A Nottinghamshire pub has diversified by opening up a grocery store and coffee shop within its premises.
And the latest additions to the traditional drinking spot are providing a hit with local residents.
The Marquis of Granby in Granby, Nottinghamshire, is owned by wife and husband team Sara Barton and Sean McArdle. The couple also run the Brewster’s Brewery at Grantham.
Sara said: “It has been such a challenging time for local people and the village store and coffee shop is proving to be such a lifeline. It is great to see members of the community come together for a coffee or tea and to socialise at the weekends.”
It is a nine mile round trip from Granby to the nearest supermarket and transport links are limited in the area.
Open during pub hours, the shop offers a range of essentials such as bread, milk, cheese as well as its own Brewster’s Brewery beers.
The coffee shop currently opens at weekends between 10am to 4pm and serves up coffee from local roaster 200 Degrees and cakes from Bristol-based baker Cakesmiths.
Marquis of Granby, run by manager Adam Purcell, is a traditional country pub that serves the village and surrounding villages. The owners say that the Dragon Street Store and Coffee Shop were opened to further support people living in Granby and the surrounding villages.
Sara said: “We have had such great support and positive feedback from local residents to the shop. The brilliant thing is that we also have lots of customers coming into the shop from the neighbouring villages who are also without any local shop.”
The Vale of Belvoir store and coffee shop were opened with the help and a Community Services Fund grant from Pub is The Hub, a not-for-profit organisation that helps pubs to diversify and provide essential local services.
Nigel Williams, Pub is The Hub regional advisor, said: “Both the grocery store and coffee shop are much needed in this area which has very limited local amenities. The village store has been great in helping to support those living locally and the coffee shop is really key in proving an opportunity for local people to connect and socialise.”
He added: “The pub is proving to be a hub for the local area and not just the village of Granby.”
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