THE latest cafe to open its doors in Wells aims to offer the community something a little different, writes Emma James.
Andy and Laura Bain welcomed their first customers at Garage 6 on Monday, August 19. Open seven days a week, the cafe, which is aimed primarily at motorbikers and cyclists, is based at Unit 6 on Cathedral Avenue.
The couple hopes that the location will prove popular as the nearest equivalent venue is in Bristol: “There’s a big motorbike and cycling community in Wells,” says Laura, “and we want to offer a space where they can meet and park up easily.”
Andy outlines some of their ideas: “We would like to promote as many aspects of riding as possible and are planning some exciting events to cover topics such as maintenance, safety and mental health with guest speakers and ticketed evenings. We want to make this a great community space.”
Andy, an ex-Royal Marine Commando turned electrician and Laura, who was Head of Girls’ Games at Wells Cathedral Prep School, have been based in Wells for nine years. Their two daughters, Elsie (ten) and Rosie (nine) are both pupils at St Joseph and St Teresa Primary School. Two years ago, whilst still working full time, the Bains set up their online coffee business, Quickshifter Coffee, selling beans, ground coffee and coffee bags. Both keen bikers, they wanted to shift their brand towards the motorcycle market and the cafe seemed to be a natural progression: “We wanted to grow Quickshifter Coffee and make it something that our children can be involved in.”
Preparations for opening day kept the couple busy, with Andy and Laura doing most of the work themselves. The cafe has plenty of seating with a large mezzanine area overlooking the bikes parked below. Comfy sofas downstairs are situated next to the serving counter where cakes, pastries and bacon sandwiches are available. There has been great attention to detail with specially-designed logos, printed T-shirts and a stylish dark blue colour scheme on the walls. Quickshifter Coffee products and merchandise are on sale also.
Andy and Laura hope to install bike racks on the wall inside the entrance so that cyclists can wheel straight inside the cafe, and there are also plans to mount a large screen in order to show live motorcycling events. Andy says: “Once things are settled, we want to host a grand Opening Day. The charity Mental Health Motorbike has already agreed to bring a stand and we’re hoping to have bikes on display and to invite local racers.”
However, the pair are both keen to stress that they want to make the cafe a welcoming space for everyone. Laura says: “We’re open to all – dog walkers; runners; anyone using the nearby Strawberry Line. It’s not just about the bikes.”
To get things off to a flying start, Riders in the Sky, the charity which organises a large ride-out in memory of Wells firefighter Lee Baker, will use Garage 6 as one of their re-group stop-off points – a fantastic way to spread the word about Wells’ latest amenity.