Lockdown Diaries Copper 29

To keep all our businesses fresh in our minds (and not just the shops!) we’ve been asking a few of them to tell us more about themselves; how they are getting on during lockdown and what they are missing most about our town.

As part of our Lockdown Diaries Sandra Curties, Town Centre and Marketing Officer for Knutsford Town Council spoke to Dolores & Vicky of Copper 29 (on Top Street)

Tell us about your business?

We opened our doors in February 2020, which as you probably all agree was not that long ago but now seems like an age ago. Two families run Copper 29 – the Assinders and the Fishers. We were only open for six weeks when Coronavirus hit. We tried to stay open for as long as we could offering takeaways and implementing social distancing measures. However, when we went into full lockdown, we reluctantly closed our doors. We miss our customers a lot but know both they and us need to keep safe. Our aspirations for Copper29 are a bright and welcoming cafe by day and a relaxed wine bar/bistro Thursday to Saturday evenings, offering a delicious creative small plate menu from around the world. We plan to use seasonal and artisan local produce where possible. Our staff are all local to Knutsford which was paramount to us when began the business.

How have you been helping customers during this time?

We maintain our contact with the town and our lovely customers through social media. We are Twitter fans. We will increase our activity once we are able to open our doors and can welcome customers – new and old.

Can you share what you have applied for in terms of grants and funding?

We were very grateful to receive the small business grant from Cheshire East Council and the regular “Lockdown updates” from Knutsford Town Council.

Where are you up to with putting plans in place for when Knutsford re-opens?

We are still busy! We have been working closely with our interior designer from Through the Looking Glass to turn our current space into a bright and stylish venue on Princess Street. We are also wasting no time in seeking out a selection of exciting new wines to accompany our menus. Copper 29 when it re-opens should be different to the one that closed!

What message do you have for other businesses?

We can hope that by maintaining social distancing and adhering to government advice, we will soon be able to resume our normal daily routines. Obviously, we do not know when that will be and that is worrying especially for those who work in the hospitality industry. We do feel your pain. When we re-open it seems highly likely there will be social distancing still in place and we are incorporating that into our layout and design. The strong community in Knutsford, we think, will be even stronger afterwards. People are missing popping into town and just having that social interaction.

What do you miss most about not being open?

Obviously our customers but also fellow businesses. Both were lovely in welcoming us to the town when we opened – everyone was so supportive and encouraging. We know that Knutsford will rally together to support its communities, both business and socially in the coming months and we look forward to belonging to a vibrant community.

Vicky still pops over to the market each week as part of her shopping trip and stocks up for both families and to support those local businesses that remain open. Jane at Jonty’s is always cheery and supportive and offering a wonderful service to the community. Mike Brown from The Market Butcher continues to support the town for which we are grateful and will look forward to using them once Copper29 can reopen its doors.

Lockdown is over where will we find The Copper 29 team?

In our cafe! Vicky is currently busy developing inspired healthy menus, which she will create with enthusiasm and passion along with our team of Chefs once we open our doors. Our front of house staff is keen to return to work and looking forward to welcoming our customers and serving our delicious speciality coffee from Iron and Fire, which in the few weeks we have been open has become synonymous with Copper29. We are closely monitoring the government advice and are eager to offer a takeout service once again prior to a full bistro opening. We will let the Knutsford community know via social media and information on our windows once this is feasible.