A new Liverpool city centre café serving delicious brunch and coffee has taken inspiration from a lost iconic department store that used to occupy the site.
Rapid Hardware was founded in 1971 and gradually expanded across the length of Renshaw Street, becoming one of the city’s retail landmarks. The iconic family run department store soon became famous for its DIY, garden and home improvement products.
But after moving into the former George Henry Lee building in 2009, Rapid was hit hard by the recession. It fell into administration in February 2013 after failing to agree a deal with its bank, Royal Bank of Scotland.
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The company reopened three months later in the same building under a different name, Rapid Discount Outlet, with many of its former staff and expanded its product range in the new discount store. But the company made losses in all three years of trading and closed in 2017.
Today, the buildings that were home to the original Rapid store on Renshaw Street now belong to a range of different businesses, from M Box Karaoke to Rudy's on the corner of Bold Street. But it's memory lives on and one new business is celebrating Rapid’s past with its new hardware-inspired café.
Hardware Coffee & Kitchen was opened last weekend by husband and wife Callum and Rachel Scott, who wanted to offer a modern twist on the building's history, after Rapid Hardware left a "significant mark" on the city. Callum, 33, told the ECHO: "We own a building next door which is like an aparthotel and last year the building next door came up for sale.
"It had the old Rapid sign above it and it was when we started doing renovations to the other building last year we realised how much Rapid meant to Liverpudlians and how well they remembered it. When we’d say where about we where, we’d say Renshaw Street and no one would ever know, so we'd say where Rapid used to be and everyone would know.
"I moved to Liverpool around three years ago, so never got to visit Rapid but everyone was talking about it. Older men or women walking past would say do you know that used to be Rapid and so on, or I used to work there and they’d tell you what each of the different shops would be.
"We just felt like calling the business Hardware Coffee & Kitchen ties in well and we’ve not tried to copy the name but bring back the Rapid theme." Located at 40 Renshaw Street, the venue offers coffee and delicious all day brunch to customers.
In a nod to the building's past, the menu also includes a Hardys Builders Butty, Hardys Tool Box breakfast and a DIY section, as well as favourites such as overnight oats, pancake stakes, French toast, eggs benedict and more.
Have you visited Hardware Coffee & Kitchen yet? Let us know in the comments section below.
When you walk into Hardware Coffee & Kitchen, you can immediately see how the theme has been incorporated into the contemporary and aesthetic design. Inside, tool boxes filled with cutlery are placed on the tables, with ladders, tools, paint brushes and more dotted around the walls.
On the bare brick wall you can also see the slogan "Once Rapid No Hardware." Callum said: " It's been really cool seeing it come to life and word is getting around.
"It’s a nice place to be, I'm probably a bit biased but the food and coffee is really good. It’s been great to see new people coming in.
"I think the business is definitely a chill, relaxing café to come to but at the same time it's trendy. It caters from students to people who are retired who just want to come in for a coffee to kids.
"There’s also a small kids menu and plastic tool boxes for them to play with. I feel like its a place not catered to anyone in particular but everyone can still come and enjoy it."
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In the new year, customers will also be able to visit for a hardware inspired cocktail or two as the business will boast its very own speakeasy called Little Hardware. Callum said: "It’s going to be a more warm, cosy and rustic bar and it’s going to have older tools from antique shops.
"We found a few bits within the buildings itself because it was derelict for around 15 years. There’s a few old bits we’re going to use from there, but it’s going to be themed but classy."
To find out more click here. To follow Hardware Coffee & Kitchen on Instagram, click here.
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