In these cold months, nothing beats nipping into your favourite coffee shop for a warming brew or a strong pick-me-up coffee. The newest addition to Nottingham's vibrant coffee shop scene is the beautifully decorated Dispatch coffee shop on Goose Gate in the Lace Market.
The quirky cafe is a stylish addition to the street, taking over the former premises of Flavours sandwich shop. The cafe has been open for just six months but has already gained a strong following among Nottingham's caffeine and cake enthusiasts.
Manager Euan Lees, who is 34 and from St Ann's, said the idea for Dispatch came from wanting to provide a place where customers could get a 'consistently good' cup of coffee. Dispatches is owned by Naomi and Kevin Wright, also from St Ann's.
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"We had been running a couple of cafes and brunch spots for quite a long time. Naomi and I came up with the idea of opening something that was a bit different from the normal coffee shop and influenced by a lot of the things we were into, like films," Euan said.
"We are not so much a specialist coffee place as we don't want to compete with places like that. We know we can offer a consistently good cup of coffee and we also do excellent customer service, creating a really warm, friendly place to walk into. It's not often that you walk into places like that in Nottingham so that was the idea from the start."
The trio were inspired by other much-loved coffee shops such as Lee Rosy's which was once located on Broad Street but closed in 2018. They felt they wanted to replace the friendly, casual atmosphere that had regulars flocking to the cafe.
The cafe has been beautifully decorated with original features given a splash of colour such as the yellow winding staircase. The bright pink walls, green plants and comfortable green seating have brought the building up to date. Despite the quirky interior, the building actually didn't need a huge amount of work.
Euan said: "There wasn't that much to do. The place was completely white so we didn't have to do that so it was pretty straightforward. We have done a few cafes in the past where they haven't had as much colour and things to do but they have been way harder than this."
The shop has already started to attract regulars who enjoy the laid-back atmosphere as well as the excellent coffee on offer. Not to mention the selection of cookies, cakes and croissants lining the counter.
"We started to get regulars in the first month that we opened. We get a lot of regulars who like to come here to work or visit around morning or afternoon time. You see the same faces which is really nice and it tends to get really positive feedback which is lovely," Euan said.
The cafe offers a range of different coffees and is one of the only places in Nottingham to get a Spanish latte which uses condensed milk. Their carrot cake slices are one of the best sellers along with cookies from Block Party Bakery which is also based in Nottingham. The consistency and quality of the cakes, coffee and cafe are important elements to Euan.
"We do a full range of coffees including anything from double espresso to a Spanish latte which is becoming more popular. We do a cafetiere which is slightly different from what other places do. We do a lot of gluten-free and vegan options here too."
He added: "I'm proud of making sure that everything runs to this high level. It looks almost the same as the day it opened which is important to me as I want to make sure people have the same experience every time. They see the cafe the same way, the staff are the same and there is never a bad vibe."
The cost of living crisis has made it a difficult climate to open a coffee shop but Euan believes that businesses offering good products with excellent customer service can weather the storm.
"It's not too different from any other time as there are always problems that come up. It's a rough time for people personally and business-wise just trying to keep your head above water. At the moment, we are doing okay and hopefully, it stays that way."
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