the office for working from home.
Callum said: "It's going to look brand new. We are looking at softening up the inside decor. There will be brand new furniture, brand new flooring, brand new lighting and a brand new back bar. We are putting a skylight in the back room so the roof is coming off to brighten it up in the daytime.
"Since the pandemic we've been doing quite well. We're lucky to be in a great position and in a great area, so we are just moving with the times. It's going to look very different. We did talk about changing the name but it's a well-known name in Mapperley so we didn't want to scare anyone off."
The menu is also being rejigged - some of the less popular items will be removed while new dishes are being been added to the breakfasts, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers and mains. New dishes include pastrami hash, a falafel bagel, philly cheesesteak sandwich and a red lentil dahl curry. More vegan and gluten-free choices will be available both when it comes to food and the kind of milk used for hot drinks.
Callum said: "We're going to offer a brand new food menu. We use local suppliers for everything, cakes are homemade from a local supplier and the coffee is from a Nottingham supplier and the breakfast will be as well. We are looking at getting people working from home to come up and have a slice of cake, have a coffee, have a catch up in the daytime. There's a lot of residents around here.
"It's on a lot of people's doorsteps as well, it's not just Mapperley, you've got Carlton, Gedling and Arnold - we're in the middle of a huge area. The pandemic was rough for everybody. We just want it to be a nice place for people who haven't seen each other for a while to meet up."
The decor hasn't changed since the Old Flower Shop, previously a florist's hence the name, opened in 2015 and it's still in good shape. Callum said: "We've had a lot of feedback from customers about the refurb and everyone is quite excited about it but we do get comments like it still looks modern, it still looks new. People have said 'What are you doing this for?' but you've got to move with the times - or get ahead.
"We have been quite busy since Covid. We're on a very good high street, in a great community. Our night-times have been amazing and the weekends and we're not looking at changing that. We are still looking at cocktails, prosecco and some drinks offers for people on Friday and Saturdays."
Hospitality consultant Matt Shelton, who has been working on the refurbishment plans with the Old Flower Shop, said: "It's always been a craft beer bar. That was the trend at the time. It was sports, craft beers, burgers and wings when it first opened, we're looking to come away from that. It's taking it more to a daytime place that sells beer in the evening.
"Since the pandemic there's more people working from home so there are more people in Mapperley at this moment than there are in the city. People are using their local high street more.
"People who are sat in their bedrooms or tiny little offices to be able to come out for a coffee, somewhere that's nice. The coffee's good, the cake's good, the food's good so they can get out the house. In particular with winter drawing in, working from home on your own is no fun. Rather than video conferencing it's so much nicer to meet in person for a coffee."
A greater choice of soft drinks and low or no-alcohol drinks will be on sale. "Twenty five percent of young people don't drink at all so beer is of no importance to them," he added.
One man, who used to work in an office but is now home-based since the pandemic, already visits the Old Flower Shop with his laptop a couple of times a week
Self-employed mortgage broker Ryan Joyce, 34, of Mapperley, said: "I'm a ten-minute walk away. I often come for a spot of lunch and to get some Wi-Fi.
"I used to have an office down the road but pretty much now nobody does face to face anymore so we work from home but it's always good to get out of the house so a couple of times a week I come down here and have a coffee. It's really good."
"The staff leave me to it - they come and check on me and get me some water and coffee or whatever I want. It makes a big difference for me. I need to get out of the house sometimes. I love working from home but you need that change of scenery every now and again and they have a nice relaxing space, it's not too loud, it's not too rowdy, it helps me get some work done.
"I think [the changes] are really good."
The Old Flower Shop is set to officially reopen on Friday September 23 at 9am. Fixtures and fittings that are no longer needed are being sold off. That includes light fittings, chairs, shelving, partition windows and fixed seating.
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