A husband and wife who transformed part of Liverpool's former Rapid Hardware store into a sleek and stylish café have expanded the business with a "secret" speakeasy bar.
Callum and Rachel Scott have a passion for design and development, and were keen to make their mark on Renshaw Street in Liverpool's thriving city centre. In December 2022, the couple opened the doors to Hardware Coffee & Kitchen.
The cool and contemporary space has been completely transformed from a "derelict" spot with "holes in the ceiling" to a vast, relaxing café offering healthy food and drinks on a central street that's rapidly expanding. There's exposed brick, large skylights flooding the space with natural light, hanging plants adding pops of vibrant green, and a nod to the building's past with old tools adorning one of the walls.
READ MORE: Home Bargains shoppers 'can't believe' price of 'gorgeous' homeware item they 'need'
The husband and wife team took the site "back to brick" and then rebuilt it from there in an effort to tap into the beloved "café culture" so common in Rachel's home country of Australia, where the couple spent six years together.
When returning to the UK, Callum, who's originally from the Lake District, and Rachel set their sights on Liverpool. Speaking to the ECHO, Callum, 33, said: "To be honest, we just loved the city. We started to do a bit of property [development] here and the more we did, the more we stuck about. Liverpool's a great place to be."
The couple have lived in Liverpool for the past three and a half years, with the launch of their business establishing it as their home for the foreseeable future. The café has proved popular since opening just a few months ago, with the speakeasy bar a new element to ensure the old Rapid Hardware store continues to thrive.
Rapid Hardware was founded in 1971 and gradually expanded across the length of Renshaw Street, becoming one of the city's retail landmarks. The legendary family-run department store soon became famous for its DIY, garden and home improvement products.
After snapping up the building, Callum quickly realised just how important its history as a hardware store was. He said: "When we first bought the building on Renshaw Street; the amount of people you try and explain where Renshaw Street was, they'd always say, 'is that where Rapid Hardware is?' We quickly realised how big it was and how much it meant to people.
"Instead of calling it Rapid, we wanted to link to it but in our own way - Hardware seemed to tie in and make it our own version. Rapid can definitely take credit for part of it and it seems to work well. We're into that theme of hardware too, with the décor."
The couple purchased the building in 2021, after completing work on an aparthotel next door, and opened the café side of the business before completing the speakeasy bar this year. Callum explained: "We bought a building next door to this one back in 2021 and basically this one came up for sale as well and we always wanted to do a café because Rach, my wife, she's originally from Australia and we spent six years there [and] we loved the café culture that Australia has.
"We just felt it could really work on Renshaw Street and the building itself kind of tied into that. On top of that, we also love cool little cocktail bars and speakeasy bars - your hidden but not hidden cocktail bars - and the building just works from both those angles.
"It was completely derelict [before], it was very run down - holes in the roof, all sorts in the building. We found some newspapers from 1860, some really old stuff that was probably older than the building. We did a full development from planning side of things, stripping the building back to brick.
"We're developers, that's where our background is so we thought why not give it a go. I mainly do the project managing side of things, but we also used all local trades that we've used in the past on other jobs we've done."
Little Hardware, the basement level cocktail bar and speakeasy, opened after a slight delay - the couple welcomed the arrival of their daughter Cleo on December 30. Callum said: "We opened the café just over eight weeks ago and the bar kind of took a back-burner because we had a little baby on the 30th of December so it was all a bit mad, as we were trying to get it done before the baby came along.
"The [venues are] both very different - one is a big, open, clean space and then one is a cosy speakeasy bar in the basement. The café is a more modern style and in the basement, we've kept the original oak beams, and we've kept the old coal shoots, and we've got some exposed brick.
"You've got to have an idea of what you want from a building - I think sometimes, you walk in and you get a feel for a space. Even the basement here where Little Hardware is seemed dark and dingy [and it] has now become a cool, quirky space."
So far, the venue has been a big hit among locals and tourists alike. Callum said: "[It's been an] amazing reception so far, it really has been amazing. At first, we just opened our doors and were a bit unsure but word has got around - it's Liverpool approved.
"We hope to keep going the way it's going, not over complicate anything and just have a really cool venue on Renshaw Street for people to come visit. As time goes by, Renshaw Street seems to be getting better and better and we hope to be a part of that."
Little Hardware can be accessed via Cropper Street, at the back of the building. Callum conspiratorially added: "Find the rusty wheelbarrow and you'll find us."
Hardware Coffee + Kitchen is based at 40 Renshaw Street, L1 4EF, while Little Hardware is based on Cropper Street, L1.
Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up to our what's on newsletter
READ NEXT:
- Aldi's 'stunning' £15 Specialbuy that's an 'elegant addition' to the home
Nile Rodgers and CHIC return to Merseyside for huge summer show after 'phenomenal demand'
A Barry's Bootcamp expert told me how often to exercise for real results so I tried it for myself
I stayed in Liverpool's new Radisson RED hotel and 'the interiors were stunning'
Iceland's new low calorie meal that 'tastes just like a takeaway'
