Local couple to run café bar at new Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery
A Shrewsbury-based couple are to run the café bar at the new Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery once it opens on Tuesday 1 April 2014, and say they can’t wait to get started.
Mike and Nicola Dalton opened the stop. Coffee Shop in St Julian’s Friars in Shrewsbury in 2012 – and have this week signed a lease to run the new stop. Café Bar, which will be located on the ground floor of the new museum, within the ex-Music Hall.
The Museum & Art Gallery will open its doors to the public on 1 April after a ground-breaking restoration project that has cost more than £10m and seen two buildings – Shrewsbury’s Victorian Music Hall and the 13th century Vaughan’s Mansion – renovated and restored to create a vast new museum and spectacular gallery space, together with function rooms.
As well as the café bar, Shrewsbury visitor information centre and a shop will also be housed in the building.
Nicola Dalton, co-owner of stop., said:
“Having successfully opened our first coffee shop, stop. nearly 18 months ago in St Julian’s Friars, we are really excited by the opportunity of working within the new Museum & Art Gallery.
“We are an independent family-run business and have built our reputation at stop. by providing a warm, friendly welcome in a unique and colourful setting. The interior of our new cafe bar, including the large courtyard area is bright and vibrant and perfectly complements the beautifully restored Music Hall.
“The new cafe bar menu will allow tourists and locals alike to sample some of the best food and drink Shropshire producers can offer. Everything from homemade cakes, chutneys, bacon and beer will be sourced locally. We are looking forward to being an integral part of this impressive project.”
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for business growth, said:
“The café bar will be a really important part of what we offer to visitors and I’m pleased that – in Mike and Nicola – it will be in such good hands. I’m delighted that it will be run by a local couple with an impressive track record of running a successful and popular coffee shop, and I’m really pleased that they will be serving locally-sourced food and drink. I’m looking forward to visiting the stop. café bar for coffee and cake once the Museum opens its doors.”
Further information
Mike and Nicola are both residents of Shrewsbury and have lived in the town for most of their lives.
Mike spent 20 years working in corporate public relations, the majority of that time spent in Birmingham and London. Working for a variety of high profile organisations (Royal Mail, British Rail), in 2012 he decided that he wanted a new challenge and one away from the field of public relations.
Nicola worked in childcare for many years, latterly as a project worker for a children’s charity – the Pre School Learning Alliance. This included working with children visiting their parents in prison. She obtained a degree in Primary Education in 2011, began teaching and then helped set up stop.
To speak to Mike or Nicola call 07834 718176.
