Coffee shop owners forced to shut up shop during the pandemic and reinvent the business in a mobile trailer have opened a pretty in pink new home. There's no missing the eye-catching container in Colwick Park, which opened on Wednesday (March 8) serving warming cuppas and filling snacks.
Très Gretton-Roche and her partner Vanessa Gretton-Roche had owned Wired coffee shop in Pelham Street, Nottingham, until Covid hit. When it reopened after lockdown, the city was like a ghost town, making trading unviable. It left them with no option but to close.
Instead of wallowing in despair, they came up with the idea for Wired on Wheels, a mobile coffee trailer, serving the same calibre of drinks and food that the bricks and mortar cafe was known for. The venture was so popular that they have now moved into more permanent premises in the same park location overlooking the lake.
Keep up to date with all the latest food and drink news by signing up here
The new outlet was an eBay purchase - a German cafe container that had been in London's Green Park for 13 years was up sale. The transformation took two months, with Très putting in the hours on her two days off from serving at Colwick.
She said: "It was in a terrible state internally so I had to refloor it and rebuild the counters. We had this amazing artist Fish Fingers Wrapped in Ham, who did all the paintwork on the outside. I couldn't be happier, It's absolutely brilliant."
Deliberating over a new name they came up with Wired in the Pink Palace.. One bonus is more space; another is not having to tow the trailer twice a day.
Even on a cold wintery day, customers were taking a seat at tables outside the Pink Palace. With dog walkers, cyclists, runners and open water swimmers it's surprisingly busy.
Nothing warms them up like one of the coffees, with a choice of americano, latte, espresso, macchiato and cortado. There might not be as many takers for a frappe, iced latte, milkshake or Italian gelato while temperatures plummet to three degrees but hot chocolate topped with cream and a flake are all the rage.
The same baker who supplied Wired's cafe still makes the same delicious Bakewell slices, brownies and rocky road cakes. The ginormous croissants come from Welbeck Bakehouse. Other snacks include sausage rolls and waffles. At the weekend breakfasts of sausage, bacon and egg buns are served. Whatever the day, there's also a healthy range of vegan and gluten-free options, both savoury and sweet.
Très said: "It's not a pile it high, sell it cheap place. That's never been what Wired is all about, It's quality. We are really careful about who our suppliers are. We've got the best sausages from Tuxford butchers in Netherfield. We will be looking at making sure people are getting what they need when they come here. We are quite out of the way so when you get down here you want good stuff.
"That's what it's about for us. It's not about the profit, it's about the experience and making sure what we're doing is the best we can do," said Très, who was a psychotherapist for 20 years until she had a complete career change, opening Wired in 2013.
The pandemic was the nail in the coffin of what had been a successful coffee shop in the city centre. When it reopened after lockdown in May 2020 Très recalled: "It reached a tipping point where putting more money in, we knew it just wasn't going to work, with social distancing rules and the way Wired was so small.
"It was over two floors but because of the access point we couldn't use downstairs so we could only seat 12 people. That was less than a quarter of what we could have fitted in so it made it completely untenable.
"We did do a leap of faith and bought a small trailer and came down here," said Très, admitting to a tiny white lie. "Vanessa is the rock - I have all these ideas, She said go down and see if this is tenable. I came down on a Saturday and stayed an hour - eight people walked by. I went home and I thought I can't tell her that so I said there was 80 people and she said right ok we can make that work."
It wasn't easy working in the condensed space, but it went from strength to strength. "There's this beautiful community of swimmers, cyclists, runners, walking and at weekends it's so lovely. We are chokka - busier than I ever was at Wired in town. We must get 200 to 300 people. It's a beautiful lake, it's a beautiful park and it's one of Nottingham's undiscovered gems."
Très has become accustomed to working outside in the cold and is wrapped up in a warm coat, hat and gloves. The only downside is the lack of electricity and water supply. "We have generators and water butts. I do miss the beauty of just walking in and switching the lights on. I don't miss the bills though. I don't know how some of the smaller independent coffee shops are coping. It's horrendous."
She said she couldn't have done it without the support of Vanessa, a pilates instructor in Sherwood. "I am the hands-on one here but it really is that old adage, behind every good woman there's another amazing woman."
Swimmer Rob Clapham, of Sherwood, said: "It looks absolutely incredible. The food is amazing. The sausage rolls and range of mochas and hot chocolates are fantastic. It's just what you need when you've come from a swim in cold water in the park. It enhances a beautiful spot even more."
Pippa and Richard Manby, who live near Cambridge, stumbled across the Pink Palace while walking their dogs in the park. Killing time while their motorhome was at a nearby garage, Pippa said: "We're pleased to find such a wonderful cafe and to stop and watch the world go by. This is lovely, a real bonus.".
The Pink Palace is located opposite Whole Health which organises swims in the lake and operates a wood-fired sauna. Its relationship with Wired began five years ago when the coffee shop was a sponsor. Now they enhance each other's experience.
Wired in the Pink Palace is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10am except on Saturdays when opening time is 9.15am for the parkrun. From April it plans to open on Tuesdays.
READ NEXT:
St Patrick's Day celebrations in Nottingham 2023: Time, date and what's on
Successful first year for Nottinghamshire family bakery and cafe held up by planning obstacles
Nottingham tram network partially closed after damaged water pipe forced people to leave homes
Application put forward to create new travellers site in Nottinghamshire
